[wplug-internet] Another LDAP server to tinker with

[Pat Barron]

Following up a bit on a discussion that took place at the GUM on Saturday...

I went looking yesterday for a different LDAP server that was easier 
than OpenLDAP and/or ApacheDS to set up and configure.  This is what I 
ended up finding:

https://opends.java.net

On the plus side - it has a sensible installer that walks you through 
the server installation and setup (either using a GUI, or from the 
command line).  Part of the challenge of getting OpenLDAP (for instance) 
running, is just getting a server running with a very basic 
configuration; this is the main problem I was trying to solve, and 
OpenDS does that.  You run the "setup" program, it asks you a few 
questions, it asks you for a password for the Root DN, it asks if you 
want to turn on SSL/TLS, and that's about it - you have a completely 
working LDAP server in less than 2 minutes.  It also has a GUI 
administration client (though I guess you could use any number of 
administration tools with it, pick your favorite...).  It can run as an 
ordinary user (though not on the default port of 389, as non-root users 
can't use port numbers < 1024), and runs completely out of whatever 
directory you un-zip the package in - it doesn't touch anything anywhere 
else in the filesystem.

On the minus side - It is (as you can guess from the web site URL) 
written in Java; I did get it working under OpenJDK on Fedora 18 
(OpenJDK comes installed on F18 by default when you ask for a 
developer's environment during system install).  It's dead software, it 
looks like most development on OpenDS stopped sometime in 2010. On 
Fedora 18 and OpenJDK 1.7.0, the latest stable build does not work - it 
fails to install, due to a Java exception in the installer.  The latest 
"promoted" build (basically, a test build decreed stable enough for the 
public to mess with it) also does not work, but for a different reason - 
this time, it installs, and the server runs, but you get a null pointer 
exception when you try to start the admin client...  To make it work, I 
had to use the latest "daily build" - which turns out to have been built 
sometime in November 2012..  (I guess "daily" doesn't mean what it used 
to, in certain contexts...)  This latest daily build installs and runs 
as expected (so far).

Due to all the "minuses" above, there's no way I'd recommend to use this 
in production.  However, if you are looking for a "quick to set up" LDAP 
server to test with, or to learn about LDAP, this might be one to consider.

--Pat.