path: root/help/C/contacts-ldap.page

<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/" xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its"
      type="topic" id="contacts-ldap">

  <info>
    <desc>Use shared address books on a local network.</desc>
    
    <link type="guide" xref="contacts-using-several-addressbooks"/>

    <revision pkgversion="3.1.5" version="0.3" date="2011-07-28" status="final"/>
    <credit type="author">
      <name>Andre Klapper</name>
      <email>ak-47@gmx.net</email>
    </credit>
 <credit type="author">
   <name>Novell, Inc</name> <!-- Content partially from http://library.gnome.org/users/evolution/2.32/usage-contact-sharing.html.en and http://library.gnome.org/users/evolution/2.32/config-prefs-contact.html.en#bxmw6w5 -->
 </credit>
    <license>
      <p>Creative Commons Share Alike 3.0</p>
    </license>

  </info>

<title>Adding LDAP access</title>

<p>The LDAP protocol was created to let users share contact information over a network by sharing access to a central directory. LDAP allows a company to maintain a shared set of contact information. Many companies keep a common LDAP address book for all their employees or for client contacts.</p>

<section id="add-ldap-addressbook">
<title>Adding an LDAP address book</title>

<steps>
<item><p>Click <guiseq><gui>File</gui><gui>New</gui><gui>Address Book</gui></guiseq>.</p></item>
<item><p>In the <gui>General</gui> tab, select the type <gui>On LDAP Servers</gui>.</p></item>
<item><p>Enter a name that you prefer.</p></item>
<item><p>Enter the address of the server, the port number (the default number is 389) and whether you want to connect securely.</p></item>
<item><p>Define the login method and your user name.</p></item>
<item><p>Click <gui style="button">Apply</gui>.</p></item>
<item><p>In the <gui>Details</gui> tab you can define the following settings:</p>
<list>
 <item><p>Search Base: The search base is the starting point for a directory search. Contact your system administrator for information about the correct settings.</p></item>
 <item><p>Search Scope: The search scope is the breadth of a given search. The following options are available:</p>
  <list>
  <item><p>One: Searches the Search Base and one entry below it.</p></item>
  <item><p>Sub: Searches the Search Base and all entries below it.</p></item>
  </list>
 </item>
 <item><p>Search Filter: The search filter can be set here for all the LDAP queries. For example:</p>
  <list>
  <item><p><code>ObjectClass=*</code>: Lists all the objects from the server.</p></item>
  <item><p><code>ObjectClass=User</code>: Lists only the users.</p></item>
  <item><p><code>Filter (|(ObjectClass=User)(ObjectClass=groupOfNames))</code>: Retrieves the User and Contact List objects.</p></item>
  <item><p><code>(&amp;(mail=*)(ObjectClass=*))</code>: Lists the objects associated with the email addresses.</p></item>
  </list>
 </item>
 <item><p>Timeout (minutes): The maximum time Evolution attempts to download data from the server before giving up.</p></item>
 <item><p>Download Limit: The maximum number of results for a given search. Most servers refuse to send more than 500 contacts, but you can set the number lower if you want to shorten downloads for very broad searches.</p></item>
</list>
</item>
</steps>

<note><p>If you are unsure about some settings, ask your system administrator.</p></note>

</section>

<section id="ldap-vs-local-addressbooks">
<title>Differences to local address books</title>

<p>LDAP address books work like local address books on your computer, with the following exceptions:</p>
<list>
<item><p>Network folders are only available when you are connected to the network. If you use a laptop or have a modem connection, you might want to copy or cache some of the network directory. You do this by dragging and dropping your desired contacts into the local address books.</p></item>
<item><p>You can also mark the network folder for offline usage. To mark the folder, right-click the folder, click Properties and select Copy Folder Content Locally for Offline Operation.</p></item>
<item><p>To prevent excess network traffic, Evolution does not normally load data from the LDAP server upon opening.</p></item>
<item><p>Depending on your server settings, you might not be able to edit all the fields in a contact stored on an LDAP server. Some servers prohibit some or all changes, and others use a smaller set of fields than Evolution allows. Check with your system administrator if you need different settings.</p></item>
</list>
</section>

</page>