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>
    <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 its:translate="no">Andre Klapper</name>
      <email its:translate="no">ak-47@gmx.net</email>
    </credit>
    <credit type="author">
      <name its:translate="no">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>

    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>

    <desc>Use shared address books on a local network.</desc>
  </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 username.</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 <app>Evolution</app> 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 style="tip">
    <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, <app>Evolution</app> 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
      <app>Evolution</app> allows. Check with your system administrator if you
      need different settings.</p>
    </item>
  </list>

</section>

</page>