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Use Apache Geronimo and Ajax to build a directory, Part 1: Configuring Geronimo's LDAP server

Matthew Jording (kingrabbit@gmail.com), Freelance writer, Sensis Corporation
Matthew Jording has spent the last decade developing Java Enterprise applications for Fortune 500 companies. Currently employed by Sensis Corporation, Matthew is working on a Geronimo-based service-oriented architecture for the Aerospace Industry. Matthew and co-author Nathan Mittler are writing Geronimo In Action for Manning Publications. Matthew is married with two teenage daughters and lives in Syracuse, New York.

Summary:  Proficiency in working with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an important skill for developers creating enterprise applications for Apache Geronimo and IBM® WebSphere® application servers. In this two-part tutorial series, learn how to use the LDAP Tools for Eclipse to configure Geronimo's built-in Apache Directory LDAP server, ApacheDS. In this first installment, you'll import hypothetical personal information into the LDAP server while gearing up for Part 2, where you'll query the LDAP server and update the Web page using Ajax.

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Date:  23 May 2006
Level:  Intermediate
PDF:  A4 and Letter (320 KB | 19 pages)Get Adobe® Reader®

Activity:  4090 views
Comments:  

Before you start

This two-part tutorial series is for you if you're a developer interested in leveraging the power LDAP can provide your enterprise application development. This series shows you how to configure Apache Geronimo's built-in LDAP server using the LDAP Tools for Eclipse and how to build an Ajax application to verify and test its capabilities.

About this series

LDAP, an IBM-supported standard, is a common method for e-mail clients to look up e-mail addresses from fragments of a name, or for networked servers to obtain login credentials. Basically an LDAP client can query an LDAP server to obtain any information about users therein. The LDAP Tools for Eclipse can help you get your LDAP server off to the right start. Geronimo implements LDAP through the Apache Directory project, in the LDAP subproject, and is an excellent LDAP implementation for your Java™ 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) projects.

This installment of the series, Part 1, covers configuring Geronimo's built-in Apache Directory LDAP server using the LDAP Tools for Eclipse. Here you'll import hypothetical personal information into the LDAP server while gearing up for Part 2 of the series, where you'll query the LDAP server and update the Web page using Ajax.

In Part 2, you'll also create the J2EE application that logs into the e-mail client using programmatic authentication and authorization by verifying a username and password against the LDAP server. An e-mail can then be submitted to users listed in the LDAP server by entering a first or last name or a phone number. Geronimo's LDAP server is then queried via JavaScript, and a list of suggestions for auto-completion is displayed.

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About this tutorial

Apache Geronimo, the newest J2EE application server offering from Apache, is taking important steps in redefining how J2EE services are implemented. One of the most important parts of the Geronimo architecture is its modular, lightweight framework implementation. This modular design allows best-of-breed enterprise components to quickly and easily integrate into the overall server.

Over the course of the past decade, directory services have become essential computing needs of the enterprise. There have been several protocols, specifications, and varied approaches tackling the problem of discovery and registration of information. Whether storing authentication information, service information, or business contact lists, directories have become central to the way enterprise applications operate.

One of the most popular solutions to the directory quandary is LDAP, an IBM-supported standard, which is a network protocol for querying and updating directory services over standard TCP/IP network connections. Developers creating enterprise applications for Apache Geronimo and IBM WebSphere application servers will find proficiency in working with LDAP to be an important part of their skill set. If you're interested in leveraging the power LDAP can provide your enterprise application development, then this tutorial series is for you. Use this tutorial to learn how to configure Geronimo's built-in LDAP server using LDAP Tools for Eclipse, and build an Ajax application to verify and test its capabilities.

In this tutorial, you'll get familiar with Geronimo and its built-in Apache Directory LDAP server, ApacheDS. You'll install and configure both for LDAP application development. You'll also get to know the LDAP Tools for Eclipse, an Eclipse plug-in that allows you to view and manage the LDAP directory. This tutorial walks you through importing hypothetical personal information into the LDAP server, as well as viewing a populated directory and its entries, without leaving your Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

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Prerequisite knowledge

This series assumes you have some expertise as a Java enterprise Web developer and some comfort with system administration tasks, such as setting environment variables and server installation. Familiarity with the Eclipse IDE is also helpful.

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System requirements

Download the following tools to follow along with this tutorial:

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