Chapter 9. Using ldapmodify to manage IdM users externally

As an IdM administrators you can use the ipa commands to manage your directory content. Alternatively, you can use the ldapmodify command to achieve similar goals. You can use this command interactively and provide all the data directly in the command line. You also can provide data in the file in the LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) to ldapmodify command.

9.1. Templates for managing IdM user accounts externally

The following templates can be used for various user management operations in IdM. The templates show which attributes you must modify using ldapmodify to achieve the following goals:

  • Adding a new stage user
  • Modifying a user’s attribute
  • Enabling a user
  • Disabling a user
  • Preserving a user

The templates are formatted in the LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF). LDIF is a standard plain text data interchange format for representing LDAP directory content and update requests.

Using the templates, you can configure the LDAP provider of your provisioning system to manage IdM user accounts.

For detailed example procedures, see the following sections:

Templates for adding a new stage user

  • A template for adding a user with UID and GID assigned automatically. The distinguished name (DN) of the created entry must start with uid=user_login:

    dn: uid=user_login,cn=staged users,cn=accounts,cn=provisioning,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
    changetype: add
    objectClass: top
    objectClass: inetorgperson
    uid: user_login
    sn: surname
    givenName: first_name
    cn: full_name
  • A template for adding a user with UID and GID assigned statically:

    dn: uid=user_login,cn=staged users,cn=accounts,cn=provisioning,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
    changetype: add
    objectClass: top
    objectClass: person
    objectClass: inetorgperson
    objectClass: organizationalperson
    objectClass: posixaccount
    uid: user_login
    uidNumber: UID_number
    gidNumber: GID_number
    sn: surname
    givenName: first_name
    cn: full_name
    homeDirectory: /home/user_login

    You are not required to specify any IdM object classes when adding stage users. IdM adds these classes automatically after the users are activated.

Templates for modifying existing users

  • Modifying a user’s attribute:

    dn: distinguished_name
    changetype: modify
    replace: attribute_to_modify
    attribute_to_modify: new_value
  • Disabling a user:

    dn: distinguished_name
    changetype: modify
    replace: nsAccountLock
    nsAccountLock: TRUE
  • Enabling a user:

    dn: distinguished_name
    changetype: modify
    replace: nsAccountLock
    nsAccountLock: FALSE

    Updating the nssAccountLock attribute has no effect on stage and preserved users. Even though the update operation completes successfully, the attribute value remains nssAccountLock: TRUE.

  • Preserving a user:

    dn: distinguished_name
    changetype: modrdn
    newrdn: uid=user_login
    deleteoldrdn: 0
    newsuperior: cn=deleted users,cn=accounts,cn=provisioning,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
Note

Before modifying a user, obtain the user’s distinguished name (DN) by searching using the user’s login. In the following example, the user_allowed_to_modify_user_entries user is a user allowed to modify user and group information, for example activator or IdM administrator. The password in the example is this user’s password:

[...]
# ldapsearch -LLL -x -D "uid=user_allowed_to_modify_user_entries,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com" -w "Secret123" -H ldap://r8server.idm.example.com -b "cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com" uid=test_user
dn: uid=test_user,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
memberOf: cn=ipausers,cn=groups,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com

9.2. Templates for managing IdM group accounts externally

The following templates can be used for various user group management operations in IdM. The templates show which attributes you must modify using ldapmodify to achieve the following aims:

  • Creating a new group
  • Deleting an existing group
  • Adding a member to a group
  • Removing a member from a group

The templates are formatted in the LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF). LDIF is a standard plain text data interchange format for representing LDAP directory content and update requests.

Using the templates, you can configure the LDAP provider of your provisioning system to manage IdM group accounts.

Creating a new group

dn: cn=group_name,cn=groups,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
changetype: add
objectClass: top
objectClass: ipaobject
objectClass: ipausergroup
objectClass: groupofnames
objectClass: nestedgroup
objectClass: posixgroup
uid: group_name
cn: group_name
gidNumber: GID_number

Modifying groups

  • Deleting an existing group:

    dn: group_distinguished_name
    changetype: delete
  • Adding a member to a group:

    dn: group_distinguished_name
    changetype: modify
    add: member
    member: uid=user_login,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com

    Do not add stage or preserved users to groups. Even though the update operation completes successfully, the users will not be updated as members of the group. Only active users can belong to groups.

  • Removing a member from a group:

    dn: distinguished_name
    changetype: modify
    delete: member
    member: uid=user_login,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
Note

Before modifying a group, obtain the group’s distinguished name (DN) by searching using the group’s name.

# ldapsearch -YGSSAPI -H ldap://server.idm.example.com -b "cn=groups,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com" "cn=group_name"
dn: cn=group_name,cn=groups,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
ipaNTSecurityIdentifier: S-1-5-21-1650388524-2605035987-2578146103-11017
cn: testgroup
objectClass: top
objectClass: groupofnames
objectClass: nestedgroup
objectClass: ipausergroup
objectClass: ipaobject
objectClass: posixgroup
objectClass: ipantgroupattrs
ipaUniqueID: 569bf864-9d45-11ea-bea3-525400f6f085
gidNumber: 1997010017

9.3. Using ldapmodify command interactively

You can modify Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) entries in the interactive mode.

Procedure

  1. In a command line, enter the LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) statement after the ldapmodify command.

    Example 9.1. Changing the telephone number for a testuser

    # ldapmodify -Y GSSAPI -H ldap://server.example.com
    dn: uid=testuser,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=example,dc=com
    changetype: modify
    replace: telephoneNumber
    telephonenumber: 88888888

    Note that you need to obtain a Kerberos ticket for using -Y option.

  2. Press Ctlr+D to exit the interactive mode.
  3. Alternatively, provide an LDIF file after ldapmodify command:

    Example 9.2. The ldapmodify command reads modification data from an LDIF file

    # ldapmodify -Y GSSAPI -H ldap://server.example.com -f ~/example.ldif

Additional resources

  • For more information about how to use the ldapmodify command see ldapmodify(1) man page.
  • For more information about the LDIF structure, see ldif(5) man page.

9.4. Preserving an IdM user with ldapmodify

Follow this procedure to use ldapmodify to preserve an IdM user; that is, how to deactivate a user account after the employee has left the company.

Prerequisites

  • You can authenticate as an IdM user with a role to preserve users.

Procedure

  1. Log in as an IdM user with a role to preserve users:

    $ kinit admin
  2. Enter the ldapmodify command and specify the Generic Security Services API (GSSAPI) as the Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) mechanism to be used for authentication:

    # ldapmodify -Y GSSAPI
    SASL/GSSAPI authentication started
    SASL username: admin@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
    SASL SSF: 256
    SASL data security layer installed.
  3. Enter the dn of the user you want to preserve:

    dn: uid=user1,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com
  4. Enter modrdn as the type of change you want to perform:

    changetype: modrdn
  5. Specify the newrdn for the user:

    newrdn: uid=user1
  6. Indicate that you want to preserve the user:

    deleteoldrdn: 0
  7. Specify the new superior DN:

    newsuperior: cn=deleted users,cn=accounts,cn=provisioning,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com

    Preserving a user moves the entry to a new location in the directory information tree (DIT). For this reason, you must specify the DN of the new parent entry as the new superior DN.

  8. Press Enter again to confirm that this is the end of the entry:

    [Enter]
    
    modifying rdn of entry "uid=user1,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=idm,dc=example,dc=com"
  9. Exit the connection using Ctrl + C.

Verification steps

  • Verify that the user has been preserved by listing all preserved users:

    $ ipa user-find --preserved=true
    --------------
    1 user matched
    --------------
      User login: user1
      First name: First 1
      Last name: Last 1
      Home directory: /home/user1
      Login shell: /bin/sh
      Principal name: user1@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
      Principal alias: user1@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
      Email address: user1@idm.example.com
      UID: 1997010003
      GID: 1997010003
      Account disabled: True
      Preserved user: True
    ----------------------------
    Number of entries returned 1
    ----------------------------