I am getting LDAP initialization failed when using mod_ldap/mod_authnz_ldap with Apache

Solution Verified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux
  • Red Hat JBoss Web Server

Issue

  • When starting Apache, this appears in your error_log:

    [info] [client 127.0.0.1] [2519] auth_ldap authenticate: user test authentication failed; URI /ldap [LDAP: ldap initialization failed][Unknown (private extension) error]

Resolution

  • Install the LDAP drivers for linux via the following yum command and restart apache:
# yum install apr-util-ldap
  • If seeing issue on JBoss Web Server 3.x, make sure the apr_ldap-1.so file exists in the $JWS_HOME/httpd/lib directory.
# find $JWS_HOME/httpd -name 'apr_ldap*so'

Root Cause

  • The LDAP drivers are not installed on the OS.

Diagnostic Steps

  • Running the following command yields no results:
# yum list installed | grep apr-util-ldap
  • Check if apr_ldap file is loaded
# lsof -p <HTTPD_PID> | grep apr_ldap

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