HP-UX Directory Server Administrator Guide HP-UX Directory Server Version 8.1 (5900-3098, May 2013)

A.3.2 Base-64 encoding
Binary data can be converted to base-64, which can be used in LDIF files, for a variety of data,
from images to SSL certificates. Base 64-encoded data are identified by using the :: symbol. For
example:
jpegPhoto::encoded_data
In addition to binary data, other values that must be base-64 encoded include the following:
• Any value that begins with a colon (:) or a space.
• Any value that contains non-ASCII data, including new lines.
Use the ldif command line utility with the -b option to convert binary data to LDIF format:
ldif -b attribute_name
attribute_name is the name of the attribute to which the binary data is supplied. The binary
data is read from standard input and the results are written to standard output. Thus, use redirection
operators to select input and output files.
The ldif command line utility will take any input and format it with the correct line continuation
and appropriate attribute information. The ldif utility also assesses whether the input requires
base-64 encoding. For example:
ldif -b jpegPhoto < mark.jpg > out.ldif
This example takes a binary file containing a JPEG-formatted image and converts it into LDIF format
for the attribute jpegPhoto. The output is saved to out.ldif.
The -b option specifies that the ldif utility should interpret the entire input as a single binary
value. If -b is not present, each line is considered to be a separate input value.
A.4 Specifying directory entries Using LDIF
Many types of entries can be stored in the directory. This section concentrates on three of the most
common types of entries used in a directory: domain, organizational unit, and organizational
person entries.
The object classes defined for an entry are what indicate whether the entry represents a domain
or domain component, an organizational unit, an organizational person, or some other type of
entry.
A.4.1 Specifying domain entries
Directories often have at least one domain entry. Typically this is the first, or topmost, entry in the
directory. The domain entry often corresponds to the DNS host and domain name for your directory.
For example, if the Directory Server host is called ldap.example.com, then the domain entry
for the directory is probably named dc=ldap,dc=example,dc=com or simply
dc=example,dc=com.
The LDIF entry used to define a domain appears as follows:
dn: distinguished_name
objectClass: top
objectClass: domain
dc: domain_component_name
list_of_optional_attributes
...
The following is a sample domain entry in LDIF format:
dn: dc=example,dc=com
objectclass: top
objectclass: domain
dc: example
description: Fictional example company
Each element of the LDIF-formatted domain entry is defined in Table 78 (page 550).
A.4 Specifying directory entries Using LDIF 549