Complete Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Preparing for Installation
Chapter 2 Using Express and Typical Install
Chapter 3 Using Custom Install
Chapter 4 Using Silent Install
Chapter 5 Installing and Configuring the Synchronization Service
Chapter 6 Upgrading the Directory Server
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting
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Chapter 5 Installing and Configuring the Synch Service

When you install a Directory Server under Windows NT, you are given the option of installing the NT Synchronization Service. The NT Directory Synchronization Service allows you to synchronize the entries in your Windows NT directory with your Directory Server entries. Windows NT users, groups, and passwords can be synchronized. As entries are created, modified, or deleted in one directory, the synchronization service makes the corresponding change to the other directory.

The NT Synchronization Service and the Netscape Directory Server do not have to be installed on the same machine. Also, you can use the synch service with a Netscape Directory Server for Unix.

This chapter contains information about:


Installing the Synchronization Service
To install the synchronization service, do the following:

  1. While not required, it is strongly recommended that you use SSL with the synchronization service. Therefore, your first step should be to create a certificate database for use by the synchronization service. The easiest way to do this is to simply use the certificate database that you created when you set up SSL for your Directory Server. If your Directory Server is running on the same machine as your synchronization service, then you can just point the synchronization service at that same database. Otherwise, copy the Directory Server's certificate database to the same machine as the synchronization service is running.
  2. If you do not want to use the Directory Server's certificate database, you can create a certificate database for the NT synchronization service using Communicator 4.x. When you do this, you only need to trust the Directory Server's Certificate Authority (you do not need to obtain any client or server certificates).

    For information on setting up SSL for the Directory Server, or for information on how to create certificate databases for LDAP clients, see the Netscape Directory Server Administrator's Guide.

  3. Log in to Windows NT with administrator privileges.
  4. If you have not already done so, download the product binaries file to the installation directory.
  5. Unzip the product binaries.
  6. Run the setup program. You can find it in the directory where you unzipped the installation files.
  7. When you are asked what you would like to install, select the default, Netscape Servers.
  8. When you are asked what type of installation you would like to perform, select the default, Typical Installation.
  9. For server installation root, enter a full path to the location where you want to install the synchronization service. The location that you enter must be some directory other than the directory from which you are running setup. If the directory that you specify does not exist, setup creates it for you.
  10. For Components, select "Netscape Server Family Core Components" and "4.0 Synch Service."
Once the synchronization service is installed, the Synchronization Service Configuration Tool is launched. To successful synchronize your Windows NT entries with the Netscape Directory Server, you must do two things:

The following sections describe these activities in detail. To learn more about the Netscape NT Synchronization Service, see the Netscape Directory Server Administrator's Guide.


Configuring the Directory Server for NT Synchronization
Before you can use the NT Synchronization Service, you must configure your Directory Server for use with the synchronization service. This involves doing the following:


Configuring the Synchronization Service
You use the synchronization service configuration tool to configure your synchronization service. This tool is described in the Netscape Directory Server Administrator's Guide, and in the help system available through the configuration tool. You must configure the following information in order to successfully start synchronization:

Step 1: Configure Service Settings

In the Service Settings tab:

  1. Enter the port number on your local Windows NT system that the configuration tool uses to communicate with the synchronization service. Enter a unique port number in this field. The default port number is 5007. The port number can be any number between 1 and 65535 that is not in use by other TCP/IP applications.
  2. Enter the location of the synchronization service event log file. This logfile is used by the synchronization service to record significant events and problems. Each time a user or group is added, deleted, modified, or renamed in the Windows NT domain, the synchronization service records the event to this file.
  3. Indicate whether you want to use SSL for synchronization. You are strongly recommended to use SSL for synchronization because the synchronization service is transmitting user passwords to the Directory Server.
  4. Enter the location of the certificate database file. This field is required if you are using SSL.
  5. If you have a certificate database that you created for your Netscape Directory Server, then it is sufficient to reference that database in this field (the database must be on a local disk, so you may have to physically copy the Directory Server's certificate database to your Windows NT host).

    Alternatively, you can use Netscape Communicator 4.x to create a certificate database for use with your NT synchronization service (if you do this, you only need to trust your Directory Server's certificate authority; you do not need to obtain any kind of a server or client certificate).

    For information on how to create certificate database files for use with Directory Server clients, see the Netscape Directory Server Administrator's Guide.

Step 2: Configure Directory Server Settings

In the Directory Server Settings tab, identify the following:

Note. If the name of the directory subtree you want to use as the directory base for either users or groups contains a comma, you must escape the comma with a backslash (\) when you enter the value in the directory base field. For example, to use the Airius Bolivia, S.A. subtree as the directory base, you would enter Airius Bolivia\, S.A. in the directory base field.

Step 3: Configure NT-to-Directory Synchronization

If you are supporting NT-to-directory synchronization go to the Synchronization Schedule tab and examine the schedule configured there. Directory-to-NT synchronization is not affected by this schedule; that form of synchronization occurs over the non-LDAP port immediately upon a relevant change being made to the directory.

Step 4: Configure Account Details

If you are supporting NT-to-directory synchronization, the are two options you can select on the Accounts tab:


Starting and Stopping the NT Synchronization Service
To start the synchronization service, go to the Status tab in the configuration tool and click Start or reboot the system. The synchronization service is configured to start whenever the Windows NT host is started.

If you do not want the synchronization service to start when the Windows NT host is booted, you must change the service's startup state from Automatic to Manual. You do this using the Windows NT Services control panel.

 

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