[DominikHoffmann]

I just had to reinstall my Panther Server operating system. With the various trial and error steps in attempting to salvage (from a tape backup) my LDAP database, I'm actually now on the third reinstall and have given up on trying to do a restore of the LDAP database. I'll have to bite the bullet and redo all the users by hand.

In order to avoid this in the future (no one can guarantee that I won't have to ever reinstall the server again), I am wondering whether there is a proven way to back up the LDAP database, so that it can be dropped into an otherwise clean install. Any ideas?

At any rate just copying /private/var/db/openldap/ from tape back to the boot drive and restarting slapd does not work. I have no way of knowing, whether my backed up database was corrupted already, or whether, just as with any other database its files aren't in sync with one another, when they get backed up while the database is running.

The manifestations of not being able to use the backup are that either

1) I can't authenticate and get into the /LDAPv3/127.0.0.1 database while running Workgroup Manager as admin or

2) Workgroup Manager won't let me see the LDAP-based user records with an Error -14002.

Dominik

[gorickey]

In Workgroup Manager (Panther) can't you simply "Export" the information and then simly "Import" into a fresh install if necessary? I know under Jaguar Server the choices show up under the "Server" menu of Workgroup Manager to Export/Import....

I've used this myself a few times and it's worked beautifully.

[Art Vandelay]

There's a whole section in the admin guide on how to back up directory services in Panther. The problem you're probably running into is that you did not also restore the password database. Thus, you can't login to Workgroup Manager after restoring LDAP.


Edit:

Page 118 of the Open Directory Admin pdf explains how to backup and restore directory services in Panther.

[sbjordal]

Originally posted by gorickey:
In Workgroup Manager (Panther) can't you simply "Export" the information and then simly "Import" into a fresh install if necessary? I know under Jaguar Server the choices show up under the "Server" menu of Workgroup Manager to Export/Import....

I've used this myself a few times and it's worked beautifully.

For a few records this works fine, however, as soon as you hit 1000-1200 the export/import function becomes buggy, slugish and crashes often. Atleast in my experience

[Oneota]

The Export/Import option also doesn't export/import everything.

Automounts, Computer Lists, etc (basically anything that isn't a user or a group) doesn't get transferred.

A Big Pain In The Butt.

[Art Vandelay]

Originally posted by Oneota:
The Export/Import option also doesn't export/import everything.

Automounts, Computer Lists, etc (basically anything that isn't a user or a group) doesn't get transferred.

A Big Pain In The Butt.

That's why you follow the instructions on page 118 of the Open Directory Admin pdf.

[Oneota]

Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
That's why you follow the instructions on page 118 of the Open Directory Admin pdf.

Interesting...this may save our butts...Thankee!

(Our Parent server, which hosts the Open Directory master containing 4000+ user records, has a messed-up Password Server and is in need of rebuilding. It's not allowing us to create new replicas, or become a Primary Domain Controller...it's being a pain)