Sun Java System Application Server 9.x (glassfish) External JNDI LDAP Resource Part III

I have had a question posed to me about how to use this resource once it is setup. Indeed it would be quite limiting without an example. I have created a stateless session bean (SSB) using JEE5 resource injection to show how to use it. It also has @WebService capabilities for testing. Keep in mind that the application has NO security and is merely provided as an example.

Prerequisites:

• LDAP Server installed and configured
• Sun Java System Application Server (glassfish) 9.x
• External JNDI LDAP resource configured

License: Apache 2.0
Package: EJBLDAPModule.zip

This is a Netbeans 6 project.

Sun Java System Application Server 9.x (glassfish) External JNDI LDAP Resource Part II

In my recent blog entry on configuring an external JNDI LDAP entry, I showed how to connect to an LDAP server as a JNDI reference. This assumes that the LDAP server is on the local machine and that it allows anonymous authentication. Usually this is not the case. I will cover how to use a login to an LDAP server which requires a little more configuration.

Prerequisites:

• A working LDAP server
• A login which can browse the directory tree

Instructions:

Please follow the directions in my previous blog entry to set up the basic external JNDI resource. The Sun Java System Application Server 9.1 Administration Guide is incorrect on how to set the properties. It refers to using some properties that are defined for LDAP like PROVIDER-URL. Unfortunately, to use them you would need to prefix them with the appropriate class. So we will use an alternate tack and use them by their fully qualified names. Add the following properties to the entry.

PROVIDER-URL:
java.naming.provider.url

SECURITY_PRINCIPAL:
java.naming.security.principal

SECURITY_AUTHENTICATION:
java.naming.security.authentication

SECURITY_CREDENTIALS:
java.naming.security.credentials

Since we have the fully qualified names, we can use them to set the properties for our external JNDI resource. See the image below.


Once you have the properties set and saved, you will have a complete external JNDI LDAP connection.

Congratulations!

Sun Java System Application Server 9.x (glassfish) External JNDI LDAP Resource Part I

I read the SJSAS Administration Guide to determine how to set up an external JNDI Resource. In my case, I wanted to simply provide another method to talk to LDAP outside of the security context. The Administration Guide is helpful...but incorrect. I have included the steps required to connect to an external LDAP server below. This works with OpenLDAP and SunONE Directory Server 5.2. The syntax should be similar on other systems.

Prerequisites:

• An LDAP server. I use both OpenLDAP and SunONE Directory Server
• Sun Java System Application Server 9.x (Project Glassfish). I am using Glassfish V2 Build 37

Instructions:

1. Log into the glassfish administration console.
2. Navigate to the Resources --> JNDI --> External Resources tree.


3. Create a new JNDI External Resource (see image below)

• JNDI Name: pick a unique name for the resource. I prefix mine with ldap e.g. ldap/myldap
• Resource Type: javax.naming.ldap.LdapContext
• Factory Class: com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory
• JNDI Lookup: this would be your BaseDN e.g. dc=bluelotusholdings,dc=com

4. Check to make sure that the resource was created correctly and that it appears in the server JNDI Browser. If it does, you have configured it correctly. To find the JNDI Browser go to Application Server --> JNDI Browsing.


5. You should see something that looks like the image below. Please note the organizationalUnit (ou) ou=people and ou=groups are displayed as nodes in the BaseDN.


Success!