SLAPD-SHELL(5)

NAME
slapd-shell - Shell backend to slapd

SYNOPSIS
ETCDIR/slapd.conf

DESCRIPTION
The Shell backend to slapd(8) executes external programs to implement operations, and is designed to make it easy to tie an existing database to the slapd front-end.

This backend is primarily intended to be used in prototypes.

WARNING
The abandon shell command has been removed since OpenLDAP 2.1.

CONFIGURATION
These slapd.conf options apply to the SHELL backend database. That is, they must follow a "database shell" line and come before any subsequent "backend" or "database" lines. Other database options are described in the slapd.conf(5) manual page.

These options specify the pathname and arguments of the program to execute in response to the given LDAP operation. Each option is followed by the input lines that the program receives:

add <pathname> <argument>...
    ADD
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    <entry in LDIF format>

bind <pathname> <argument>...
    BIND
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    dn: <DN>
    method: <method number>
    credlen: <length of <credentials>>
    cred: <credentials>

compare <pathname> <argument>...
    COMPARE
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    dn: <DN>
    <attribute>: <value>

delete <pathname> <argument>...
    DELETE
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    dn: <DN>

modify <pathname> <argument>...
    MODIFY
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    dn: <DN>
    <repeat {
        <"add"/"delete"/"replace">: <attribute>
        <repeat { <attribute>: <value> }>
        -
    }>

modrdn <pathname> <argument>...
    MODRDN
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    dn: <DN>
    newrdn: <new RDN>
    deleteoldrdn: <0 or 1>
    <if new superior is specified: "newSuperior: <DN>">

search <pathname> <argument>...
    SEARCH
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    base: <base DN>
    scope: <0-2, see ldap.h>
    deref: <0-3, see ldap.h>
    sizelimit: <size limit>
    timelimit: <time limit>
    filter: <filter>
    attrsonly: <0 or 1>
    attrs: <"all" or space-separated attribute list>

unbind <pathname> <argument>...
    UNBIND
    msgid: <message id>
    <repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
    dn: <bound DN>

Note that you need only supply configuration lines for those commands you want the backend to handle. Operations for which a command is not supplied will be refused with an "unwilling to perform" error.

The search command should output the entries in LDIF format, each entry followed by a blank line, and after these the RESULT below.

All commands except unbind should then output:
    RESULT
    code: <integer>
    matched: <matched DN>
    info: <text>
where only the RESULT line is mandatory. Lines starting with `#' or `DEBUG:' are ignored.

ACCESS CONTROL
The shell backend does not honor all ACL semantics as described in slapd.access(5). In general, access to objects is checked by using a dummy object that contains only the DN, so access rules that rely on the contents of the object are not honored. In detail:

The add operation does not require write (=w) access to the children pseudo-attribute of the parent entry.

The bind operation requires auth (=x) access to the entry pseudo-attribute of the entry whose identity is being assessed; auth (=x) access to the credentials is not checked, but rather delegated to the underlying shell script.

The compare operation requires read (=r) access (FIXME: wouldn't compare (=c) be a more appropriate choice?) to the entry pseudo-attribute of the object whose value is being asserted; compare (=c) access to the attribute whose value is being asserted is not checked.

The delete operation does not require write (=w) access to the children pseudo-attribute of the parent entry.

The modify operation requires write (=w) access to the entry pseudo-attribute; write (=w) access to the specific attributes that are modified is not checked.

The modrdn operation does not require write (=w) access to the children pseudo-attribute of the parent entry, nor to that of the new parent, if different; write (=w) access to the distinguished values of the naming attributes is not checked.

The search operation does not require search (=s) access to the entry pseudo_attribute of the searchBase; search (=s) access to the attributes and values used in the filter is not checked.

EXAMPLE
There is an example search script in the slapd/back-shell/ directory in the OpenLDAP source tree.

LIMITATIONS
The shell backend does not support threaded environments. When using the shell backend, slapd(8) should be built --without-threads.

FILES

ETCDIR/slapd.conf
    default slapd configuration file

SEE ALSO
slapd.conf(5), slapd(8), sh(1).