Running an online LDIF import

You can run LDIF imports while the server is online from another remote server.

The LDIF file must be stored on the file system of the target server.

The online import is similar to the offline import, except that you must provide information about how to connect and authenticate to the target server.

To schedule an LDIF file to begin importing at a specific time, use the --task and --start YYYYMMDDhhmmss options of the import-ldif tool.

You can also specify email addresses of users to notify when the import process completes. You can notify them regardless of success or failure or only if the import fails.

Before you begin

Performing an online LDIF import requires access to administrative tasks. The administrator performing the online LDIF import needs a particular privilege and the appropriate access rights:

The ldif-import privilege, described in Working with privileges
At minimum, a global allow (add) ACI right targeting the cn=tasks backend

Consider including allow (read,write) ACI rights to let the admin user monitor and cancel tasks. You can specify a targetfilter of "(objectClass=ds-task-import)" to limit the admin’s access to only import tasks.

Users with both the ldif-import and bypass-acl privileges can also perform online LDIF imports.

The following example gives uid=user.0 the ldif-import privilege:

$ bin/ldapmodify --hostname server1.example.com -port 389 \
--bindDN "uid=admin,dc=example,dc=com" --bindPassword password

dn: uid=user.0,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com
changetype: modify
add: ds-privilege-name
ds-privilege-name: ldif-import

The following example gives uid=user.0 the allow (add,read,write) ACI rights for import tasks:

$ bin/dsconfig --hostname server1.example.com -port 389 \
--bindDN "uid=admin,dc=example,dc=com" --bindPassword password \
set-access-control-handler-prop --add 'global-aci:(target="ldap:///cn=tasks")
(targetattr="*")(targetfilter="(objectClass=ds-task-import)")
(version 3.0; acl "Allow user.0 to manage entries for bulk import";
allow (add,read,write) userdn="ldap:///uid=user.0,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com";)'

When adding administrators, create an administrative group and assign access rights to the group. You can create a user-defined virtual attribute to assign a privilege to anyone who’s a member of the administrative group.

Performing an online LDIF import

Steps

Confirm the PingDirectory server is online.

To import data from an LDIF, use the import-ldif command.

Example:

$ bin/import-ldif --task --hostname server1 --port 389 \
  --bindDN uid=admin,dc=example,dc=com --bindPassword password \
  --backendID userRoot --ldifFile userRoot.ldif

Scheduling an online import

Steps

Confirm the PingDirectory server is online.

To import data from an LDIF file at a scheduled time, use the import-ldif command.

To specify a time in the UTC time zone, include a trailing Z. Otherwise, the time zone defaults to the time zone configured on the server.

Example:

$ bin/import-ldif --task \
  --hostname server1 \
  --port 389 \
  --bindDN uid=admin,dc=example,dc=com \
  --bindPassword password \
  --backendID userRoot \
  --ldifFile /path/to/data.ldif \
  --start 20111026010000 \
  --completionNotify import-complete@example.com \
  --errorNotify import-failed@example.com

Result:

Import task 2011102617321510 scheduled to start Oct 26, 2011 1:00:00 AM CDT

To confirm that you successfully scheduled your import task, use the manage-tasks command to view a summary of all tasks on the system.

Example:

$ bin/manage-tasks --summary

Result:

ID	           Type   Status
-----------------------------------------------
2011102617321510 Import Waiting on start time

To monitor the progress of this task, use the manage-tasks tool.

Use the task ID of the import task. If you cannot find the task ID, use the --summary option to view a list of all tasks scheduled on the PingDirectory server.

Example:

$ bin/manage-tasks --info 2011102617321510

Result:

Task                    Details
-----------------------------------------------------
ID                      2011102617321510
Type                    Import
Status                  Waiting on start time
Scheduled Start Time    Oct 26, 2011 1:00:00 AM CDT
Actual Start Time
Completion Time
Dependencies Failed     None
Dependency Action       None
Email Upon Completion   admin@example.com
Email Upon Error        admin@example.com

Import        Options
----------------------------
LDIF File	 /path/to/data.ldif
Backend ID	userRoot

Canceling a scheduled import

Steps

To cancel the scheduled task, run the manage-tasks tool.

Example:
```
$ bin/manage-tasks --cancel 2011102417321510
```