Soft deletes are configured on the Directory Server in several ways:
  • Using a Soft-Delete Policy and Global Configuration Property. You can configure soft deletes by creating a soft-delete policy and a global configuration property. The soft-delete policy enables the feature on the server, while the global configuration property sets the controls used for the soft-delete requests. To enter a soft delete request, the ldapmodify or ldapdelete command requires the --useSoftDelete option. A delete request that does not have the --useSoftDelete option is treated as a hard delete, which permanently removes the entry.
  • Using Connection Criteria. You can configure soft deletes by defining connection criteria within a client connection policy. Any clients that meet the criteria will have their deletes processed as soft deletes.
  • Using Request Criteria. You can configure soft deletes by defining request criteria within a client connection policy. Any client requests that meet the criteria will have their deletes processed as soft deletes. Note that you can define both connection criteria and request criteria. Both criteria are exclusive and can exist within a soft-delete policy. In this case, the connection criteria is processed first, then the request criteria.