Preparing for Installation
Before you begin installing the Netscape Directory Server, you should verify that the systems on which you plan to install the software meet the minimum product requirements. In addition, you should understand what the various directory server components are and the order in which they should be installed. It is also a good idea to plan how you want to configure the software components before you begin the installation process. This chapter contains information to help you prepare for installation, in the following sections:- "Computer System Requirements"
- "Installation Components"
- "Configuration Decisions"
- "Installation Process Overview"
Computer System Requirements
The Netscape Directory Server needs specific software and hardware. Before you can install a server, your computer must meet or exceed the software, platform, and disk space requirements detailed in the following sections.Software Requirements
You must have the following software to use the directory server:- Netscape Communicator 4.04 (included on the CD)
- a web server such as FastTrack server (included on the CD) is required for the directory server gateway
Platform Requirements
You can install the directory server software on either of the following platforms: The specific requirements for each platform are described in the following sections. Note that all of the directory server instances that you install as part of your directory service must reside on either the NT or the Unix platform; you cannot mix platforms.Unix Platform Requirements
For Unix systems, the following software and hardware is required:- Any CPU with access to a CD-ROM running one of the following supported Unix operating systems:
- Silicon Graphics IRIX 6.2 or 6.4
- Sun Solaris 2.5.1 or 2.6
- HPUX 10.10 or 10.2
- AIX 4.1.5 or 4.2
- Digital Unix 4.0
- Minimum 32 MB of RAM; 64 MB or more is recommended for machines that will handle a lot of traffic.
- 25 MB of hard disk space for the server, plus 2-3 MB for log files.
Windows NT Platform Requirements
For Windows NT systems, the following software and hardware are required:- Windows NT workstation with an Intel 486 or Pentium chip.
- Windows NT 3.51 with Service Pack 5. (You can get NT service packs from the Microsoft web site.)
- Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3.
- Minimum 32 MB of RAM (64 MB of RAM is recommended if serving large numbers of clients or high levels of transactions).
- The Directory Server Synchronization Service requires an NT Primary Domain Controller.
Disk Space Requirements
The amount of disk space required to install and run the directory server depends on which platform you installed the server on. The following sections detail the requirements for each platform.Unix Disk Space Requirements
The following table details the disk space requirements for the supported Unix platforms:| Solaris | Irix | HPUX | AIX | Digital Unix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archive file | 31 MB | 36 MB | 41 MB | 47 MB | 37 MB |
| Installation image | 30 MB | 34 MB | 40 MB | 46 MB | 36 MB |
| Total space requirement | 61 MB | 70 MB | 81 MB | 93 MB | 73 MB |
Windows NT Disk Space Requirements
The following table details the disk space requirements for the supported Windows NT platforms:
| Uninstalled file | 20 MB |
| Installation image | 76 MB |
| Total space requirement | 96 MB |
Installation Components
The Netscape Directory Server product contains four separate software components as follows:
- administration server--The administration server is a common front end to all Netscape servers. You use the directory server manager portion of the administration server to install directory server instances and to manage the directory server. The administration server is a required component that must be installed before any of the other components.
- directory server--The directory server is Netscape's LDAP implementation. The directory server runs as the
ns-slapdprocess or service on your machine. This is the server that manages the directory databases and responds to client requests. The directory server is a required component.
For fault-tolerance, you may choose to install additional instances of the directory server on different machines throughout your organization to store copies of all or part of the directory tree. This process is called replication. The server contains the master copy of the directory data is called the supplier server. The server(s) that contain the replicated directory data are called consumer servers. The order in which you install supplier and consumer servers depends on whether you are performing a new installation or an upgrade. See "Installation Process Overview" for details. - directory server gateway--The directory server gateway is an LDAP client that you can access from a web browser. You use LDAP clients to access or change directory information. The directory server gateway is automatically installed when you install a directory server instance. However, before you can use the gateway, you must configure a web server and browser for its use.
- NT synchronization service--The NT synchronization service allows you to synchronize the entries in your Windows NT directory with your Netscape Directory Server entries. Install this component only if you want to synchronize your Netscape directory with your NT directory so that when entries are created, modified, or deleted in one directory, the synchronization service makes the corresponding change to the other directory.
Configuration Decisions
During the directory server installation, you will be prompted for some basic configuration information. You should decide how you are going to configure these basic parameters before you begin the installation process. You will be prompted for the following information:
- port number (see "Choose Unique Port Numbers")
- server root (see "Create a New Server Root")
- root DN (see "Define a Root DN")
- SuiteSpot integration (see "Decide Whether to Use SuiteSpot 3.x Integration")
- Netscape server users and groups (see Decide Which User and Group to Run Netscape SuiteSpot Servers As)
Choose Unique Port Numbers
Port numbers can be any number from 1 to 65535. Keep the following in mind when choosing a port number:- The standard directory server (LDAP) port number is 389.
- The standard encrypted (LDAPS) port number is 636. Do not use this port number for the standard port even if 636 is not already in use.
- Under Unix, the administration server must run as superuser on the server machine to use a port number lower than 1024.
- Make sure the ports you choose are not already in use. Further, if you are using both LDAP and LDAPS communications, make sure the port numbers chosen for these two types of access are not identical.
Create a New Server Root
When prompted for the server root, make sure that you do not specify a directory that already exists unless that directory is a Netscape SuiteSpot 3.x server root. If you do specify a directory that already exists and the setup program does not find a SuiteSpot 3.x server installed in that directory, then the setup program assumes that you are attempting to install the server into a SuiteSpot 2.0 server root, and the program will prompt you for a different directory to use as the server root. This is true even if the targeted directory is empty.Define a Root DN
The root DN is the special entry to which access control does not apply. Think of the root DN as your directory's superuser. When prompted for a root DN during the installation process, enter a common name value. For example, if you want the root DN to be namedDirectory Superuser, then enter the following for this field:
cn=Directory SuperuserIf you do not want an unrestricted user configured with your server, leave this field blank. However, if you do not create an unrestricted user, you can be locked out of your directory. This is because by default no access is allowed to the directory except to the unrestricted user. If you do not create an unrestricted user, then create your directory from LDIF files and provide the appropriate access control information at that time. For more information, see the Netscape Directory Server Administrator's Guide.
Decide Whether to Use SuiteSpot 3.x Integration
If you are going to use your directory server with other SuiteSpot 3.x servers, you can use theConfigure Directory for SuiteSpot option on the installation form to create an initial directory database with the appropriate users, groups, and permissions. This option allows your administration server to perform user and group management in your directory. Note that if you are going to create your directory by importing an LDIF file, then you should not use this option, since the imported LDIF file will overwrite the SuiteSpot integration entries. Instead, use the directory server Database Management | SuiteSpot Settings form to create these integration entries after you have completed the installation process.
For more information on SuiteSpot 3.x integration, see the Netscape Directory Server Administrator's Guide.
Decide Which User and Group to Run Netscape SuiteSpot Servers As
When you are prompted for the user and group to run Netscape SuiteSpot servers as, it is best to select the default (nobody), unless you have a need to run the server as some other identity.Installation Process Overview
After you make decisions about which components to install and how to configure the components, you are ready to begin installing. The installation process varies depending on whether you are performing a new installation or upgrading from a previous version of the directory server. In both cases, there is a specific order you should follow when installing components. The following sections outline the process for each method.New Installation Process
When setting up the directory server for the first time, you should use the following sequence when installing directory server software components:- Plan your directory service. By planning your directory tree ahead of time, you will be able to design a service that is easy to manage and easy to scale as your organization grows. For guidance on planning your directory tree, refer to the Netscape Directory Server Deployment Guide.
- Install the administration server. See Chapter 3, "Installing the Administration Server," for instructions.
- Install a directory server instance. If you plan to use replication, this first directory server instance you install is your supplier server. See Chapter 4, "Installing the Directory Server," for instructions on installing a directory server instance.
- If you want to use the directory server gateway to create your directory tree, you must install a web server for use with the gateway. If you do not plan to use the directory server gateway, you do not need to complete this step. See Chapter 5, "Configuring the Gateway," for instructions on setting up a web server and browser for use with the gateway.
- Create the directory tree. You do not have to populate your entire tree now; however, you should create the basic structure for your tree, including all major branch points. For information about the different methods of creating a directory entry, see "Creating Directory Entries" in the Netscape Directory Server Deployment Guide or see "Creating a Directory Tree".
- Create additional directory server instances. These additional directory server instances will be your consumer servers. Netscape recommends that you set up at least one consumer server. For information on installing directory server instances, see Chapter 4, "Installing the Directory Server."
- If you want to maintain Windows NT user and group information in your Netscape directory service, you must install and configure the NT Synchronization Service. See Chapter 6, "Installing and Configuring the Synchronization Service," for instructions.
Upgrade Process
When upgrading your directory service, you should use the following sequence when installing directory server software components:
- Install the administration server. See Chapter 3, "Installing the Administration Server," for instructions.
- Upgrade all of your consumer servers. See "Upgrading Your Directory Service" for instructions on upgrading directory server instances.
- Upgrade your supplier server. See "Upgrading Your Directory Service" for instructions on upgrading directory server instances.
- If you are using the NT Synchronization Service, upgrade it after you finish upgrading your supplier and consumer servers. See Chapter 6, "Installing and Configuring the Synchronization Service," for instructions.