Working with Active Directory
Working with Active Directory
This section describes how to create or modify a connection to Active Directory so that could work with data in that data system.
To create a connection to Active Directory domain, you need to use in conjunction with a special connector called Active Directory Connector. This connector is included in the package.
The Active Directory Connector supports the following features:
Table 5: Supported features
|
Bidirectional synchronization
Allows you to read and write data in the connected data system. |
Yes |
|
Delta processing mode
Allows you to process only the data that has changed in the connected data system since the last synchronization operation, thereby reducing the overall synchronization operation time. |
Yes |
|
Password synchronization
Allows you to synchronize user passwords from an Active Directory domain to the connected data system. |
Yes |
The Active Directory Connector supports linked attributes existing in the Active Directory schema. Linked attributes allow you to establish associations between two objects.
Linked attributes exist in pairs, as follows:
- Forward link attribute. This is a linked attribute that exists on a source object (example: the member attribute on the Group object). Forward link attributes can be single-valued or multivalued.
- Back link attribute. This is a linked attribute that can be specified on a target object (example: the memberOf attribute on the User object). Back link attributes are multivalued and they must have a corresponding forward link attribute. Back link attributes are not stored in Active Directory. Rather, they are calculated based on the corresponding forward link attribute each time a query is issued.
In this section:
Creating an Active Directory connection
Creating an Active Directory connection
To create a new connection
- In the Administration Console, open the Connections tab.
- Click Add connection, and then use the following options:
- Connection name. Type a descriptive name for the connection.
- Use the specified connector. Select Active Directory Connector.
- Click Next.
- On the Specify connection settings page, use the following options:
- Any available domain controller in the specified domain. Allows you to connect to an available domain controller in the Active Directory domain you specify. In the Domain text box, type the fully qualified domain name of the domain to which you want to connect.
- Specified domain controller. Allows you to connect to a specific domain controller in a particular Active Directory domain. In the Domain controller text box, type the fully qualified domain name of the domain controller to which you want to connect.
- Active Directory forest. Allows you to connect to the Active Directory forest you specify in this option. When synchronizing data to or from a connected forest, automatically selects the appropriate domain controllers in the forest to read and write data according to the synchronization scope configured for the connection.
- Secure Sockets Layer usage. Use this list to select one of the following:
- None. Allows you to connect without using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
- Use. Allows you to connect through SSL.
- Preferred. Allows you to attempt the connection through SSL first. If this connection attempt fails, the tries to connect without using SSL.
- Access Active Directory using. Use this option to select one of the following:
- Synchronization Service account. Allows you to access the Active Directory domain in the security context of the account under which the is running.
- Windows account. Allows you to access Active Directory in the security context of the account whose user name and password you specify below this option.
- Test Connection. Click this button to verify the specified connection settings.
- Click Finish to create a connection to Active Directory.
Modifying an existing Active Directory connection
Modifying an existing Active Directory connection
To modify connection settings
- In the Administration Console, open the Connections tab.
- Click Connection settings below the existing Active Directory connection you want to modify.
- On the Connection Settings tab, click the Specify connection settings item to expand it, and then use the following options:
- Any available domain controller in the specified domain. Allows you to connect to any available domain controller in the Active Directory domain you specify. In the Domain text box, type the fully qualified domain name of the domain to which you want to connect.
- Specified domain controller. Allows you to connect to a specific domain controller in a particular Active Directory domain. In the Domain controller text box, type the fully qualified domain name of the domain controller to which you want to connect.
- Active Directory forest. Allows you to connect to the Active Directory forest you specify in this option. When synchronizing data to or from a connected forest, automatically selects the appropriate domain controllers in the forest to read and write data according to the synchronization scope configured for the connection.
- Secure Sockets Layer usage. Use this list to select one of the following:
- None. Allows you to connect without using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
- Use. Allows you to connect through SSL.
- Preferred. Allows you to attempt the connection through SSL first. If this connection attempt fails, the tries to connect without using SSL.
- Access Active Directory using. Use this option to select one of the following:
- Synchronization Service account. Allows you to access Active Directory in the security context of the account under which the is running.
- Windows account. Allows you to access Active Directory in the security context of the account whose user name and password you specify below this option.
- Test Connection. Click this button to verify the specified connection settings.
- Optionally, you can narrow the number of objects participating in the connection scope by setting up filter conditions: on the Connection Settings tab, click the Advanced item to expand it, and then use the following list columns:
- Object type. Use this column to select the Active Directory object types for which you want to configure filter conditions: click the Add Object Type button to add an object type to the list. Once you have added an object type, use the Filter condition column to specify a condition the objects of that type must meet in order to participate in the connection scope.
- Filter condition. Use this column to specify a filter condition for the corresponding Active Directory object type. To specify a filter condition, type an LDAP query. The Active Directory objects that meet the specified filter condition will participate in the connection scope. When no filter condition specified for an object type, all objects that belong to that type participate in the connection scope.
- When you are finished, click Save.
Communication ports required to synchronize data between two AD domains
When Synchronizing data between two Active Directory domains, uses the following ports to access domain controllers in the domains:
Table 6: Required communication ports
|
53 |
TCP/UDP |
DNS |
Inbound |
|
88 |
TCP/UDP |
Kerberos |
Outbound |
|
389 |
TCP/UDP |
LDAP |
Outbound |
|
636 |
TCP |
LDAP over SSL (LDAPS) |
Outbound |
