Mastering OpenLDAP: Configuring, Securing and Integrating Directory Services

This is an excellent book if you are interested in learning the theory behind OpenLDAP. However if you are looking for a more practical guide I would suggest looking elsewhere. Aside from the differences in Linux distributions, I have found several frustrating omissions and errors that have cost me hours of research online. For example, chapter three beautifully details how to create an LDIF file, however then fails to explain where to place that file on the file system or how to load the contents of that file into the database. These questions are answered, but a dozen pages later as part of a discussion on a different topic. This made it impossible to find that info when I needed it. In Chapter four, options that should go in ldap.conf are listed as going into slapd.conf. Also the file names cacert.pem and newcert.pem are used interchangeably with no explanation, which can be confusing. Chapter four also fails to mention the openssl-perl module must be installed for the authors directions to even work in the first place. I have not gotten much farther into the text then chapter four and perhaps I'm too much of a Linux novice, but I have been disappointed by this book.