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.TH SLAPD-SHELL 5 "2021/06/03" "OpenLDAP 2.4.59+dfsg-1+b1"
.\" Copyright 1998-2021 The OpenLDAP Foundation All Rights Reserved.
.\" Copying restrictions apply.  See COPYRIGHT/LICENSE.
.\" $OpenLDAP$
.SH NAME
slapd\-shell \- Shell backend to slapd
.SH SYNOPSIS
/etc/ldap/slapd.conf
.SH DESCRIPTION
The Shell backend to
.BR slapd (8)
executes external programs to implement operations, and is designed to
make it easy to tie an existing database to the
.B slapd
front-end.
.LP
This backend is primarily intended to be used in prototypes.
.SH WARNING
The
.B abandon
shell command has been removed since OpenLDAP 2.1.
.SH CONFIGURATION
These
.B slapd.conf
options apply to the SHELL backend database.
That is, they must follow a "database shell" line and come before any
subsequent "backend" or "database" lines.
Other database options are described in the
.BR slapd.conf (5)
manual page.
.LP
These options specify the pathname and arguments of the program to
execute in response to the given LDAP operation.
Each option is followed by the input lines that the program receives:
.TP
.B add      <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
ADD
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
<entry in LDIF format>
.fi
.TP
.B bind     <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
BIND
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
dn: <DN>
method: <method number>
credlen: <length of <credentials>>
cred: <credentials>
.fi
.TP
.B compare  <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
COMPARE
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
dn: <DN>
<attribute>: <value>
.fi
.TP
.B delete   <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
DELETE
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
dn: <DN>
.fi
.TP
.B modify   <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
MODIFY
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
dn: <DN>
<repeat {
    <"add"/"delete"/"replace">: <attribute>
    <repeat { <attribute>: <value> }>
    \-
}>
.fi
.TP
.B modrdn   <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
MODRDN
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
dn: <DN>
newrdn: <new RDN>
deleteoldrdn: <0 or 1>
<if new superior is specified: "newSuperior: <DN>">
.fi
.TP
.B search   <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
SEARCH
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
base: <base DN>
scope: <0-2, see ldap.h>
deref: <0-3, see ldap.h>
sizelimit: <size limit>
timelimit: <time limit>
filter: <filter>
attrsonly: <0 or 1>
attrs: <"all" or space-separated attribute list>
.fi
.TP
.B unbind   <pathname> <argument>...
.nf
UNBIND
msgid: <message id>
<repeat { "suffix:" <database suffix DN> }>
dn: <bound DN>
.fi
.LP
Note that you need only supply configuration lines for those commands you
want the backend to handle.
Operations for which a command is not supplied will be refused with an
"unwilling to perform" error.
.LP
The \fBsearch\fP command should output the entries in LDIF format,
each entry followed by a blank line, and after these the RESULT below.
.LP
All commands except \fBunbind\fP should then output:
.RS
.nf
RESULT
code: <integer>
matched: <matched DN>
info: <text>
.fi
.RE
where only the RESULT line is mandatory.
Lines starting with `#' or `DEBUG:' are ignored.
.SH ACCESS CONTROL
The
.B shell
backend does not honor all ACL semantics as described in
.BR slapd.access (5).
In general, access to objects is checked by using a dummy object
that contains only the DN, so access rules that rely on the contents
of the object are not honored.
In detail:
.LP
The
.B add
operation does not require
.B write (=w)
access to the 
.B children
pseudo-attribute of the parent entry.
.LP
The
.B bind
operation requires 
.B auth (=x)
access to the 
.B entry
pseudo-attribute of the entry whose identity is being assessed;
.B auth (=x)
access to the credentials is not checked, but rather delegated 
to the underlying shell script.
.LP
The
.B compare
operation requires 
.B read (=r)
access (FIXME: wouldn't 
.B compare (=c)
be a more appropriate choice?)
to the 
.B entry
pseudo-attribute
of the object whose value is being asserted;
.B compare (=c)
access to the attribute whose value is being asserted is not checked.
.LP
The
.B delete
operation does not require
.B write (=w)
access to the 
.B children
pseudo-attribute of the parent entry.
.LP
The
.B modify
operation requires
.B write (=w)
access to the 
.B entry 
pseudo-attribute;
.B write (=w)
access to the specific attributes that are modified is not checked.
.LP
The
.B modrdn
operation does not require
.B write (=w)
access to the 
.B children
pseudo-attribute of the parent entry, nor to that of the new parent,
if different;
.B write (=w)
access to the distinguished values of the naming attributes
is not checked.
.LP
The
.B search 
operation does not require
.B search (=s)
access to the 
.B entry
pseudo_attribute of the searchBase;
.B search (=s)
access to the attributes and values used in the filter is not checked.

.SH EXAMPLE
There is an example search script in the slapd/back\-shell/ directory
in the OpenLDAP source tree.
.SH LIMITATIONS
The shell backend does not support threaded environments.
When using the shell backend, 
.BR slapd (8)
should be built
.IR \-\-without\-threads .
.SH FILES
.TP
/etc/ldap/slapd.conf
default slapd configuration file
.SH SEE ALSO
.BR slapd.conf (5),
.BR slapd (8),
.BR sh (1).