Define Business Structure › Contacts › Create a Contact › Create a Contact Using Data From LDAP

Create a Contact Using Data From LDAP

If your installation is configured to access a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server such as Microsoft Windows Active Directory and has the necessary options installed, you can create and update contacts using data from the LDAP database. This method makes it easy to synchronize contacts with network user data.

Note: Administrators can configure automated synchronization of contacts with LDAP data. For more information about configuration, see the Administration Guide.

To create a contact using data from LDAP

1. Select File, New Contact from LDAP from the menu bar of the Service Desk tab.

   The LDAP Directory Search page appears.

2. (Optional) Complete one or more of the following filter fields to limit the LDAP Entry list to the records of interest:

   Last Name

   Specifies the last name of the user as it appears in the LDAP directory. For example, you could enter b% in the Last Name field to retrieve a list of the LDAP user entries with last names that begin with the letter B.

   First Name

   Specifies the first name of the user as it appears in the LDAP directory.

   Middle Name

   Specifies the middle name of the user as it appears in the LDAP directory.

   User ID

   Specifies the user name for logging in to the system.

3. Click Search.

   The LDAP Entry List page displays the records that match your search criteria.

   Note: To see the information contained in an LDAP record without creating a contact, right-click the record of interest and select View. The LDAP Entry Detail page appears.

   All fields on the LDAP Entry Detail page are self-explanatory except for the following:

   User ID

   Specifies the ID the user enters to log in to the system.

   Distinguished Name

   Specifies the fully qualified LDAP login name. For example, CN=Joe, CN=Users, DC=KLAND, DC=AD, DC=com.

4. Click the LDAP entry to create a contact.

   The Create New Contact page appears and is partially populated with LDAP information.

5. Enter additional information as necessary.
6. Click Save.

   The contact record is saved and the Contact Detail page appears. The following buttons are now available for configuring the contact:

   • Update Environment -- Displays the Configuration Item/Asset Search window for the contact or organization, where you can specify search criteria for the assets you want to consider. When you click Search, the Environment Update window is displayed, where you can add and remove assets for this contact or organization.
   • Update Groups -- Displays the Group Search window, where you can specify search criteria for the groups you want to consider for this contact. When you click Search, the Groups Update window is displayed, where you can add and remove groups for this contact.