Distinguished Names (DNs) are the string representation for entry names in the Directory Server database. You use DNs to name entries when you add entries to the directory, add members to groups, etc..
A DN can consist of virtually any attributes you wish to use. The only caveat is that if schema checking is turned on, then the attributes must be recognized by the Directory Server (if you do not know whether schema checking is turned on in the server, contact your directory manager, or consult the Directory Server Administrator's Guide for more information).
Traditionally, a DN consists of:
This string of identifying attributes uniquely locates the entry within your Directory Server database. If you choose, you can also use this naming structure to uniquely identify your entries within the global directory tree as defined in the X.500 standard.
Because a DN represents a path through the directory tree, the DN components are order-dependent. For example, the following DNs do not represent the same entry:
cn=Ralph Swenson, ou=Accounting, o=Example Corp, c=US cn=Ralph Swenson, o=Example Corp, ou=Accounting, c=US
The traditional syntax for a DN string representation is as follows:
cn=common name, [street=address, l=locality, st = state or province, ou=organizational unit, o=organization], c=country name
Generally a DN begins with a specific common name, and proceeds with increasingly broader areas of identification until the country name is specified. Note, however, that the actual DN attributes you use, and the order in which you choose to specify them, is up to you and how you want to organize your database. The only real requirement is that DN attributes must be separated by a comma (,) and can optionally use a space ( ) following the separator.
The various standard attributes that comprise a DN are as follows:
The following are some examples of DNs:
cn=Wally Henderson,ou=Product Development,o=Example Corp,st=Minnesota,c=US
cn=Retch Sweeny, ou=Product Test, o=Example Corp, st=Michigan, c=US
cn=printer3b, l=room 308, o=Example Corp, c=US