Persistent search using system.directoryservices.protocols

Question

My goal is to develop an application in VB.NET that monitors eDirectory
using an LDAP persistent search. As user objects are added, moved,
renamed and deleted in eDirectory, the program will construct an event
notification in XML format and send it to an email account for
processing by other programs.
I've tried implementing the above functionality using the now
unsupported Novell Internet Directory ActiveX control (NWIDir), which
supports a PersistentSearch method and change notification via a
DirectoryModified event. But have found that it will only run for a few
minutes and then crashes either when run in the VB6 IDE or as an
executable. Since the these ActiveX controls are now unsupported (a
real shame, since they offer AMAZING functionality and INCREDIBLE ease
of use), I decided to go with a pure VB.NET solution.
I settled on using the System.DirectoryServices.protocols name space
and have tried to implement a persistent search with the following code:
Dim error_message As String = ""
Dim ldapcon As LdapConnection = LDAP_Connect(error_message)
If ldapcon Is Nothing Then
'Failed to connect to the ldap server.
MessageBox.Show("Failed to connect to ldap server,
Exception: " & error_message)
Exit Sub
End If
Dim attributesList() As String = {"cn", "SSN", "sn",
"givenname", "initials", "l", "ou", "telephonenumber",
"facsimiletelephonenumber", "title", "description", "uid",
"logindisabled", "logintime", "passwordexpirationtime",
"passwordexpirationinterval"}
Dim ctrlData As Byte() = BerConverter.Encode("{ibb}", New
Object() {1, True, True})
Dim persistentSearchControl As New
DirectoryControl("2.16.840.1.113730.3.4.3", ctrlData, True, True)
Dim searchRequest As New SearchRequest("o=oes",
"(&(objectclass=inetorgperson)(cn=*))",
System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.SearchScope.Sub tree, attributesList)
searchRequest.Controls.Add(persistentSearchControl )
Dim asyncCallBack As New AsyncCallback(AddressOf
PersistentSearchCallBack)
Dim timeSpan As New TimeSpan(1, 0, 0, 0, 0)
ldapcon.BeginSendRequest(searchRequest, timeSpan,
PartialResultProcessing.ReturnPartialResults, asyncCallBack,
searchRequest)
Here's my Asynch callback subroutine definition:
Sub PersistentSearchCallBack(ByVal ar As IAsyncResult)
End Sub
Here's my function library that I developed for connecting to
eDirectory VIA SSL just for reference:
Function LDAP_Connect(ByRef Error_Message As String) As
LdapConnection
'This function connects to an LDAP server and returns an
LDAPConnection object.
'If a connection cannot be established, the function will
return Nothing, and the
'Error_Message parameter will be set to the error returned by
the LDAP server.
Error_Message = ""
Try
Dim ldapcon As LdapConnection = New LdapConnection(New
LdapDirectoryIdentifier(LDAP_Server_IP & ":" & LDAP_Port), New
System.Net.NetworkCredential(LDAP_Authentication_D N, ldap_Password))
ldapcon.SessionOptions.SecureSocketLayer = True
ldapcon.SessionOptions.VerifyServerCertificate = New
VerifyServerCertificateCallback(AddressOf ServerCallback)
ldapcon.AuthType = AuthType.Basic
ldapcon.Bind()
Return ldapcon
Catch ex As Exception
'Failed to bind to ldap server.
Error_Message = ex.Message.ToString
Return Nothing
End Try
End Function
Public Function ServerCallback(ByVal connection As LdapConnection,
ByVal certificate As
System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509 Certificate) As
Boolean
'Validate that the exchanged public keys match each other.
Try
Dim expectedCert As X509Certificate = New
X509Certificate(LDAP_SSL_Certificate)
If expectedCert.GetRawCertDataString =
certificate.GetRawCertDataString Then
Return True
Else
Return False
End If
Catch ex As Exception
'Certificate could not be loaded.
Return False
End Try
End Function
When I run the code, I get an the following error message:
The server does not support the control. The control is
critical.
Any help from someone who has successfully done an LDAP persistent
search against eDirectory using the System.DirectoryServices.Protocols
name space would be greatly appreciated, I've been trying to figure this
out in my spare time for a few weeks now. Thanks in advance!
jstaffor
jstaffor's Profile: http://forums.novell.com/member.php?userid=18218
View this thread: http://forums.novell.com/showthread.php?t=414012

Answer 1

On 6/23/2010 8:03 AM, Michael Bell wrote:
> On 6/23/2010 7:06 AM, jstaffor wrote:
>>
>> My goal is to develop an application in VB.NET that monitors eDirectory
>> using an LDAP persistent search. As user objects are added, moved,
>> renamed and deleted in eDirectory, the program will construct an event
>> notification in XML format and send it to an email account for
>> processing by other programs.
>>
>> I've tried implementing the above functionality using the now
>> unsupported Novell Internet Directory ActiveX control (NWIDir), which
>> supports a PersistentSearch method and change notification via a
>> DirectoryModified event. But have found that it will only run for a few
>> minutes and then crashes either when run in the VB6 IDE or as an
>> executable. Since the these ActiveX controls are now unsupported (a
>> real shame, since they offer AMAZING functionality and INCREDIBLE ease
>> of use), I decided to go with a pure VB.NET solution.
>>
>> I settled on using the System.DirectoryServices.protocols name space
>> and have tried to implement a persistent search with the following code:
>>
>>
>> ************************************************** *******
>> Dim error_message As String = ""
>> Dim ldapcon As LdapConnection = LDAP_Connect(error_message)
>>
>> If ldapcon Is Nothing Then
>> 'Failed to connect to the ldap server.
>> MessageBox.Show("Failed to connect to ldap server,
>> Exception: "& error_message)
>> Exit Sub
>> End If
>> Dim attributesList() As String = {"cn", "SSN", "sn",
>> "givenname", "initials", "l", "ou", "telephonenumber",
>> "facsimiletelephonenumber", "title", "description", "uid",
>> "logindisabled", "logintime", "passwordexpirationtime",
>> "passwordexpirationinterval"}
>>
>> Dim ctrlData As Byte() = BerConverter.Encode("{ibb}", New
>> Object() {1, True, True})
>>
>> Dim persistentSearchControl As New
>> DirectoryControl("2.16.840.1.113730.3.4.3", ctrlData, True, True)
>> Dim searchRequest As New SearchRequest("o=oes",
>> "(&(objectclass=inetorgperson)(cn=*))",
>> System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.SearchScope.Sub tree, attributesList)
>>
>> searchRequest.Controls.Add(persistentSearchControl )
>> Dim asyncCallBack As New AsyncCallback(AddressOf
>> PersistentSearchCallBack)
>> Dim timeSpan As New TimeSpan(1, 0, 0, 0, 0)
>>
>> ldapcon.BeginSendRequest(searchRequest, timeSpan,
>> PartialResultProcessing.ReturnPartialResults, asyncCallBack,
>> searchRequest)
>> ************************************************** ******
>> Here's my Asynch callback subroutine definition:
>>
>> Sub PersistentSearchCallBack(ByVal ar As IAsyncResult)
>>
>> End Sub
>>
>> Here's my function library that I developed for connecting to
>> eDirectory VIA SSL just for reference:
>>
>> Function LDAP_Connect(ByRef Error_Message As String) As
>> LdapConnection
>> 'This function connects to an LDAP server and returns an
>> LDAPConnection object.
>> 'If a connection cannot be established, the function will
>> return Nothing, and the
>> 'Error_Message parameter will be set to the error returned by
>> the LDAP server.
>> Error_Message = ""
>>
>> Try
>> Dim ldapcon As LdapConnection = New LdapConnection(New
>> LdapDirectoryIdentifier(LDAP_Server_IP& ":"& LDAP_Port), New
>> System.Net.NetworkCredential(LDAP_Authentication_D N, ldap_Password))
>> ldapcon.SessionOptions.SecureSocketLayer = True
>> ldapcon.SessionOptions.VerifyServerCertificate = New
>> VerifyServerCertificateCallback(AddressOf ServerCallback)
>> ldapcon.AuthType = AuthType.Basic
>> ldapcon.Bind()
>> Return ldapcon
>> Catch ex As Exception
>> 'Failed to bind to ldap server.
>> Error_Message = ex.Message.ToString
>> Return Nothing
>> End Try
>> End Function
>>
>> Public Function ServerCallback(ByVal connection As LdapConnection,
>> ByVal certificate As
>> System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509 Certificate) As
>> Boolean
>> 'Validate that the exchanged public keys match each other.
>> Try
>> Dim expectedCert As X509Certificate = New
>> X509Certificate(LDAP_SSL_Certificate)
>>
>> If expectedCert.GetRawCertDataString =
>> certificate.GetRawCertDataString Then
>> Return True
>> Else
>> Return False
>> End If
>> Catch ex As Exception
>> 'Certificate could not be loaded.
>> Return False
>> End Try
>> End Function
>>
>> When I run the code, I get an the following error message:
>>
>> The server does not support the control. The control is
>> critical.
>>
>> Any help from someone who has successfully done an LDAP persistent
>> search against eDirectory using the System.DirectoryServices.Protocols
>> name space would be greatly appreciated, I've been trying to figure this
>> out in my spare time for a few weeks now. Thanks in advance!
>>
>>
> That error is telling you plain and simple the control you want to use
> doesn't exist in the RootDSE.
Also see,
http://www.novell.com/documentation/...a/agpcvpg.html
You have to enable persistant searches.