I hope this doesn't confuse you too much... First off... Your admin account will be dn="cn=admin,dc=oreillyauto,dc=com", if you are talking about the default admin account. You also want manage instead of write. I would also recommend securing your admin account with access lists, only allowing access from specific manager IP addresses. In order to restrict the cn=admin account as I do below, you have to set the userPassword attribute for the admin account, and blank the olcRootPW.

set admin password:

dn: cn=admin,dc=bradley,dc=edu

changeType: modify

add: userPassword

userPassword: {SSHA}<passwordhash>

blank old olcRootPW

dn: olcDatabase={1}hdb,cn=config

changetype: modify

delete: olcRootPW

This allows use of the normal authentication process and will look at your access lists. Otherwise, it will always bypass access lists and use the olcRootPW to authenticate.

Here's how I handle access restrictions, which I would suggest you evaluate. This is a positive security model as well (meaning the default action is deny), which I highly recommend (ie no one can access any field, unless it's specifically defined). The downside to the positive security model is that it's less flexible, you have to whitelist any new attributes you wish users to access, but it provides you with the best security. Another note in this, is that my user accounts are all shadowAccounts, and setting shadowInactive to 1 disables the account. (handled by the 3rd section with password fields).

Here is my access list in a template form:

dn: olcDatabase={1}hdb,cn=config

changetype: modify

replace: olcAccess

# limit access to directory manager to local host only and specific manager ip's

olcAccess: to dn.base="cn=admin,dc=,dc="

by peername.ip=127.0.0.1 auth

by sockurl=ldapi:/// auth

by peername.ip=<manager IP> auth

by users none

by anonymous none

#Allow admin users full access to all attrs

#Allow OpenLDAP2 Sync User read access to all

#Everyone else, continue

olcAccess: to *

by peername.ip=172.16.0.0%255.255.0.0 dn="uid=adminuser,dc=,dc=" manage

by peername.ip=<secondary ldap server ip> dn="uid=syncuser,ou=Service_Logins,dc=,dc=" read

by peername.ip=<third ldap server ip> dn="uid=syncuser,ou=Service_Logins,dc=,dc=" read

by * break

#Handle password fields, for all possible entities. No further processing for these attributes

olcAccess: to attrs=userPassword,shadowLastChange filter=(&(objectClass=shadowAccount)(!(shadowInactive=1)))

by self =w

by sockurl=ldapi:/// auth

by peername.ip=172.16.0.0%255.255.0.0 auth

by peername.ip=127.0.0.1 group.exact="cn=localadmingroup,dc=,dc=" manage

by group.exact="cn=admingroup,dc=,dc=" write

by * none

#Specific processing for an Account

#Everyone else, continue

olcAccess: to attrs=attr1,attr2

by dn="uid=account1,ou=Service_Logins,dc=,dc=" read

by * break

#Specific processing for a Group

#Everyone else, continue

olcAccess: to attrs=attr3,attr4

by group.exact="cn=group1,out=Group,dc=,dc=" manage

by * break

#Handle SELF writable fields

#Everyone else, continue

olcAccess: to attrs=loginShell,mailRoutingAddress,additionalattrs

by self write

by * break

#Handle more restrictive fields

#Stop processing on match

olcAccess: to attrs=audio,attr5,attr6,attr7

filter=(&(matchTrue=1)(objectClass=Person))

by * none

#Handle Anonymous Allowed fields

#Stop Processing on Match

olcAccess: to attrs=attr8,attr9,attr10

by * read

#Handle User Allowed Fields

#Stop Processing on Match

olcAccess: to dn.subtree="dc=,dc=" attrs=audio

by users read

#Hide additional superuser accounts in directory

olcAccess: to attrs=entry filter=(|(ou=Service_Logins)(uid=logins))

by * none

#Allow access to specific objectclasses

olcAccess: to filter=(|(objectClass=nisDomainObject)(objectClass=nisNetGroup)(objectClass=posixGroup)(objectClass=groupOfUniqueNames)(objectClass=organizationalUnit))

by * read

#Allow access to directory entries. Required to query directory when using default deny policy

olcAccess: to dn.subtree="dc=,dc="

attrs=entry,objectClass

by * read

#Default Deny

olcAccess: to *

by * none

On Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 12:08 PM, <espeake@oreillyauto.com> wrote:

I know this has to be super simple in what I am missing. My ldapadmin
account cannot write to the database due to insufficient privileges.. This
is the ACL part of the ldif file. Version 2.4.31 and this is from
olcDatabase={1}hdb.ldif

olcAccess: {0}to attrs=userPassword by dn="uid=admin,dc=oreillyauto,dc=com"
wr
ite by anonymous auth by self write by * none
olcAccess: {1}to dn.subtree="" by * read
olcAccess: {2}to * by dn="uid=admin,dc=oreillyauto,dc=com" write by
dn="uid=ld
apadmin,ou=System,dc=oreillyauto,dc=com" write by * read

olcAccess: {2} for ldap admin actually be
'dn.base="uid=ldapadmin,ou-System, dc=<domain>,dc=com" write'?

Thanks
Eric Speake
Web Systems Administrator
O'Reilly Auto Parts

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Jason K. Brandt

Systems Administrator

Bradley University
(309) 677-2958