About Knowledge References84 Netscape Directory Server Deployment Guide • December 2001About Default ReferralsDefault referrals are returned to clients when the server or database contacted doesnot contain the data requested.Directory Server determines whether a default referral should be returned bycomparing the DN of the requested directory object against the directory suffixessupported by the local server. If the DN does not match the supported suffixes, thedirectory server returns a default referral.For example, a directory client requests the following directory entry:uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=comHowever, the server manages only entries stored under thedc=europe,dc=example,dc=com suffix. The directory returns a referral to theclient that indicates which server to contact for entries stored in thedc=example,dc=com suffix. The client then contacts the appropriate server andresubmits the original request.You configure the default referral to point to a Directory Server that has moreknowledge about the distribution of your directory. Default referrals for the serverare set by the nsslapd-referral attribute. Default referrals for each database inyour directory installation are set by the nsslapd-referral attribute in thedatabase entry in the configuration. These attribute values are stored in thedse.ldif file.For information on configuring default referrals, see the Netscape Directory ServerAdministrator’s Guide.Smart ReferralsDirectory Server also allows you to configure your directory to use smart referrals.Smart referrals allow you to associate a directory entry or directory tree to a specificLDAP URL. Associating directory entries to specific LDAP URLs allows you torefer requests to any of the following:• Same namespace contained on a different server• Different namespaces on a local server• Different namespaces on the same serverUnlike default referrals, the smart referrals are stored within the directory itself.For information on configuring and managing smart referrals, refer to the NetscapeDirectory Server Administrator’s Guide.For example, the directory for the American office of example.com Corporationcontains the following directory branch point: ou=people,dc=example,dc=com.
