To understand the synchronization methods and options, the association between the Axigen object and the LDAP / Active Directory entries needs to be taken into account. When the first successful synchronization of an Axigen account or group with an LDAP entry takes place, Axigen stores an identification of the corresponding LDAP / AD entry for further reference. Once this process takes place, the Axigen account or group will only be synchronized with the specific entry it was associated with and no other.

The association cannot be removed easily and should not be necessary in regular conditions. However, to perform this task, an administrative account with sufficient privileges needs to use the Axigen command line interface to remove it. The association between these elements can therefore only be removed by means of a CLI command.

1. Bidirectional Synchronization

To perform bidirectional syncs between LDAP /AD and Axigen entries, the LDAP connector needs to be configured to reflect this fact. In the LDAP Connector configuration available in the Axigen WebAdmin interface, the “Synchronization direction” option needs to be set up with the “Both Ways” value.

Bidirectional syncs also need to have another parameter set up to be used in solving conflicts that may appear during the syncs. Conflicts arise when an entry was changed during the “LDAP Polling Interval” both in LDAP / AD and Axigen. This is not a situation encountered often, but it has to be addressed nonetheless. In this sense, the connector can be instructed which source of information will take precedence in case conflicts appear. By setting up the “Conflict resolution” option, one of the following three resolutions is attained:

Axigen wins. This case states that the changes performed in Axigen will take precedence and get written to LDAP / AD. The changes performed in the LDAP / AD configuration prior to the sync will be lost and only the changes performed in the Axigen configuration will remain.
LDAP wins. This case states that the changes performed in LDAP / AD will take precedence and get written to Axigen. The changes performed in the Axigen configuration prior to the sync will be lost and only the changes performed in the LDAP / AD configuration will remain.
No change. This case discards all changes and no service takes precedence. The entry is not modified at all and all changes, performed in both LDAP or AD and Axigen, are lost. The initial configuration will be kept without altering it in any way.

Depending on the setup requirements and the goals one wishes to achieve, only one of these bidirectional mechanisms can be used at any given time. You may, however, define more than one connector in the configuration of your Axigen server, each using a different sync mechanism.

2. LDAP / AD to Axigen Synchronization

While using the LDAP / AD to Axigen sync method the LDAP changes or modifications always take precedence. In addition, all changes expressly performed within the Axigen configuration will not be synced to LDAP or Active Directory, but will be disregarded completely.

You should use this method especially when you use an Active Directory setup and you plan on using the MMC add-on snap-in to manage the Axigen configuration for the users, and then sync it to the server itself to be applied. This method can also be applied if you use and OpenLDAP database and you are used to manipulating the settings of various other network services through its contents.

3. Axigen to LDAP / AD Synchronization

While using the Axigen to LDAP / AD sync method the Axigen changes or modifications always take precedence. In addition, all changes expressly performed within the LDAP / AD database will not be synced to Axigen, but will be disregarded completely.

This method should be used by administrators that use LDAP exclusively for Axigen related purposes and use the Axigen administration interface to perform changes setting regularly. It is also possible to use this method with Active Directory, though some seasoned administrators will always prefer using the AD specific administration tools over a new interface for each product.