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LDAP Test Client

What is the LDAP Adapter Test Client?

The Nodinite LDAP Adapter for Microsoft BizTalk Server package includes a powerful, complimentary Windows forms-based Test Client. This standalone tool enables developers and administrators to validate LDAP connectivity, test Single Sign-On (SSO) configurations, execute LDAP operations, and troubleshoot adapter configurations—all without deploying to your BizTalk Server environment.

The Test Client accelerates development by letting you verify LDAP queries, test custom connection credentials, transform responses with XSLT, and validate licensing before committing configurations to production. This reduces deployment failures and speeds up troubleshooting cycles.

Why Use the Test Client?

  • ✅ Validate connectivity - Test LDAP server connections and authentication before BizTalk Server deployment
  • ✅ Test SSO configuration - Verify Enterprise Single Sign-On application credentials without production risk
  • ✅ Transform responses - Execute LDAP requests and preview XSLT transformations in real-time
  • ✅ Troubleshoot licensing - Quickly identify and resolve license configuration issues

What You Can Do

  • Test connectivity with current user credentials, custom credentials, or SSO applications
  • Execute Requests against Active Directory, ADAM, LDS, or DIRX LDAP services
  • Receive and view XML responses from LDAP operations
  • Transform responses using XSLT stylesheets to validate data mappings
  • Verify GetDomainsInForest and other LDAP operations before deployment

LDAP Adapter Test Client main window with request and response panes
The Test Client provides a user-friendly interface for validating LDAP operations and responses.

Understanding How the Test Client Connects

graph LR roClient["fa:fa-vial Test Client"] --> roChoice{"Connection source"} roChoice -->|"SSO app name set"| roSSO["fa:fa-key SSO Application"] roChoice -->|"Custom Connection checked"| roCustom["fa:fa-user-pen Custom credentials"] roChoice -->|"Nothing set"| roCurrent["fa:fa-user Logged-on account"] roSSO --> roLDAP["fa:fa-address-book LDAP Service"] roCustom --> roLDAP roCurrent --> roLDAP

Diagram: the Test Client uses the SSO Application when you enter its name, otherwise the custom credentials when Custom Connection is checked, otherwise the logged-on account.

The Test Client uses the same adapter binaries as the send port, so a request that works here also works in BizTalk. The send port has one more source, BizTalk context properties, which take precedence over all others; see Configuration.

Connectivity

The Test Client offers flexible connectivity options to match your environment:

Not specified

If you do not provide any connection credentials, the tool uses the currently logged-on account.

Leave the Custom Connection checkbox unchecked to use the current user's credentials for all operations:

Test Client with the Custom Connection checkbox unchecked
Unchecked Custom Connection uses the logged-on user's credentials.

Custom Connection

You can specify credentials to connect to the target LDAP Service. Check the Custom Connection checkbox and fill in the textboxes. If an SSO Application name is entered, the SSO values are used instead.

Test Client with Custom Connection checked and the credential fields filled in
Custom Connection allows you to test with specific credentials for different LDAP environments.

How to enable LDAP signing in Windows Server

Important

Always run as securely as possible!

Tip

You can significantly improve directory server security by configuring it to reject unsigned SASL LDAP binds or simple binds over non-SSL/TLS connections.

Review the How to enable LDAP signing in Windows Server user guide, and use LDAPS (port 636) where possible; see SSL-LDAPS for Active Directory.

SSO

Within the SSO tab, you can test your SSO configuration by specifying the SSO Application name (not case sensitive). Click the 'Test SSO' button to retrieve connection information from the SSO Store.

Note

If successful, the values are displayed in a message box. If you lack privileges or the SSO application does not exist, an exception dialog provides details.

If you provide an SSO app name, the tool uses it for queries. Clear the textbox to use the other options.

The SSO Application must hold the keys DSAServerName, Port, UserName, Password, and AuthenticationType, the same names as the adapter's context properties; see Configuration.

Run a Test Query

  1. Start the Windows Forms Application (IS.BizTalk.Adapters.LDAP.Windows.ClientTestUtility_v1_0.exe).

  2. Use a generic command to verify binaries and connectivity for BizTalk Server.

    Note

    You may need to update the .exe.config file for the client as described in Configuration. In that file, the default server and port are the DSAServer and DSAServerPort app settings.

Sample Query

This query returns an XML message listing all domains in your forest. The server must be joined to a Windows Active Directory domain. If not, use another command, for example from AD Management.

<ns0:LDAP xmlns:ns0="http://integrationsoftware.se/BizTalk/Adapters/LDAP/Request/1.0">
    <Batches guid="2B25B9E6-4AF2-4094-9AE7-E1E4C99B6C8D" returnResponseMessageOnExceptions="true">
        <Batch guid="3B25B9E6-4AF2-4094-9AE7-E1E4C99B6C8E">
            <AD>
                <Operations>
                    <GetDomainsInForest/>
                </Operations>
            </AD>
        </Batch>
    </Batches>
</ns0:LDAP>

The message format is described in the Request Schema and the Response Schema.

Troubleshooting

No/Invalid license

If you do not provide a valid license in the IS.BizTalk.Adapters.LDAP.Windows.ClientTestUtility_v1_0.exe.config file, you will see the following exception message when launching the client:

Test Client exception dialog for a missing or invalid license
Example of missing or invalid license information.

Next Steps