Referrals point directory clients to another directory container, which can be another directory server running elsewhere, or another container on the same server. The client receiving a referral must then connect to the other container to complete the request.

Referrals are used for example when a some directory data are temporarily unavailable due to maintenance. Referrals can also be used when a container holds only some of the directory data for a suffix and points to other containers for branches whose data is not available locally.

This chapter demonstrates how to add and remove referrals with the ldapmodify command. You can also use the Manage Entries window of the Control Panel to handle referrals.