If, whilst trying to configure and test OpenLDAP it fails upon attempting to perform an initial query of the LDAP server along the lines of:
ldap_connect_to_host: getaddrinfo failed: Name or service not known
ldap_perror
ldap_bind: Can't contact LDAP server
the most common issue is incorrect naming with /etc/hosts . Of course, this is assuming you know you have your configuration setup right! Additional debug information during the query process can be obtained by adding “-d 255” to your command.
Within your hosts file, it is common to have something like:
192.168.0.200 fatcontroller.homelinux fatcontroller
which would cause OpenLDAP to fail with the above error message. Instead, the full FQDN must be set, as per the LDAP configuration itself, such as:
192.168.0.200 fatcontroller.homelinux.net fatcontroller
Now, when trying to perform an initial query, it will be successful.