net-ldap-1 0.4.0

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+require 'net/ber/ber_parser'
+# :stopdoc:
+class IO
+  include Net::BER::BERParser
+end
+
+class StringIO
+  include Net::BER::BERParser
+end
+
+if defined? ::OpenSSL
+  class OpenSSL::SSL::SSLSocket
+    include Net::BER::BERParser
+  end
+end
+# :startdoc:
+
+module Net::BER::Extensions # :nodoc:
+end
+
+require 'net/ber/core_ext/string'
+# :stopdoc:
+class String
+  include Net::BER::BERParser
+  include Net::BER::Extensions::String
+end
+
+require 'net/ber/core_ext/array'
+# :stopdoc:
+class Array 
+  include Net::BER::Extensions::Array
+end
+# :startdoc:
+
+require 'net/ber/core_ext/bignum'
+# :stopdoc:
+class Bignum 
+  include Net::BER::Extensions::Bignum
+end
+# :startdoc:
+
+require 'net/ber/core_ext/fixnum'
+# :stopdoc:
+class Fixnum 
+  include Net::BER::Extensions::Fixnum
+end
+# :startdoc:
+
+require 'net/ber/core_ext/true_class'
+# :stopdoc:
+class TrueClass 
+  include Net::BER::Extensions::TrueClass
+end
+# :startdoc:
+
+require 'net/ber/core_ext/false_class'
+# :stopdoc:
+class FalseClass 
+  include Net::BER::Extensions::FalseClass
+end
+# :startdoc:

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext/array.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+##
+# BER extensions to the Array class.
+module Net::BER::Extensions::Array
+  ##
+  # Converts an Array to a BER sequence. All values in the Array are
+  # expected to be in BER format prior to calling this method.
+  def to_ber(id = 0)
+    # The universal sequence tag 0x30 is composed of the base tag value
+    # (0x10) and the constructed flag (0x20).
+    to_ber_seq_internal(0x30 + id)
+  end
+  alias_method :to_ber_sequence, :to_ber
+
+  ##
+  # Converts an Array to a BER set. All values in the Array are expected to
+  # be in BER format prior to calling this method.
+  def to_ber_set(id = 0)
+    # The universal set tag 0x31 is composed of the base tag value (0x11)
+    # and the constructed flag (0x20).
+    to_ber_seq_internal(0x31 + id)
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Converts an Array to an application-specific sequence, assigned a tag
+  # value that is meaningful to the particular protocol being used. All
+  # values in the Array are expected to be in BER format pr prior to calling
+  # this method.
+  #--
+  # Implementor's note 20100320(AZ): RFC 4511 (the LDAPv3 protocol) as well
+  # as earlier RFCs 1777 and 2559 seem to indicate that LDAP only has
+  # application constructed sequences (0x60). However, ldapsearch sends some
+  # context-specific constructed sequences (0xA0); other clients may do the
+  # same. This behaviour appears to violate the RFCs. In real-world
+  # practice, we may need to change calls of #to_ber_appsequence to
+  # #to_ber_contextspecific for full LDAP server compatibility.
+  #
+  # This note probably belongs elsewhere.
+  #++
+  def to_ber_appsequence(id = 0)
+    # The application sequence tag always starts from the application flag
+    # (0x40) and the constructed flag (0x20).
+    to_ber_seq_internal(0x60 + id)
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Converts an Array to a context-specific sequence, assigned a tag value
+  # that is meaningful to the particular context of the particular protocol
+  # being used. All values in the Array are expected to be in BER format
+  # prior to calling this method.
+  def to_ber_contextspecific(id = 0)
+    # The application sequence tag always starts from the context flag
+    # (0x80) and the constructed flag (0x20).
+    to_ber_seq_internal(0xa0 + id)
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # The internal sequence packing routine. All values in the Array are
+  # expected to be in BER format prior to calling this method.
+  def to_ber_seq_internal(code)
+    s = self.join
+    [code].pack('C') + s.length.to_ber_length_encoding + s
+  end
+  private :to_ber_seq_internal
+
+  ##
+  # SNMP Object Identifiers (OID) are special arrays
+  #--
+  # 20100320 AZ: I do not think that this method should be in BER, since
+  # this appears to be SNMP-specific. This should probably be subsumed by a
+  # proper SNMP OID object.
+  #++
+  def to_ber_oid
+    ary = self.dup
+    first = ary.shift
+    raise Net::BER::BerError, "Invalid OID" unless [0, 1, 2].include?(first)
+    first = first * 40 + ary.shift
+    ary.unshift first
+    oid = ary.pack("w*")
+    [6, oid.length].pack("CC") + oid
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Converts an array into a set of ber control codes
+  # The expected format is [[control_oid, criticality, control_value(optional)]]
+  #   [['1.2.840.113556.1.4.805',true]]
+  #
+  def to_ber_control
+    #if our array does not contain at least one array then wrap it in an array before going forward
+    ary = self[0].kind_of?(Array) ? self : [self]
+    ary = ary.collect do |control_sequence|
+      control_sequence.collect{|element| element.to_ber}.to_ber_sequence.reject_empty_ber_arrays
+    end
+    ary.to_ber_sequence.reject_empty_ber_arrays
+  end
+end

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext/bignum.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+##
+# BER extensions to the Bignum class.
+module Net::BER::Extensions::Bignum
+  ##
+  # Converts a Bignum to an uncompressed BER integer.
+  def to_ber
+    result = []
+
+    # NOTE: Array#pack's 'w' is a BER _compressed_ integer. We need
+    # uncompressed BER integers, so we're not using that. See also:
+    # http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/cgi-bin/scat.rb/ruby/ruby-talk/228864
+    n = self
+    while n > 0
+      b = n & 0xff
+      result << b
+      n = n >> 8
+    end
+
+    "\002" + ([result.size] + result.reverse).pack('C*')
+  end
+end

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext/false_class.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+##
+# BER extensions to +false+.
+module Net::BER::Extensions::FalseClass
+  ##
+  # Converts +false+ to the BER wireline representation of +false+.
+  def to_ber
+    "\001\001\000"
+  end
+end

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext/fixnum.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+##
+# Ber extensions to the Fixnum class.
+module Net::BER::Extensions::Fixnum
+  ##
+  # Converts the fixnum to BER format.
+  def to_ber
+    "\002#{to_ber_internal}"
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Converts the fixnum to BER enumerated format.
+  def to_ber_enumerated
+    "\012#{to_ber_internal}"
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Converts the fixnum to BER length encodining format.
+  def to_ber_length_encoding
+    if self <= 127
+      [self].pack('C')
+    else
+      i = [self].pack('N').sub(/^[\0]+/,"")
+      [0x80 + i.length].pack('C') + i
+    end
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Generate a BER-encoding for an application-defined INTEGER. Examples of
+  # such integers are SNMP's Counter, Gauge, and TimeTick types.
+  def to_ber_application(tag)
+    [0x40 + tag].pack("C") + to_ber_internal
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Used to BER-encode the length and content bytes of a Fixnum. Callers
+  # must prepend the tag byte for the contained value.
+  def to_ber_internal
+    # CAUTION: Bit twiddling ahead. You might want to shield your eyes or
+    # something.
+
+    # Looks for the first byte in the fixnum that is not all zeroes. It does
+    # this by masking one byte after another, checking the result for bits
+    # that are left on.
+    size = Net::BER::MAX_FIXNUM_SIZE
+    while size > 1
+      break if (self & (0xff << (size - 1) * 8)) > 0
+      size -= 1
+    end
+
+    # Store the size of the fixnum in the result
+    result = [size]
+
+    # Appends bytes to result, starting with higher orders first. Extraction
+    # of bytes is done by right shifting the original fixnum by an amount
+    # and then masking that with 0xff.
+    while size > 0
+      # right shift size - 1 bytes, mask with 0xff
+      result << ((self >> ((size - 1) * 8)) & 0xff)
+      size -= 1
+    end
+
+    result.pack('C*')
+  end
+  private :to_ber_internal
+end

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext/string.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+require 'stringio'
+
+##
+# BER extensions to the String class.
+module Net::BER::Extensions::String
+  ##
+  # Converts a string to a BER string. Universal octet-strings are tagged
+  # with 0x04, but other values are possible depending on the context, so we
+  # let the caller give us one.
+  #
+  # User code should call either #to_ber_application_string or
+  # #to_ber_contextspecific.
+  def to_ber(code = 0x04)
+    raw_string = raw_utf8_encoded
+    [code].pack('C') + raw_string.length.to_ber_length_encoding + raw_string
+  end
+
+  def raw_utf8_encoded
+    if self.respond_to?(:encode)
+      # Strings should be UTF-8 encoded according to LDAP.
+      # However, the BER code is not necessarily valid UTF-8
+      #self.encode('UTF-8').force_encoding('ASCII-8BIT')
+			self.encode('UTF-8', invalid: :replace, undef: :replace, replace: '' ).force_encoding('ASCII-8BIT')
+    else
+      self
+    end
+  end
+  private :raw_utf8_encoded
+
+  ##
+  # Creates an application-specific BER string encoded value with the
+  # provided syntax code value.
+  def to_ber_application_string(code)
+    to_ber(0x40 + code)
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Creates a context-specific BER string encoded value with the provided
+  # syntax code value.
+  def to_ber_contextspecific(code)
+    to_ber(0x80 + code)
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Nondestructively reads a BER object from this string.
+  def read_ber(syntax = nil)
+    StringIO.new(self).read_ber(syntax)
+  end
+
+  ##
+  # Destructively reads a BER object from the string.
+  def read_ber!(syntax = nil)
+    io = StringIO.new(self)
+
+    result = io.read_ber(syntax)
+    self.slice!(0...io.pos)
+
+    return result
+  end
+
+  def reject_empty_ber_arrays
+    self.gsub(/0\000/n,'')
+  end
+end

data/lib/net/ber/core_ext/true_class.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+##
+# BER extensions to +true+.
+module Net::BER::Extensions::TrueClass
+  ##
+  # Converts +true+ to the BER wireline representation of +true+.
+  def to_ber
+    # 20100319 AZ: Note that this may not be the completely correct value,
+    # per some test documentation. We need to determine the truth of this.
+    "\001\001\001"
+  end
+end

data/lib/net/ldap.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,1618 @@
+# -*- ruby encoding: utf-8 -*-
+require 'ostruct'
+
+module Net # :nodoc:
+  class LDAP
+    begin
+      require 'openssl'
+      ##
+      # Set to +true+ if OpenSSL is available and LDAPS is supported.
+      HasOpenSSL = true
+    rescue LoadError
+      # :stopdoc:
+      HasOpenSSL = false
+      # :startdoc:
+    end
+  end
+end
+require 'socket'
+
+require 'net/ber'
+require 'net/ldap/pdu'
+require 'net/ldap/filter'
+require 'net/ldap/dataset'
+require 'net/ldap/password'
+require 'net/ldap/entry'
+
+# == Quick-start for the Impatient
+# === Quick Example of a user-authentication against an LDAP directory:
+#
+#  require 'rubygems'
+#  require 'net/ldap'
+#
+#  ldap = Net::LDAP.new
+#  ldap.host = your_server_ip_address
+#  ldap.port = 389
+#  ldap.auth "joe_user", "opensesame"
+#  if ldap.bind
+#    # authentication succeeded
+#  else
+#    # authentication failed
+#  end
+#
+#
+# === Quick Example of a search against an LDAP directory:
+#
+#  require 'rubygems'
+#  require 'net/ldap'
+#
+#  ldap = Net::LDAP.new :host => server_ip_address,
+#       :port => 389,
+#       :auth => {
+#             :method => :simple,
+#             :username => "cn=manager, dc=example, dc=com",
+#             :password => "opensesame"
+#       }
+#
+#  filter = Net::LDAP::Filter.eq("cn", "George*")
+#  treebase = "dc=example, dc=com"
+#
+#  ldap.search(:base => treebase, :filter => filter) do |entry|
+#    puts "DN: #{entry.dn}"
+#    entry.each do |attribute, values|
+#      puts "   #{attribute}:"
+#      values.each do |value|
+#        puts "      --->#{value}"
+#      end
+#    end
+#  end
+#
+#  p ldap.get_operation_result
+#
+#
+# == A Brief Introduction to LDAP
+#
+# We're going to provide a quick, informal introduction to LDAP terminology
+# and typical operations. If you're comfortable with this material, skip
+# ahead to "How to use Net::LDAP." If you want a more rigorous treatment of
+# this material, we recommend you start with the various IETF and ITU
+# standards that relate to LDAP.
+#
+# === Entities
+# LDAP is an Internet-standard protocol used to access directory servers.
+# The basic search unit is the <i>entity, </i> which corresponds to a person
+# or other domain-specific object. A directory service which supports the
+# LDAP protocol typically stores information about a number of entities.
+#
+# === Principals
+# LDAP servers are typically used to access information about people, but
+# also very often about such items as printers, computers, and other
+# resources. To reflect this, LDAP uses the term <i>entity, </i> or less
+# commonly, <i>principal, </i> to denote its basic data-storage unit.
+#
+# === Distinguished Names
+# In LDAP's view of the world, an entity is uniquely identified by a
+# globally-unique text string called a <i>Distinguished Name, </i> originally
+# defined in the X.400 standards from which LDAP is ultimately derived. Much
+# like a DNS hostname, a DN is a "flattened" text representation of a string
+# of tree nodes. Also like DNS (and unlike Java package names), a DN
+# expresses a chain of tree-nodes written from left to right in order from
+# the most-resolved node to the most-general one.
+#
+# If you know the DN of a person or other entity, then you can query an
+# LDAP-enabled directory for information (attributes) about the entity.
+# Alternatively, you can query the directory for a list of DNs matching a
+# set of criteria that you supply.
+#
+# === Attributes
+#
+# In the LDAP view of the world, a DN uniquely identifies an entity.
+# Information about the entity is stored as a set of <i>Attributes.</i> An
+# attribute is a text string which is associated with zero or more values.
+# Most LDAP-enabled directories store a well-standardized range of
+# attributes, and constrain their values according to standard rules.
+#
+# A good example of an attribute is <tt>sn, </tt> which stands for "Surname."
+# This attribute is generally used to store a person's surname, or last
+# name. Most directories enforce the standard convention that an entity's
+# <tt>sn</tt> attribute have <i>exactly one</i> value. In LDAP jargon, that
+# means that <tt>sn</tt> must be <i>present</i> and <i>single-valued.</i>
+#
+# Another attribute is <tt>mail, </tt> which is used to store email
+# addresses. (No, there is no attribute called "email, " perhaps because
+# X.400 terminology predates the invention of the term <i>email.</i>)
+# <tt>mail</tt> differs from <tt>sn</tt> in that most directories permit any
+# number of values for the <tt>mail</tt> attribute, including zero.
+#
+# === Tree-Base
+# We said above that X.400 Distinguished Names are <i>globally unique.</i>
+# In a manner reminiscent of DNS, LDAP supposes that each directory server
+# contains authoritative attribute data for a set of DNs corresponding to a
+# specific sub-tree of the (notional) global directory tree. This subtree is
+# generally configured into a directory server when it is created. It
+# matters for this discussion because most servers will not allow you to
+# query them unless you specify a correct tree-base.
+#
+# Let's say you work for the engineering department of Big Company, Inc.,
+# whose internet domain is bigcompany.com. You may find that your
+# departmental directory is stored in a server with a defined tree-base of
+#    ou=engineering, dc=bigcompany, dc=com
+# You will need to supply this string as the <i>tree-base</i> when querying
+# this directory. (Ou is a very old X.400 term meaning "organizational
+# unit." Dc is a more recent term meaning "domain component.")
+#
+# === LDAP Versions
+# (stub, discuss v2 and v3)
+#
+# === LDAP Operations
+# The essential operations are: #bind, #search, #add, #modify, #delete, and
+# #rename.
+#
+# ==== Bind
+# #bind supplies a user's authentication credentials to a server, which in
+# turn verifies or rejects them. There is a range of possibilities for
+# credentials, but most directories support a simple username and password
+# authentication.
+#
+# Taken by itself, #bind can be used to authenticate a user against
+# information stored in a directory, for example to permit or deny access to
+# some other resource. In terms of the other LDAP operations, most
+# directories require a successful #bind to be performed before the other
+# operations will be permitted. Some servers permit certain operations to be
+# performed with an "anonymous" binding, meaning that no credentials are
+# presented by the user. (We're glossing over a lot of platform-specific
+# detail here.)
+#
+# ==== Search
+# Calling #search against the directory involves specifying a treebase, a
+# set of <i>search filters, </i> and a list of attribute values. The filters
+# specify ranges of possible values for particular attributes. Multiple
+# filters can be joined together with AND, OR, and NOT operators. A server
+# will respond to a #search by returning a list of matching DNs together
+# with a set of attribute values for each entity, depending on what
+# attributes the search requested.
+#
+# ==== Add
+# #add specifies a new DN and an initial set of attribute values. If the
+# operation succeeds, a new entity with the corresponding DN and attributes
+# is added to the directory.
+#
+# ==== Modify
+# #modify specifies an entity DN, and a list of attribute operations.
+# #modify is used to change the attribute values stored in the directory for
+# a particular entity. #modify may add or delete attributes (which are lists
+# of values) or it change attributes by adding to or deleting from their
+# values. Net::LDAP provides three easier methods to modify an entry's
+# attribute values: #add_attribute, #replace_attribute, and
+# #delete_attribute.
+#
+# ==== Delete
+# #delete specifies an entity DN. If it succeeds, the entity and all its
+# attributes is removed from the directory.
+#
+# ==== Rename (or Modify RDN)
+# #rename (or #modify_rdn) is an operation added to version 3 of the LDAP
+# protocol. It responds to the often-arising need to change the DN of an
+# entity without discarding its attribute values. In earlier LDAP versions,
+# the only way to do this was to delete the whole entity and add it again
+# with a different DN.
+#
+# #rename works by taking an "old" DN (the one to change) and a "new RDN, "
+# which is the left-most part of the DN string. If successful, #rename
+# changes the entity DN so that its left-most node corresponds to the new
+# RDN given in the request. (RDN, or "relative distinguished name, " denotes
+# a single tree-node as expressed in a DN, which is a chain of tree nodes.)
+#
+# == How to use Net::LDAP
+# To access Net::LDAP functionality in your Ruby programs, start by
+# requiring the library:
+#
+#  require 'net/ldap'
+#
+# If you installed the Gem version of Net::LDAP, and depending on your
+# version of Ruby and rubygems, you _may_ also need to require rubygems
+# explicitly:
+#
+#  require 'rubygems'
+#  require 'net/ldap'
+#
+# Most operations with Net::LDAP start by instantiating a Net::LDAP object.
+# The constructor for this object takes arguments specifying the network
+# location (address and port) of the LDAP server, and also the binding
+# (authentication) credentials, typically a username and password. Given an
+# object of class Net:LDAP, you can then perform LDAP operations by calling
+# instance methods on the object. These are documented with usage examples
+# below.
+#
+# The Net::LDAP library is designed to be very disciplined about how it
+# makes network connections to servers. This is different from many of the
+# standard native-code libraries that are provided on most platforms, which
+# share bloodlines with the original Netscape/Michigan LDAP client
+# implementations. These libraries sought to insulate user code from the
+# workings of the network. This is a good idea of course, but the practical
+# effect has been confusing and many difficult bugs have been caused by the
+# opacity of the native libraries, and their variable behavior across
+# platforms.
+#
+# In general, Net::LDAP instance methods which invoke server operations make
+# a connection to the server when the method is called. They execute the
+# operation (typically binding first) and then disconnect from the server.
+# The exception is Net::LDAP#open, which makes a connection to the server
+# and then keeps it open while it executes a user-supplied block.
+# Net::LDAP#open closes the connection on completion of the block.
+class Net::LDAP
+  VERSION = "0.4.0"
+
+  class LdapError < StandardError; end
+
+  SearchScope_BaseObject = 0
+  SearchScope_SingleLevel = 1
+  SearchScope_WholeSubtree = 2
+  SearchScopes = [ SearchScope_BaseObject, SearchScope_SingleLevel,
+    SearchScope_WholeSubtree ]
+
+  primitive = { 2 => :null } # UnbindRequest body
+  constructed = {
+    0 => :array, # BindRequest
+    1 => :array, # BindResponse
+    2 => :array, # UnbindRequest
+    3 => :array, # SearchRequest
+    4 => :array, # SearchData
+    5 => :array, # SearchResult
+    6 => :array, # ModifyRequest
+    7 => :array, # ModifyResponse
+    8 => :array, # AddRequest
+    9 => :array, # AddResponse
+    10 => :array, # DelRequest
+    11 => :array, # DelResponse
+    12 => :array, # ModifyRdnRequest
+    13 => :array, # ModifyRdnResponse
+    14 => :array, # CompareRequest
+    15 => :array, # CompareResponse
+    16 => :array, # AbandonRequest
+    19 => :array, # SearchResultReferral
+    24 => :array, # Unsolicited Notification
+  }
+  application = {
+    :primitive => primitive,
+    :constructed => constructed,
+  }
+  primitive = {
+    0 => :string, # password
+    1 => :string, # Kerberos v4
+    2 => :string, # Kerberos v5
+    3 => :string, # SearchFilter-extensible
+    4 => :string, # SearchFilter-extensible
+    7 => :string, # serverSaslCreds
+  }
+  constructed = {
+    0 => :array, # RFC-2251 Control and Filter-AND
+    1 => :array, # SearchFilter-OR
+    2 => :array, # SearchFilter-NOT
+    3 => :array, # Seach referral
+    4 => :array, # unknown use in Microsoft Outlook
+    5 => :array, # SearchFilter-GE
+    6 => :array, # SearchFilter-LE
+    7 => :array, # serverSaslCreds
+    9 => :array, # SearchFilter-extensible
+  }
+  context_specific = {
+    :primitive => primitive,
+    :constructed => constructed,
+  }
+
+  AsnSyntax = Net::BER.compile_syntax(:application => application,
+                                      :context_specific => context_specific)
+
+  DefaultHost = "127.0.0.1"
+  DefaultPort = 389
+  DefaultAuth = { :method => :anonymous }
+  DefaultTreebase = "dc=com"
+
+  StartTlsOid = "1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.20037"
+
+  ResultStrings = {
+    0 => "Success",
+    1 => "Operations Error",
+    2 => "Protocol Error",
+    3 => "Time Limit Exceeded",
+    4 => "Size Limit Exceeded",
+    10 => "Referral",
+    12 => "Unavailable crtical extension",
+    14 => "saslBindInProgress",
+    16 => "No Such Attribute",
+    17 => "Undefined Attribute Type",
+    20 => "Attribute or Value Exists",
+    32 => "No Such Object",
+    34 => "Invalid DN Syntax",
+    48 => "Inappropriate Authentication",
+    49 => "Invalid Credentials",
+    50 => "Insufficient Access Rights",
+    51 => "Busy",
+    52 => "Unavailable",
+    53 => "Unwilling to perform",
+    65 => "Object Class Violation",
+    68 => "Entry Already Exists"
+  }
+
+  module LDAPControls
+    PAGED_RESULTS = "1.2.840.113556.1.4.319" # Microsoft evil from RFC 2696
+    SORT_REQUEST  = "1.2.840.113556.1.4.473"
+    SORT_RESPONSE = "1.2.840.113556.1.4.474"
+    DELETE_TREE   = "1.2.840.113556.1.4.805"
+  end
+
+  def self.result2string(code) #:nodoc:
+    ResultStrings[code] || "unknown result (#{code})"
+  end
+
+  attr_accessor :host
+  attr_accessor :port
+  attr_accessor :base
+
+  # Instantiate an object of type Net::LDAP to perform directory operations.
+  # This constructor takes a Hash containing arguments, all of which are
+  # either optional or may be specified later with other methods as
+  # described below. The following arguments are supported:
+  # * :host => the LDAP server's IP-address (default 127.0.0.1)
+  # * :port => the LDAP server's TCP port (default 389)
+  # * :auth => a Hash containing authorization parameters. Currently
+  #   supported values include: {:method => :anonymous} and {:method =>
+  #   :simple, :username => your_user_name, :password => your_password }
+  #   The password parameter may be a Proc that returns a String.
+  # * :base => a default treebase parameter for searches performed against
+  #   the LDAP server. If you don't give this value, then each call to
+  #   #search must specify a treebase parameter. If you do give this value,
+  #   then it will be used in subsequent calls to #search that do not
+  #   specify a treebase. If you give a treebase value in any particular
+  #   call to #search, that value will override any treebase value you give
+  #   here.
+  # * :encryption => specifies the encryption to be used in communicating
+  #   with the LDAP server. The value is either a Hash containing additional
+  #   parameters, or the Symbol :simple_tls, which is equivalent to
+  #   specifying the Hash {:method => :simple_tls}. There is a fairly large
+  #   range of potential values that may be given for this parameter. See
+  #   #encryption for details.
+  #
+  # Instantiating a Net::LDAP object does <i>not</i> result in network
+  # traffic to the LDAP server. It simply stores the connection and binding
+  # parameters in the object.
+  def initialize(args = {})
+    @host = args[:host] || DefaultHost
+    @port = args[:port] || DefaultPort
+    @verbose = false # Make this configurable with a switch on the class.
+    @auth = args[:auth] || DefaultAuth
+    @base = args[:base] || DefaultTreebase
+    encryption args[:encryption] # may be nil
+
+    if pr = @auth[:password] and pr.respond_to?(:call)
+      @auth[:password] = pr.call
+    end
+
+    # This variable is only set when we are created with LDAP::open. All of
+    # our internal methods will connect using it, or else they will create
+    # their own.
+    @open_connection = nil
+  end
+
+  # Convenience method to specify authentication credentials to the LDAP
+  # server. Currently supports simple authentication requiring a username
+  # and password.
+  #
+  # Observe that on most LDAP servers, the username is a complete DN.
+  # However, with A/D, it's often possible to give only a user-name rather
+  # than a complete DN. In the latter case, beware that many A/D servers are
+  # configured to permit anonymous (uncredentialled) binding, and will
+  # silently accept your binding as anonymous if you give an unrecognized
+  # username. This is not usually what you want. (See
+  # #get_operation_result.)
+  #
+  # <b>Important:</b> The password argument may be a Proc that returns a
+  # string. This makes it possible for you to write client programs that
+  # solicit passwords from users or from other data sources without showing
+  # them in your code or on command lines.
+  #
+  #  require 'net/ldap'
+  #
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new
+  #  ldap.host = server_ip_address
+  #  ldap.authenticate "cn=Your Username, cn=Users, dc=example, dc=com", "your_psw"
+  #
+  # Alternatively (with a password block):
+  #
+  #  require 'net/ldap'
+  #
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new
+  #  ldap.host = server_ip_address
+  #  psw = proc { your_psw_function }
+  #  ldap.authenticate "cn=Your Username, cn=Users, dc=example, dc=com", psw
+  #
+  def authenticate(username, password)
+    password = password.call if password.respond_to?(:call)
+    @auth = {
+      :method => :simple,
+      :username => username,
+      :password => password
+    }
+  end
+  alias_method :auth, :authenticate
+
+  # Convenience method to specify encryption characteristics for connections
+  # to LDAP servers. Called implicitly by #new and #open, but may also be
+  # called by user code if desired. The single argument is generally a Hash
+  # (but see below for convenience alternatives). This implementation is
+  # currently a stub, supporting only a few encryption alternatives. As
+  # additional capabilities are added, more configuration values will be
+  # added here.
+  #
+  # Currently, the only supported argument is { :method => :simple_tls }.
+  # (Equivalently, you may pass the symbol :simple_tls all by itself,
+  # without enclosing it in a Hash.)
+  #
+  # The :simple_tls encryption method encrypts <i>all</i> communications
+  # with the LDAP server. It completely establishes SSL/TLS encryption with
+  # the LDAP server before any LDAP-protocol data is exchanged. There is no
+  # plaintext negotiation and no special encryption-request controls are
+  # sent to the server. <i>The :simple_tls option is the simplest, easiest
+  # way to encrypt communications between Net::LDAP and LDAP servers.</i>
+  # It's intended for cases where you have an implicit level of trust in the
+  # authenticity of the LDAP server. No validation of the LDAP server's SSL
+  # certificate is performed. This means that :simple_tls will not produce
+  # errors if the LDAP server's encryption certificate is not signed by a
+  # well-known Certification Authority. If you get communications or
+  # protocol errors when using this option, check with your LDAP server
+  # administrator. Pay particular attention to the TCP port you are
+  # connecting to. It's impossible for an LDAP server to support plaintext
+  # LDAP communications and <i>simple TLS</i> connections on the same port.
+  # The standard TCP port for unencrypted LDAP connections is 389, but the
+  # standard port for simple-TLS encrypted connections is 636. Be sure you
+  # are using the correct port.
+  #
+  # <i>[Note: a future version of Net::LDAP will support the STARTTLS LDAP
+  # control, which will enable encrypted communications on the same TCP port
+  # used for unencrypted connections.]</i>
+  def encryption(args)
+    case args
+    when :simple_tls, :start_tls
+      args = { :method => args }
+    end
+    @encryption = args
+  end
+
+  # #open takes the same parameters as #new. #open makes a network
+  # connection to the LDAP server and then passes a newly-created Net::LDAP
+  # object to the caller-supplied block. Within the block, you can call any
+  # of the instance methods of Net::LDAP to perform operations against the
+  # LDAP directory. #open will perform all the operations in the
+  # user-supplied block on the same network connection, which will be closed
+  # automatically when the block finishes.
+  #
+  #  # (PSEUDOCODE)
+  #  auth = { :method => :simple, :username => username, :password => password }
+  #  Net::LDAP.open(:host => ipaddress, :port => 389, :auth => auth) do |ldap|
+  #    ldap.search(...)
+  #    ldap.add(...)
+  #    ldap.modify(...)
+  #  end
+  def self.open(args)
+    ldap1 = new(args)
+    ldap1.open { |ldap| yield ldap }
+  end
+
+  # Returns a meaningful result any time after a protocol operation (#bind,
+  # #search, #add, #modify, #rename, #delete) has completed. It returns an
+  # #OpenStruct containing an LDAP result code (0 means success), and a
+  # human-readable string.
+  #
+  #  unless ldap.bind
+  #    puts "Result: #{ldap.get_operation_result.code}"
+  #    puts "Message: #{ldap.get_operation_result.message}"
+  #  end
+  #
+  # Certain operations return additional information, accessible through
+  # members of the object returned from #get_operation_result. Check
+  # #get_operation_result.error_message and
+  # #get_operation_result.matched_dn.
+  #
+  #--
+  # Modified the implementation, 20Mar07. We might get a hash of LDAP
+  # response codes instead of a simple numeric code.
+  #++
+  def get_operation_result
+    os = OpenStruct.new
+    if @result.is_a?(Hash)
+      # We might get a hash of LDAP response codes instead of a simple
+      # numeric code.
+      os.code = (@result[:resultCode] || "").to_i
+      os.error_message = @result[:errorMessage]
+      os.matched_dn = @result[:matchedDN]
+    elsif @result
+      os.code = @result
+    else
+      os.code = 0
+    end
+    os.message = Net::LDAP.result2string(os.code)
+    os
+  end
+
+  # Opens a network connection to the server and then passes <tt>self</tt>
+  # to the caller-supplied block. The connection is closed when the block
+  # completes. Used for executing multiple LDAP operations without requiring
+  # a separate network connection (and authentication) for each one.
+  # <i>Note:</i> You do not need to log-in or "bind" to the server. This
+  # will be done for you automatically. For an even simpler approach, see
+  # the class method Net::LDAP#open.
+  #
+  #  # (PSEUDOCODE)
+  #  auth = { :method => :simple, :username => username, :password => password }
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new(:host => ipaddress, :port => 389, :auth => auth)
+  #  ldap.open do |ldap|
+  #    ldap.search(...)
+  #    ldap.add(...)
+  #    ldap.modify(...)
+  #  end
+  def open
+    # First we make a connection and then a binding, but we don't do
+    # anything with the bind results. We then pass self to the caller's
+    # block, where he will execute his LDAP operations. Of course they will
+    # all generate auth failures if the bind was unsuccessful.
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Open already in progress" if @open_connection
+
+    begin
+      @open_connection = Net::LDAP::Connection.new(:host => @host,
+                                                   :port => @port,
+                                                   :encryption =>
+                                                   @encryption)
+      @open_connection.bind(@auth)
+      yield self
+    ensure
+      @open_connection.close if @open_connection
+      @open_connection = nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  # Searches the LDAP directory for directory entries. Takes a hash argument
+  # with parameters. Supported parameters include:
+  # * :base (a string specifying the tree-base for the search);
+  # * :filter (an object of type Net::LDAP::Filter, defaults to
+  #   objectclass=*);
+  # * :attributes (a string or array of strings specifying the LDAP
+  #   attributes to return from the server);
+  # * :return_result (a boolean specifying whether to return a result set).
+  # * :attributes_only (a boolean flag, defaults false)
+  # * :scope (one of: Net::LDAP::SearchScope_BaseObject,
+  #   Net::LDAP::SearchScope_SingleLevel,
+  #   Net::LDAP::SearchScope_WholeSubtree. Default is WholeSubtree.)
+  # * :size (an integer indicating the maximum number of search entries to
+  #   return. Default is zero, which signifies no limit.)
+  #
+  # #search queries the LDAP server and passes <i>each entry</i> to the
+  # caller-supplied block, as an object of type Net::LDAP::Entry. If the
+  # search returns 1000 entries, the block will be called 1000 times. If the
+  # search returns no entries, the block will not be called.
+  #
+  # #search returns either a result-set or a boolean, depending on the value
+  # of the <tt>:return_result</tt> argument. The default behavior is to
+  # return a result set, which is an Array of objects of class
+  # Net::LDAP::Entry. If you request a result set and #search fails with an
+  # error, it will return nil. Call #get_operation_result to get the error
+  # information returned by
+  # the LDAP server.
+  #
+  # When <tt>:return_result => false, </tt> #search will return only a
+  # Boolean, to indicate whether the operation succeeded. This can improve
+  # performance with very large result sets, because the library can discard
+  # each entry from memory after your block processes it.
+  #
+  #  treebase = "dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  filter = Net::LDAP::Filter.eq("mail", "a*.com")
+  #  attrs = ["mail", "cn", "sn", "objectclass"]
+  #  ldap.search(:base => treebase, :filter => filter, :attributes => attrs,
+  #              :return_result => false) do |entry|
+  #    puts "DN: #{entry.dn}"
+  #    entry.each do |attr, values|
+  #      puts ".......#{attr}:"
+  #      values.each do |value|
+  #        puts "          #{value}"
+  #      end
+  #    end
+  #  end
+  def search(args = {})
+    unless args[:ignore_server_caps]
+      args[:paged_searches_supported] = paged_searches_supported?
+    end
+
+    args[:base] ||= @base
+    return_result_set = args[:return_result] != false
+    result_set = return_result_set ? [] : nil
+
+    if @open_connection
+      @result = @open_connection.search(args) { |entry|
+        result_set << entry if result_set
+        yield entry if block_given?
+      }
+    else
+      begin
+        conn = Net::LDAP::Connection.new(:host => @host, :port => @port,
+                                         :encryption => @encryption)
+        if (@result = conn.bind(args[:auth] || @auth)).result_code == 0
+          @result = conn.search(args) { |entry|
+            result_set << entry if result_set
+            yield entry if block_given?
+          }
+        end
+      ensure
+        conn.close if conn
+      end
+    end
+
+    if return_result_set
+      (!@result.nil? && @result.result_code == 0) ? result_set : nil
+    else
+      @result
+    end
+  end
+
+  # #bind connects to an LDAP server and requests authentication based on
+  # the <tt>:auth</tt> parameter passed to #open or #new. It takes no
+  # parameters.
+  #
+  # User code does not need to call #bind directly. It will be called
+  # implicitly by the library whenever you invoke an LDAP operation, such as
+  # #search or #add.
+  #
+  # It is useful, however, to call #bind in your own code when the only
+  # operation you intend to perform against the directory is to validate a
+  # login credential. #bind returns true or false to indicate whether the
+  # binding was successful. Reasons for failure include malformed or
+  # unrecognized usernames and incorrect passwords. Use
+  # #get_operation_result to find out what happened in case of failure.
+  #
+  # Here's a typical example using #bind to authenticate a credential which
+  # was (perhaps) solicited from the user of a web site:
+  #
+  #  require 'net/ldap'
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new
+  #  ldap.host = your_server_ip_address
+  #  ldap.port = 389
+  #  ldap.auth your_user_name, your_user_password
+  #  if ldap.bind
+  #    # authentication succeeded
+  #  else
+  #    # authentication failed
+  #    p ldap.get_operation_result
+  #  end
+  #
+  # Here's a more succinct example which does exactly the same thing, but
+  # collects all the required parameters into arguments:
+  #
+  #  require 'net/ldap'
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new(:host => your_server_ip_address, :port => 389)
+  #  if ldap.bind(:method => :simple, :username => your_user_name,
+  #               :password => your_user_password)
+  #    # authentication succeeded
+  #  else
+  #    # authentication failed
+  #    p ldap.get_operation_result
+  #  end
+  #
+  # You don't need to pass a user-password as a String object to bind. You
+  # can also pass a Ruby Proc object which returns a string. This will cause
+  # bind to execute the Proc (which might then solicit input from a user
+  # with console display suppressed). The String value returned from the
+  # Proc is used as the password.
+  #
+  # You don't have to create a new instance of Net::LDAP every time you
+  # perform a binding in this way. If you prefer, you can cache the
+  # Net::LDAP object and re-use it to perform subsequent bindings,
+  # <i>provided</i> you call #auth to specify a new credential before
+  # calling #bind. Otherwise, you'll just re-authenticate the previous user!
+  # (You don't need to re-set the values of #host and #port.) As noted in
+  # the documentation for #auth, the password parameter can be a Ruby Proc
+  # instead of a String.
+  def bind(auth = @auth)
+    if @open_connection
+      @result = @open_connection.bind(auth)
+    else
+      begin
+        conn = Connection.new(:host => @host, :port => @port,
+                              :encryption => @encryption)
+        @result = conn.bind(auth)
+      ensure
+        conn.close if conn
+      end
+    end
+
+    @result
+  end
+
+  # #bind_as is for testing authentication credentials.
+  #
+  # As described under #bind, most LDAP servers require that you supply a
+  # complete DN as a binding-credential, along with an authenticator such as
+  # a password. But for many applications (such as authenticating users to a
+  # Rails application), you often don't have a full DN to identify the user.
+  # You usually get a simple identifier like a username or an email address,
+  # along with a password. #bind_as allows you to authenticate these
+  # user-identifiers.
+  #
+  # #bind_as is a combination of a search and an LDAP binding. First, it
+  # connects and binds to the directory as normal. Then it searches the
+  # directory for an entry corresponding to the email address, username, or
+  # other string that you supply. If the entry exists, then #bind_as will
+  # <b>re-bind</b> as that user with the password (or other authenticator)
+  # that you supply.
+  #
+  # #bind_as takes the same parameters as #search, <i>with the addition of
+  # an authenticator.</i> Currently, this authenticator must be
+  # <tt>:password</tt>. Its value may be either a String, or a +proc+ that
+  # returns a String. #bind_as returns +false+ on failure. On success, it
+  # returns a result set, just as #search does. This result set is an Array
+  # of objects of type Net::LDAP::Entry. It contains the directory
+  # attributes corresponding to the user. (Just test whether the return
+  # value is logically true, if you don't need this additional information.)
+  #
+  # Here's how you would use #bind_as to authenticate an email address and
+  # password:
+  #
+  #  require 'net/ldap'
+  #
+  #  user, psw = "joe_user@yourcompany.com", "joes_psw"
+  #
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new
+  #  ldap.host = "192.168.0.100"
+  #  ldap.port = 389
+  #  ldap.auth "cn=manager, dc=yourcompany, dc=com", "topsecret"
+  #
+  #  result = ldap.bind_as(:base => "dc=yourcompany, dc=com",
+  #                        :filter => "(mail=#{user})",
+  #                        :password => psw)
+  #  if result
+  #    puts "Authenticated #{result.first.dn}"
+  #  else
+  #    puts "Authentication FAILED."
+  #  end
+  def bind_as(args = {})
+    result = false
+    open { |me|
+      rs = search args
+      if rs and rs.first and dn = rs.first.dn
+        password = args[:password]
+        password = password.call if password.respond_to?(:call)
+        result = rs if bind(:method => :simple, :username => dn,
+                            :password => password)
+      end
+    }
+    result
+  end
+
+  # Adds a new entry to the remote LDAP server.
+  # Supported arguments:
+  # :dn :: Full DN of the new entry
+  # :attributes :: Attributes of the new entry.
+  #
+  # The attributes argument is supplied as a Hash keyed by Strings or
+  # Symbols giving the attribute name, and mapping to Strings or Arrays of
+  # Strings giving the actual attribute values. Observe that most LDAP
+  # directories enforce schema constraints on the attributes contained in
+  # entries. #add will fail with a server-generated error if your attributes
+  # violate the server-specific constraints.
+  #
+  # Here's an example:
+  #
+  #  dn = "cn=George Smith, ou=people, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  attr = {
+  #    :cn => "George Smith",
+  #    :objectclass => ["top", "inetorgperson"],
+  #    :sn => "Smith",
+  #    :mail => "gsmith@example.com"
+  #  }
+  #  Net::LDAP.open(:host => host) do |ldap|
+  #    ldap.add(:dn => dn, :attributes => attr)
+  #  end
+  def add(args)
+    if @open_connection
+      @result = @open_connection.add(args)
+    else
+      @result = 0
+      begin
+        conn = Connection.new(:host => @host, :port => @port,
+                              :encryption => @encryption)
+        if (@result = conn.bind(args[:auth] || @auth)).result_code == 0
+          @result = conn.add(args)
+        end
+      ensure
+        conn.close if conn
+      end
+    end
+    @result
+  end
+
+  # Modifies the attribute values of a particular entry on the LDAP
+  # directory. Takes a hash with arguments. Supported arguments are:
+  # :dn :: (the full DN of the entry whose attributes are to be modified)
+  # :operations :: (the modifications to be performed, detailed next)
+  #
+  # This method returns True or False to indicate whether the operation
+  # succeeded or failed, with extended information available by calling
+  # #get_operation_result.
+  #
+  # Also see #add_attribute, #replace_attribute, or #delete_attribute, which
+  # provide simpler interfaces to this functionality.
+  #
+  # The LDAP protocol provides a full and well thought-out set of operations
+  # for changing the values of attributes, but they are necessarily somewhat
+  # complex and not always intuitive. If these instructions are confusing or
+  # incomplete, please send us email or create a bug report on rubyforge.
+  #
+  # The :operations parameter to #modify takes an array of
+  # operation-descriptors. Each individual operation is specified in one
+  # element of the array, and most LDAP servers will attempt to perform the
+  # operations in order.
+  #
+  # Each of the operations appearing in the Array must itself be an Array
+  # with exactly three elements: an operator:: must be :add, :replace, or
+  # :delete an attribute name:: the attribute name (string or symbol) to
+  # modify a value:: either a string or an array of strings.
+  #
+  # The :add operator will, unsurprisingly, add the specified values to the
+  # specified attribute. If the attribute does not already exist, :add will
+  # create it. Most LDAP servers will generate an error if you try to add a
+  # value that already exists.
+  #
+  # :replace will erase the current value(s) for the specified attribute, if
+  # there are any, and replace them with the specified value(s).
+  #
+  # :delete will remove the specified value(s) from the specified attribute.
+  # If you pass nil, an empty string, or an empty array as the value
+  # parameter to a :delete operation, the _entire_ _attribute_ will be
+  # deleted, along with all of its values.
+  #
+  # For example:
+  #
+  #  dn = "mail=modifyme@example.com, ou=people, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  ops = [
+  #    [:add, :mail, "aliasaddress@example.com"],
+  #    [:replace, :mail, ["newaddress@example.com", "newalias@example.com"]],
+  #    [:delete, :sn, nil]
+  #  ]
+  #  ldap.modify :dn => dn, :operations => ops
+  #
+  # <i>(This example is contrived since you probably wouldn't add a mail
+  # value right before replacing the whole attribute, but it shows that
+  # order of execution matters. Also, many LDAP servers won't let you delete
+  # SN because that would be a schema violation.)</i>
+  #
+  # It's essential to keep in mind that if you specify more than one
+  # operation in a call to #modify, most LDAP servers will attempt to
+  # perform all of the operations in the order you gave them. This matters
+  # because you may specify operations on the same attribute which must be
+  # performed in a certain order.
+  #
+  # Most LDAP servers will _stop_ processing your modifications if one of
+  # them causes an error on the server (such as a schema-constraint
+  # violation). If this happens, you will probably get a result code from
+  # the server that reflects only the operation that failed, and you may or
+  # may not get extended information that will tell you which one failed.
+  # #modify has no notion of an atomic transaction. If you specify a chain
+  # of modifications in one call to #modify, and one of them fails, the
+  # preceding ones will usually not be "rolled back, " resulting in a
+  # partial update. This is a limitation of the LDAP protocol, not of
+  # Net::LDAP.
+  #
+  # The lack of transactional atomicity in LDAP means that you're usually
+  # better off using the convenience methods #add_attribute,
+  # #replace_attribute, and #delete_attribute, which are are wrappers over
+  # #modify. However, certain LDAP servers may provide concurrency
+  # semantics, in which the several operations contained in a single #modify
+  # call are not interleaved with other modification-requests received
+  # simultaneously by the server. It bears repeating that this concurrency
+  # does _not_ imply transactional atomicity, which LDAP does not provide.
+  def modify(args)
+    if @open_connection
+      @result = @open_connection.modify(args)
+    else
+      @result = 0
+      begin
+        conn = Connection.new(:host => @host, :port => @port,
+                              :encryption => @encryption)
+        if (@result = conn.bind(args[:auth] || @auth)).result_code == 0
+          @result = conn.modify(args)
+        end
+      ensure
+        conn.close if conn
+      end
+    end
+
+    @result
+  end
+
+  # Add a value to an attribute. Takes the full DN of the entry to modify,
+  # the name (Symbol or String) of the attribute, and the value (String or
+  # Array). If the attribute does not exist (and there are no schema
+  # violations), #add_attribute will create it with the caller-specified
+  # values. If the attribute already exists (and there are no schema
+  # violations), the caller-specified values will be _added_ to the values
+  # already present.
+  #
+  # Returns True or False to indicate whether the operation succeeded or
+  # failed, with extended information available by calling
+  # #get_operation_result. See also #replace_attribute and
+  # #delete_attribute.
+  #
+  #  dn = "cn=modifyme, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  ldap.add_attribute dn, :mail, "newmailaddress@example.com"
+  def add_attribute(dn, attribute, value)
+    modify(:dn => dn, :operations => [[:add, attribute, value]])
+  end
+
+  # Replace the value of an attribute. #replace_attribute can be thought of
+  # as equivalent to calling #delete_attribute followed by #add_attribute.
+  # It takes the full DN of the entry to modify, the name (Symbol or String)
+  # of the attribute, and the value (String or Array). If the attribute does
+  # not exist, it will be created with the caller-specified value(s). If the
+  # attribute does exist, its values will be _discarded_ and replaced with
+  # the caller-specified values.
+  #
+  # Returns True or False to indicate whether the operation succeeded or
+  # failed, with extended information available by calling
+  # #get_operation_result. See also #add_attribute and #delete_attribute.
+  #
+  #  dn = "cn=modifyme, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  ldap.replace_attribute dn, :mail, "newmailaddress@example.com"
+  def replace_attribute(dn, attribute, value)
+    modify(:dn => dn, :operations => [[:replace, attribute, value]])
+  end
+
+  # Delete an attribute and all its values. Takes the full DN of the entry
+  # to modify, and the name (Symbol or String) of the attribute to delete.
+  #
+  # Returns True or False to indicate whether the operation succeeded or
+  # failed, with extended information available by calling
+  # #get_operation_result. See also #add_attribute and #replace_attribute.
+  #
+  #  dn = "cn=modifyme, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  ldap.delete_attribute dn, :mail
+  def delete_attribute(dn, attribute)
+    modify(:dn => dn, :operations => [[:delete, attribute, nil]])
+  end
+
+  # Rename an entry on the remote DIS by changing the last RDN of its DN.
+  #
+  # _Documentation_ _stub_
+  def rename(args)
+    if @open_connection
+      @result = @open_connection.rename(args)
+    else
+      @result = 0
+      begin
+        conn = Connection.new(:host => @host, :port => @port,
+                              :encryption => @encryption)
+        if (@result = conn.bind(args[:auth] || @auth)).result_code == 0
+          @result = conn.rename(args)
+        end
+      ensure
+        conn.close if conn
+      end
+    end
+    @result
+  end
+  alias_method :modify_rdn, :rename
+
+  # Delete an entry from the LDAP directory. Takes a hash of arguments. The
+  # only supported argument is :dn, which must give the complete DN of the
+  # entry to be deleted.
+  #
+  # Returns True or False to indicate whether the delete succeeded. Extended
+  # status information is available by calling #get_operation_result.
+  #
+  #  dn = "mail=deleteme@example.com, ou=people, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  ldap.delete :dn => dn
+  def delete(args)
+    if @open_connection
+      @result = @open_connection.delete(args)
+    else
+      @result = 0
+      begin
+        conn = Connection.new(:host => @host, :port => @port,
+                              :encryption => @encryption)
+        if (@result = conn.bind(args[:auth] || @auth)).result_code == 0
+          @result = conn.delete(args)
+        end
+      ensure
+        conn.close
+      end
+    end
+    @result
+  end
+
+  # Delete an entry from the LDAP directory along with all subordinate entries.
+  # the regular delete method will fail to delete an entry if it has subordinate
+  # entries. This method sends an extra control code to tell the LDAP server
+  # to do a tree delete. ('1.2.840.113556.1.4.805')
+  #
+  # Returns True or False to indicate whether the delete succeeded. Extended
+  # status information is available by calling #get_operation_result.
+  #
+  #  dn = "mail=deleteme@example.com, ou=people, dc=example, dc=com"
+  #  ldap.delete_tree :dn => dn
+  def delete_tree(args)
+    delete(args.merge(:control_codes => [[Net::LDAP::LDAPControls::DELETE_TREE, true]]))
+  end
+  # This method is experimental and subject to change. Return the rootDSE
+  # record from the LDAP server as a Net::LDAP::Entry, or an empty Entry if
+  # the server doesn't return the record.
+  #--
+  # cf. RFC4512 graf 5.1.
+  # Note that the rootDSE record we return on success has an empty DN, which
+  # is correct. On failure, the empty Entry will have a nil DN. There's no
+  # real reason for that, so it can be changed if desired. The funky
+  # number-disagreements in the set of attribute names is correct per the
+  # RFC. We may be called by #search itself, which may need to determine
+  # things like paged search capabilities. So to avoid an infinite regress,
+  # set :ignore_server_caps, which prevents us getting called recursively.
+  #++
+  def search_root_dse
+    rs = search(:ignore_server_caps => true, :base => "",
+                :scope => SearchScope_BaseObject,
+                :attributes => [ :namingContexts, :supportedLdapVersion,
+                  :altServer, :supportedControl, :supportedExtension,
+                  :supportedFeatures, :supportedSASLMechanisms])
+    (rs and rs.first) or Net::LDAP::Entry.new
+  end
+
+  # Return the root Subschema record from the LDAP server as a
+  # Net::LDAP::Entry, or an empty Entry if the server doesn't return the
+  # record. On success, the Net::LDAP::Entry returned from this call will
+  # have the attributes :dn, :objectclasses, and :attributetypes. If there
+  # is an error, call #get_operation_result for more information.
+  #
+  #  ldap = Net::LDAP.new
+  #  ldap.host = "your.ldap.host"
+  #  ldap.auth "your-user-dn", "your-psw"
+  #  subschema_entry = ldap.search_subschema_entry
+  #
+  #  subschema_entry.attributetypes.each do |attrtype|
+  #    # your code
+  #  end
+  #
+  #  subschema_entry.objectclasses.each do |attrtype|
+  #    # your code
+  #  end
+  #--
+  # cf. RFC4512 section 4, particulary graff 4.4.
+  # The :dn attribute in the returned Entry is the subschema name as
+  # returned from the server. Set :ignore_server_caps, see the notes in
+  # search_root_dse.
+  #++
+  def search_subschema_entry
+    rs = search(:ignore_server_caps => true, :base => "",
+                :scope => SearchScope_BaseObject,
+                :attributes => [:subschemaSubentry])
+    return Net::LDAP::Entry.new unless (rs and rs.first)
+
+    subschema_name = rs.first.subschemasubentry
+    return Net::LDAP::Entry.new unless (subschema_name and subschema_name.first)
+
+    rs = search(:ignore_server_caps => true, :base => subschema_name.first,
+                :scope => SearchScope_BaseObject,
+                :filter => "objectclass=subschema",
+                :attributes => [:objectclasses, :attributetypes])
+    (rs and rs.first) or Net::LDAP::Entry.new
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # Convenience method to query server capabilities.
+  # Only do this once per Net::LDAP object.
+  # Note, we call a search, and we might be called from inside a search!
+  # MUST refactor the root_dse call out.
+  #++
+  def paged_searches_supported?
+    @server_caps ||= search_root_dse
+    @server_caps[:supportedcontrol].include?(Net::LDAP::LDAPControls::PAGED_RESULTS)
+  end
+end # class LDAP
+
+# This is a private class used internally by the library. It should not
+# be called by user code.
+class Net::LDAP::Connection #:nodoc:
+  LdapVersion = 3
+  MaxSaslChallenges = 10
+
+  def initialize(server)
+    begin
+      @conn = TCPSocket.new(server[:host], server[:port])
+    rescue SocketError
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "No such address or other socket error."
+    rescue Errno::ECONNREFUSED
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Server #{server[:host]} refused connection on port #{server[:port]}."
+    end
+
+    if server[:encryption]
+      setup_encryption server[:encryption]
+    end
+
+    yield self if block_given?
+  end
+
+  module GetbyteForSSLSocket
+    def getbyte
+      getc.ord
+    end
+  end
+
+  def self.wrap_with_ssl(io)
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "OpenSSL is unavailable" unless Net::LDAP::HasOpenSSL
+    ctx = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.new
+    conn = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLSocket.new(io, ctx)
+    conn.connect
+    conn.sync_close = true
+
+    conn.extend(GetbyteForSSLSocket) unless conn.respond_to?(:getbyte)
+
+    conn
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # Helper method called only from new, and only after we have a
+  # successfully-opened @conn instance variable, which is a TCP connection.
+  # Depending on the received arguments, we establish SSL, potentially
+  # replacing the value of @conn accordingly. Don't generate any errors here
+  # if no encryption is requested. DO raise Net::LDAP::LdapError objects if encryption
+  # is requested and we have trouble setting it up. That includes if OpenSSL
+  # is not set up on the machine. (Question: how does the Ruby OpenSSL
+  # wrapper react in that case?) DO NOT filter exceptions raised by the
+  # OpenSSL library. Let them pass back to the user. That should make it
+  # easier for us to debug the problem reports. Presumably (hopefully?) that
+  # will also produce recognizable errors if someone tries to use this on a
+  # machine without OpenSSL.
+  #
+  # The simple_tls method is intended as the simplest, stupidest, easiest
+  # solution for people who want nothing more than encrypted comms with the
+  # LDAP server. It doesn't do any server-cert validation and requires
+  # nothing in the way of key files and root-cert files, etc etc. OBSERVE:
+  # WE REPLACE the value of @conn, which is presumed to be a connected
+  # TCPSocket object.
+  #
+  # The start_tls method is supported by many servers over the standard LDAP
+  # port. It does not require an alternative port for encrypted
+  # communications, as with simple_tls. Thanks for Kouhei Sutou for
+  # generously contributing the :start_tls path.
+  #++
+  def setup_encryption(args)
+    case args[:method]
+    when :simple_tls
+      @conn = self.class.wrap_with_ssl(@conn)
+      # additional branches requiring server validation and peer certs, etc.
+      # go here.
+    when :start_tls
+      msgid = next_msgid.to_ber
+      request = [Net::LDAP::StartTlsOid.to_ber].to_ber_appsequence(Net::LDAP::PDU::ExtendedRequest)
+      request_pkt = [msgid, request].to_ber_sequence
+      @conn.write request_pkt
+      be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax)
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "no start_tls result" if be.nil?
+      pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be)
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "no start_tls result" if pdu.nil?
+      if pdu.result_code.zero?
+        @conn = self.class.wrap_with_ssl(@conn)
+      else
+        raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "start_tls failed: #{pdu.result_code}"
+      end
+    else
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "unsupported encryption method #{args[:method]}"
+    end
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # This is provided as a convenience method to make sure a connection
+  # object gets closed without waiting for a GC to happen. Clients shouldn't
+  # have to call it, but perhaps it will come in handy someday.
+  #++
+  def close
+    @conn.close
+    @conn = nil
+  end
+
+  def next_msgid
+    @msgid ||= 0
+    @msgid += 1
+  end
+
+  def bind(auth)
+    meth = auth[:method]
+    if [:simple, :anonymous, :anon].include?(meth)
+      bind_simple auth
+    elsif meth == :sasl
+      bind_sasl(auth)
+    elsif meth == :gss_spnego
+      bind_gss_spnego(auth)
+    else
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Unsupported auth method (#{meth})"
+    end
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # Implements a simple user/psw authentication. Accessed by calling #bind
+  # with a method of :simple or :anonymous.
+  #++
+  def bind_simple(auth)
+    user, psw = if auth[:method] == :simple
+                  [auth[:username] || auth[:dn], auth[:password]]
+                else
+                  ["", ""]
+                end
+
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Invalid binding information" unless (user && psw)
+
+    msgid = next_msgid.to_ber
+    request = [LdapVersion.to_ber, user.to_ber,
+      psw.to_ber_contextspecific(0)].to_ber_appsequence(0)
+    request_pkt = [msgid, request].to_ber_sequence
+    @conn.write request_pkt
+
+    (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax) and pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be)) or raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "no bind result"
+
+    pdu
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # Required parameters: :mechanism, :initial_credential and
+  # :challenge_response
+  #
+  # Mechanism is a string value that will be passed in the SASL-packet's
+  # "mechanism" field.
+  #
+  # Initial credential is most likely a string. It's passed in the initial
+  # BindRequest that goes to the server. In some protocols, it may be empty.
+  #
+  # Challenge-response is a Ruby proc that takes a single parameter and
+  # returns an object that will typically be a string. The
+  # challenge-response block is called when the server returns a
+  # BindResponse with a result code of 14 (saslBindInProgress). The
+  # challenge-response block receives a parameter containing the data
+  # returned by the server in the saslServerCreds field of the LDAP
+  # BindResponse packet. The challenge-response block may be called multiple
+  # times during the course of a SASL authentication, and each time it must
+  # return a value that will be passed back to the server as the credential
+  # data in the next BindRequest packet.
+  #++
+  def bind_sasl(auth)
+    mech, cred, chall = auth[:mechanism], auth[:initial_credential],
+      auth[:challenge_response]
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Invalid binding information" unless (mech && cred && chall)
+
+    n = 0
+    loop {
+      msgid = next_msgid.to_ber
+      sasl = [mech.to_ber, cred.to_ber].to_ber_contextspecific(3)
+      request = [LdapVersion.to_ber, "".to_ber, sasl].to_ber_appsequence(0)
+      request_pkt = [msgid, request].to_ber_sequence
+      @conn.write request_pkt
+
+      (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax) and pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be)) or raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "no bind result"
+      return pdu unless pdu.result_code == 14 # saslBindInProgress
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "sasl-challenge overflow" if ((n += 1) > MaxSaslChallenges)
+
+      cred = chall.call(pdu.result_server_sasl_creds)
+    }
+
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "why are we here?"
+  end
+  private :bind_sasl
+
+  #--
+  # PROVISIONAL, only for testing SASL implementations. DON'T USE THIS YET.
+  # Uses Kohei Kajimoto's Ruby/NTLM. We have to find a clean way to
+  # integrate it without introducing an external dependency.
+  #
+  # This authentication method is accessed by calling #bind with a :method
+  # parameter of :gss_spnego. It requires :username and :password
+  # attributes, just like the :simple authentication method. It performs a
+  # GSS-SPNEGO authentication with the server, which is presumed to be a
+  # Microsoft Active Directory.
+  #++
+  def bind_gss_spnego(auth)
+    require 'ntlm'
+
+    user, psw = [auth[:username] || auth[:dn], auth[:password]]
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Invalid binding information" unless (user && psw)
+
+    nego = proc { |challenge|
+      t2_msg = NTLM::Message.parse(challenge)
+      t3_msg = t2_msg.response({ :user => user, :password => psw },
+                               { :ntlmv2 => true })
+      t3_msg.serialize
+    }
+
+    bind_sasl(:method => :sasl, :mechanism => "GSS-SPNEGO",
+              :initial_credential => NTLM::Message::Type1.new.serialize,
+              :challenge_response => nego)
+  end
+  private :bind_gss_spnego
+
+
+  #--
+  # Allow the caller to specify a sort control
+  #
+  # The format of the sort control needs to be:
+  #
+  # :sort_control => ["cn"]  # just a string
+  # or
+  # :sort_control => [["cn", "matchingRule", true]] #attribute, matchingRule, direction (true / false)
+  # or
+  # :sort_control => ["givenname","sn"] #multiple strings or arrays
+  #
+  def encode_sort_controls(sort_definitions)
+    return sort_definitions unless sort_definitions
+
+    sort_control_values = sort_definitions.map do |control|
+      control = Array(control) # if there is only an attribute name as a string then infer the orderinrule and reverseorder
+      control[0] = String(control[0]).to_ber,
+      control[1] = String(control[1]).to_ber,
+      control[2] = (control[2] == true).to_ber
+      control.to_ber_sequence
+    end
+    sort_control = [
+      Net::LDAP::LDAPControls::SORT_REQUEST.to_ber,
+      false.to_ber,
+      sort_control_values.to_ber_sequence.to_s.to_ber
+    ].to_ber_sequence
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # Alternate implementation, this yields each search entry to the caller as
+  # it are received.
+  #
+  # TODO: certain search parameters are hardcoded.
+  # TODO: if we mis-parse the server results or the results are wrong, we
+  # can block forever. That's because we keep reading results until we get a
+  # type-5 packet, which might never come. We need to support the time-limit
+  # in the protocol.
+  #++
+  def search(args = {})
+    search_filter = (args && args[:filter]) ||
+      Net::LDAP::Filter.eq("objectclass", "*")
+    search_filter = Net::LDAP::Filter.construct(search_filter) if search_filter.is_a?(String)
+    search_base = (args && args[:base]) || "dc=example, dc=com"
+    search_attributes = ((args && args[:attributes]) || []).map { |attr| attr.to_s.to_ber}
+    return_referrals = args && args[:return_referrals] == true
+    sizelimit = (args && args[:size].to_i) || 0
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "invalid search-size" unless sizelimit >= 0
+    paged_searches_supported = (args && args[:paged_searches_supported])
+
+    attributes_only = (args and args[:attributes_only] == true)
+    scope = args[:scope] || Net::LDAP::SearchScope_WholeSubtree
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "invalid search scope" unless Net::LDAP::SearchScopes.include?(scope)
+
+    sort_control = encode_sort_controls(args.fetch(:sort_controls){ false })
+    # An interesting value for the size limit would be close to A/D's
+    # built-in page limit of 1000 records, but openLDAP newer than version
+    # 2.2.0 chokes on anything bigger than 126. You get a silent error that
+    # is easily visible by running slapd in debug mode. Go figure.
+    #
+    # Changed this around 06Sep06 to support a caller-specified search-size
+    # limit. Because we ALWAYS do paged searches, we have to work around the
+    # problem that it's not legal to specify a "normal" sizelimit (in the
+    # body of the search request) that is larger than the page size we're
+    # requesting. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that this will break
+    # with LDAP servers that don't support paged searches!!!
+    #
+    # (Because we pass zero as the sizelimit on search rounds when the
+    # remaining limit is larger than our max page size of 126. In these
+    # cases, I think the caller's search limit will be ignored!)
+    #
+    # CONFIRMED: This code doesn't work on LDAPs that don't support paged
+    # searches when the size limit is larger than 126. We're going to have
+    # to do a root-DSE record search and not do a paged search if the LDAP
+    # doesn't support it. Yuck.
+    rfc2696_cookie = [126, ""]
+    result_pdu = nil
+    n_results = 0
+
+    loop {
+      # should collect this into a private helper to clarify the structure
+      query_limit = 0
+      if sizelimit > 0
+        if paged_searches_supported
+          query_limit = (((sizelimit - n_results) < 126) ? (sizelimit -
+                                                            n_results) : 0)
+        else
+          query_limit = sizelimit
+        end
+      end
+
+      request = [
+        search_base.to_ber,
+        scope.to_ber_enumerated,
+        0.to_ber_enumerated,
+        query_limit.to_ber, # size limit
+        0.to_ber,
+        attributes_only.to_ber,
+        search_filter.to_ber,
+        search_attributes.to_ber_sequence
+      ].to_ber_appsequence(3)
+
+      controls = []
+      controls <<
+        [
+          Net::LDAP::LDAPControls::PAGED_RESULTS.to_ber,
+          # Criticality MUST be false to interoperate with normal LDAPs.
+          false.to_ber,
+          rfc2696_cookie.map{ |v| v.to_ber}.to_ber_sequence.to_s.to_ber
+        ].to_ber_sequence if paged_searches_supported
+      controls << sort_control if sort_control
+      controls = controls.empty? ? nil : controls.to_ber_contextspecific(0)
+
+      pkt = [next_msgid.to_ber, request, controls].compact.to_ber_sequence
+      @conn.write pkt
+
+      result_pdu = nil
+      controls = []
+
+      while (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax)) && (pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be))
+        case pdu.app_tag
+        when 4 # search-data
+          n_results += 1
+          yield pdu.search_entry if block_given?
+        when 19 # search-referral
+          if return_referrals
+            if block_given?
+              se = Net::LDAP::Entry.new
+              se[:search_referrals] = (pdu.search_referrals || [])
+              yield se
+            end
+          end
+        when 5 # search-result
+          result_pdu = pdu
+          controls = pdu.result_controls
+          if return_referrals && result_code == 10
+            if block_given?
+              se = Net::LDAP::Entry.new
+              se[:search_referrals] = (pdu.search_referrals || [])
+              yield se
+            end
+          end
+          break
+        else
+          raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "invalid response-type in search: #{pdu.app_tag}"
+        end
+      end
+
+      # When we get here, we have seen a type-5 response. If there is no
+      # error AND there is an RFC-2696 cookie, then query again for the next
+      # page of results. If not, we're done. Don't screw this up or we'll
+      # break every search we do.
+      #
+      # Noticed 02Sep06, look at the read_ber call in this loop, shouldn't
+      # that have a parameter of AsnSyntax? Does this just accidentally
+      # work? According to RFC-2696, the value expected in this position is
+      # of type OCTET STRING, covered in the default syntax supported by
+      # read_ber, so I guess we're ok.
+      more_pages = false
+      if result_pdu.result_code == 0 and controls
+        controls.each do |c|
+          if c.oid == Net::LDAP::LDAPControls::PAGED_RESULTS
+            # just in case some bogus server sends us more than 1 of these.
+            more_pages = false
+            if c.value and c.value.length > 0
+              cookie = c.value.read_ber[1]
+              if cookie and cookie.length > 0
+                rfc2696_cookie[1] = cookie
+                more_pages = true
+              end
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      break unless more_pages
+    } # loop
+
+    result_pdu || OpenStruct.new(:status => :failure, :result_code => 1, :message => "Invalid search")
+  end
+
+  MODIFY_OPERATIONS = { #:nodoc:
+    :add => 0,
+    :delete => 1,
+    :replace => 2
+  }
+
+  def self.modify_ops(operations)
+    ops = []
+    if operations
+      operations.each { |op, attrib, values|
+        # TODO, fix the following line, which gives a bogus error if the
+        # opcode is invalid.
+        op_ber = MODIFY_OPERATIONS[op.to_sym].to_ber_enumerated
+        values = [ values ].flatten.map { |v| v.to_ber if v }.to_ber_set
+        values = [ attrib.to_s.to_ber, values ].to_ber_sequence
+        ops << [ op_ber, values ].to_ber
+      }
+    end
+    ops
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # TODO: need to support a time limit, in case the server fails to respond.
+  # TODO: We're throwing an exception here on empty DN. Should return a
+  # proper error instead, probaby from farther up the chain.
+  # TODO: If the user specifies a bogus opcode, we'll throw a confusing
+  # error here ("to_ber_enumerated is not defined on nil").
+  #++
+  def modify(args)
+    modify_dn = args[:dn] or raise "Unable to modify empty DN"
+    ops = self.class.modify_ops args[:operations]
+    request = [ modify_dn.to_ber,
+      ops.to_ber_sequence ].to_ber_appsequence(6)
+    pkt = [ next_msgid.to_ber, request ].to_ber_sequence
+    @conn.write pkt
+
+    (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax)) && (pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be)) && (pdu.app_tag == 7) or raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "response missing or invalid"
+
+    pdu
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # TODO: need to support a time limit, in case the server fails to respond.
+  # Unlike other operation-methods in this class, we return a result hash
+  # rather than a simple result number. This is experimental, and eventually
+  # we'll want to do this with all the others. The point is to have access
+  # to the error message and the matched-DN returned by the server.
+  #++
+  def add(args)
+    add_dn = args[:dn] or raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "Unable to add empty DN"
+    add_attrs = []
+    a = args[:attributes] and a.each { |k, v|
+      add_attrs << [ k.to_s.to_ber, Array(v).map { |m| m.to_ber}.to_ber_set ].to_ber_sequence
+    }
+
+    request = [add_dn.to_ber, add_attrs.to_ber_sequence].to_ber_appsequence(8)
+    pkt = [next_msgid.to_ber, request].to_ber_sequence
+    @conn.write pkt
+
+    (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax)) &&
+      (pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be)) &&
+      (pdu.app_tag == 9) or
+      raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "response missing or invalid"
+
+    pdu
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # TODO: need to support a time limit, in case the server fails to respond.
+  #++
+  def rename args
+    old_dn = args[:olddn] or raise "Unable to rename empty DN"
+    new_rdn = args[:newrdn] or raise "Unable to rename to empty RDN"
+    delete_attrs = args[:delete_attributes] ? true : false
+    new_superior = args[:new_superior]
+
+    request = [old_dn.to_ber, new_rdn.to_ber, delete_attrs.to_ber]
+    request << new_superior.to_ber_contextspecific(0) unless new_superior == nil
+
+    pkt = [next_msgid.to_ber, request.to_ber_appsequence(12)].to_ber_sequence
+    @conn.write pkt
+
+    (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax)) &&
+    (pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new( be )) && (pdu.app_tag == 13) or
+    raise Net::LDAP::LdapError.new( "response missing or invalid" )
+
+    pdu
+  end
+
+  #--
+  # TODO, need to support a time limit, in case the server fails to respond.
+  #++
+  def delete(args)
+    dn = args[:dn] or raise "Unable to delete empty DN"
+    controls = args.include?(:control_codes) ? args[:control_codes].to_ber_control : nil #use nil so we can compact later
+    request = dn.to_s.to_ber_application_string(10)
+    pkt = [next_msgid.to_ber, request, controls].compact.to_ber_sequence
+    @conn.write pkt
+
+    (be = @conn.read_ber(Net::LDAP::AsnSyntax)) && (pdu = Net::LDAP::PDU.new(be)) && (pdu.app_tag == 11) or raise Net::LDAP::LdapError, "response missing or invalid"
+
+    pdu
+  end
+end # class Connection