This is the sort of thing that leaves me baffled : http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/dir-server/8.1/admin/Creating_Directory_Entries.html It tells me the following, but does not really provide a context for me as to why I'd want to do this or how this would relate to the real-world problem I am trying to solve. I think I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the LDAP book someone mentioned a while back in another of my threads. 3.1.1. Creating a Root Entry Each time a new database is created, it is associated with the suffix that will be stored in the database. The directory entry representing that suffix is not automatically created. To create a root entry for a database: -- “Don't eat anything you've ever seen advertised on TV” - Michael Pollan, author of "In Defense of Food"