The LDAP protocol was created to let users share contact information over a network by sharing access to a central directory. LDAP allows a company to maintain a shared set of contact information. Many companies keep a common LDAP address book for all their employees or for client contacts.
To learn how to add a remote LDAP directory to your available contact folders, see Section 9.9, Contact Management. Remote groups of contacts appear under the On LDAP Servers item in the switcher. They work like a local folder of contact cards, with the following exceptions:
Network folders are only available when you are connected to the network. If you use a laptop or have a modem connection, you might want to copy or cache some of the network directory. You do this by dragging and dropping your desired contacts into the local contacts list.
You can also mark the network folder for offline usage. To mark the folder, right-click the folder, then click Properties. Select Copy Folder Content Locally for Offline Operation.
To prevent excess network traffic, Evolution does not normally load data from the LDAP server upon opening.
Depending on your server settings, you might not be able to edit all the fields in a contact stored on an LDAP server. Some servers prohibit some or all changes, and others use a smaller set of fields than Evolution allows. Check with your system administrator if you need different settings.
For information about setting up Evolution to use LDAP, refer to Section 9.9, Contact Management.