The ForgeRock Certified DS Specialist certification validates your expertise in deploying, configuring, and managing ForgeRock Directory Services. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to pass the exam.

What is ForgeRock Directory Services (DS)?

ForgeRock DS is an enterprise-grade, LDAPv3-compliant directory server designed for:

  • Identity Data Storage – Central repository for user identities
  • High Availability – Multi-master replication for fault tolerance
  • Scalability – Millions of entries with sub-millisecond response times
  • Security – TLS encryption, access controls, password policies
  • Integration – Backend for ForgeRock AM and IDM

DS Replication Topology:

graph TB
    subgraph "Multi-Master Replication"
        DS1[DS Server 1<br/>Primary Site]
        DS2[DS Server 2<br/>Primary Site]
        DS3[DS Server 3<br/>DR Site]
    end

    DS1 <-->|Replication| DS2
    DS2 <-->|Replication| DS3
    DS1 <-->|Replication| DS3

    LB[Load Balancer]
    LB --> DS1
    LB --> DS2

    APP[Applications]
    APP --> LB

    style DS1 fill:#667eea,color:#fff
    style DS2 fill:#764ba2,color:#fff
    style DS3 fill:#f093fb,color:#fff

Exam Overview

Aspect Details
Exam Name ForgeRock Certified DS Specialist
Format Multiple choice and scenario-based questions
Questions 50-60 questions
Duration 90 minutes
Passing Score 70%
Prerequisites LDAP fundamentals, 6+ months DS experience recommended
Validity 2 years

Exam Domains and Objectives

Domain 1: LDAP Fundamentals (15%)

Before diving into DS specifics, ensure you understand LDAP basics:

Key Concepts:

  • Distinguished Names (DN) and Relative DNs (RDN)
  • Object Classes and Attributes
  • LDAP operations (bind, search, add, modify, delete)
  • Search filters and scopes
  • LDIF format

DN Examples:

# User DN
dn: uid=jdoe,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com

# Group DN
dn: cn=Administrators,ou=Groups,dc=example,dc=com

# Organizational Unit DN
dn: ou=People,dc=example,dc=com

Common LDAP Search Filters:

# Find user by uid
(uid=jdoe)

# Find all users in a department
(&(objectClass=inetOrgPerson)(departmentNumber=Engineering))

# Find users with email ending in @example.com
(mail=*@example.com)

# Complex filter with OR
(|(uid=jdoe)(uid=asmith)(uid=mjones))

Domain 2: DS Installation and Configuration (20%)

Key Topics:

  • Installation methods (setup command, silent install)
  • Directory structure and file organization
  • Backend configuration
  • Base DN and suffix setup
  • JVM tuning and memory settings

Installation Command Example:

# Interactive setup
./setup directory-server \
  --rootUserDN "cn=Directory Manager" \
  --rootUserPassword "password" \
  --hostname ds.example.com \
  --ldapPort 1389 \
  --ldapsPort 1636 \
  --adminConnectorPort 4444 \
  --baseDN "dc=example,dc=com" \
  --addBaseEntry \
  --acceptLicense

# Import data during setup
./setup directory-server \
  --ldifFile /path/to/data.ldif \
  ...

Directory Structure:

/ ├ ├ │ ├ ├ │ │ │ └ p ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ a ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ t h b c └ d l ├ ├ └ l / i o ─ b ─ ─ ─ i t n n ─ g ─ ─ ─ b o f s / i c / a e r d g c r e s n c r p / f e o l i s r i g s s c . a l t d i i o f n # # # # # # # # # M A E R C C a D S c r e L o o i a e c r p i m n n t r e o l b m f a v s r i r a i c b e s c a n g o a r l a r d u n s l o t i - r f e l o g i e l a i o g o s i t g f g n n i u i s e o r l l n a e o t t s g o f i o i o l l n s e s

Domain 3: Replication (25%)

The most critical domain. Multi-master replication is essential for production deployments.

Replication Concepts:

  • Replication topology design
  • Changelog and change numbers
  • Replication conflicts and resolution
  • Initialization methods
  • Monitoring replication status

Setting Up Replication:

# Enable replication on first server
dsconfig create-replication-server \
  --provider-name "Multimaster Synchronization" \
  --set replication-port:8989 \
  --set replication-server-id:1 \
  --type generic

# Configure replication domain
dsconfig create-replication-domain \
  --provider-name "Multimaster Synchronization" \
  --domain-name "dc=example,dc=com" \
  --set base-dn:dc=example,dc=com \
  --set replication-server:ds1.example.com:8989 \
  --set server-id:1

# Initialize replica from source
dsreplication initialize \
  --baseDN "dc=example,dc=com" \
  --hostSource ds1.example.com \
  --portSource 4444 \
  --hostDestination ds2.example.com \
  --portDestination 4444

Monitoring Replication:

# Check replication status
dsreplication status \
  --hostname ds1.example.com \
  --port 4444 \
  --adminUID admin \
  --adminPassword password

Domain 4: Indexing and Performance (15%)

Index Types:

Index Type Purpose Use Case
Equality Exact match (attr=value) uid, mail lookups
Substring Partial match (attr=value) Name searches
Presence Attribute exists (attr=*) Filter by attribute
Ordering Range queries (attr>=value) Date ranges
Approximate Sounds-like matching Fuzzy name search

Creating Indexes:

# Create equality index on mail attribute
dsconfig create-backend-index \
  --backend-name userRoot \
  --index-name mail \
  --set index-type:equality

# Rebuild indexes after creation
rebuild-index \
  --baseDN "dc=example,dc=com" \
  --index mail

Performance Tuning:

# Increase database cache
dsconfig set-backend-prop \
  --backend-name userRoot \
  --set db-cache-percent:50

# Configure connection handlers
dsconfig set-connection-handler-prop \
  --handler-name "LDAP Connection Handler" \
  --set num-request-handlers:8

Domain 5: Security and Access Control (15%)

Access Control Instructions (ACIs):

# Allow users to modify their own password
dn: dc=example,dc=com
aci: (targetattr="userPassword")
  (version 3.0; acl "Allow self password change";
  allow (write) userdn="ldap:///self";)

# Allow managers to read direct reports
aci: (targetattr="*")
  (version 3.0; acl "Manager read access";
  allow (read, search, compare)
  userattr="manager#LDAPURL";)

Password Policies:

# Configure password policy
dsconfig set-password-policy-prop \
  --policy-name "Default Password Policy" \
  --set password-expiration-warning-interval:5d \
  --set max-password-age:90d \
  --set min-password-length:12 \
  --set password-history-count:10

Domain 6: Backup, Restore, and Maintenance (10%)

Backup Operations:

# Online backup
backup \
  --backendID userRoot \
  --backupDirectory /backup/ds-backup \
  --compress

# Scheduled backup via task
dsconfig create-recurring-task \
  --task-name "Daily Backup" \
  --set recurring-task-schedule:"0 2 * * *" \
  --type backup \
  --set backup-directory:/backup/ds-backup \
  --set backend-id:userRoot

Restore Operations:

# Restore from backup
restore \
  --backupDirectory /backup/ds-backup \
  --backupID 20251220020000Z

LDIF Export/Import:

# Export to LDIF
export-ldif \
  --backendID userRoot \
  --ldifFile /backup/export.ldif \
  --compress

# Import from LDIF
import-ldif \
  --backendID userRoot \
  --ldifFile /backup/import.ldif

Hands-On Lab Exercises

Lab 1: Basic DS Setup

  1. Install DS using setup command
  2. Configure base DN and import sample data
  3. Perform LDAP searches using ldapsearch
  4. Create and modify entries using ldapmodify

Lab 2: Replication Configuration

  1. Set up two DS instances
  2. Configure multi-master replication
  3. Verify data synchronization
  4. Simulate failover and recovery

Lab 3: Index Optimization

  1. Analyze search performance with unindexed attributes
  2. Create appropriate indexes
  3. Rebuild indexes
  4. Compare before/after performance

Sample Exam Questions

Question 1

Which command would you use to check the status of replication across all servers in the topology?

A) dsconfig get-replication-server-prop B) dsreplication status C) status –replication D) ldapsearch -b “cn=replication,cn=config”

Show Answer

B) dsreplication status - This command shows the replication status including delay, missing changes, and server states.

Question 2

A search filter (mail=*@example.com) is running slowly. Which index type should you create?

A) Equality B) Presence C) Substring D) Ordering

Show Answer

C) Substring - The wildcard (*) in the search filter indicates a substring search, which requires a substring index for optimal performance.

Question 3

During replication initialization, what is the recommended method for large datasets (millions of entries)?

A) Online initialization over LDAP B) Binary copy of database files C) Export LDIF and import on replica D) Incremental synchronization

Show Answer

B) Binary copy of database files - For large datasets, stopping the source server briefly and copying the database files is the fastest method, avoiding the overhead of LDAP protocol.

Command Reference Quick Sheet

Task Command
Start server start-ds
Stop server stop-ds
Server status status
Replication status dsreplication status
Create index dsconfig create-backend-index
Rebuild index rebuild-index
Backup backup
Restore restore
Export LDIF export-ldif
Import LDIF import-ldif

ForgeRock DS Tutorials

Developer Tools

Conclusion

The ForgeRock DS Specialist certification validates your ability to deploy and manage enterprise directory services. Focus on replication (25% of exam), understand indexing for performance, and practice with real DS environments.

Good luck with your certification journey!