inetOrgPerson

inetOrgPerson is an LDAP object class defined in RFC 2798. It extends the organizationalPerson class and is commonly used to represent a person within an organizational directory. The schema provides a broad set of attributes to describe an individual and their place in the organization, including identifying details, contact information, and organizational data.

As a structural object class, inetOrgPerson has SUP organizationalPerson and inherits the attributes of person (such as cn and sn) via its ancestors. It does not introduce new mandatory attributes beyond what its superclasses require, but it offers a large number of optional attributes that support rich person records. These attributes cover name components, display name, and a variety of contact and organizational fields, enabling flexible representations of users, contacts, and related entries.

In practical use, inetOrgPerson is widely adopted as the default object class for user entries in many LDAP deployments. It is implemented by major directory servers such as OpenLDAP, 389 Directory Server, and OpenDJ. Administrators often combine inetOrgPerson with other schemas (for example, posixAccount) to integrate LDAP with Unix/Linux authentication and services, while still retaining a standard, interoperable user data model.

The class promotes interoperability by providing a well-supported, extensible schema for person data across different directory implementations. While its core semantics are defined in RFC 2798, server-specific documentation may detail exact attribute availability and how best to map or extend attributes for particular environments.