University Computer Help Desk

Configuring LDAP directory in Thunderbird

Configure Thunderbird to use the University's LDAP electronic people directory.

Before You Begin

Illinois State University maintains an electronic directory of students, faculty, staff, and retirees. This directory, called LDAP, is also known as ISU People Search.

When you compose a new email message, Thunderbird will automatically suggest names or email addresses from your address books, including LDAP, when you begin typing in the To: field.

Configure LDAP Directory

To configure Thunderbird with the University's LDAP directory, follow these instructions.

  1. Open Thunderbird.
  2. Click Address Book
  3. Click File > New > LDAP Directory...
  4. Complete the form with the following: (Figure 1)
    • Name: dspublic.ilstu.edu
    • Hostname: dspublic.ilstu.edu
    • Base DN: ou=People, o=IllinoisState, dc=ILSTU, dc=EDU
    • Port number: 389
  5. Click on the Advanced tab and enter the following (Figure 2):
    • Search filter: (objectclass=*)
  6. Click OK.

Thunderbird can automatically suggest names or email addresses from LDAP when you begin composing a new email message. To enable this feature, do the following:

  1. Click Tools > Options....
  2. Click Composition at the top of the window.
  3. Click the Addressing tab.
  4. Put a check mark next to Directory Server: and make sure dspublic.ilstu.edu is selected.
  5. Click OK.

Thunderbird is now configured to use the University's LDAP directory.

Thunderbird from Off Campus

If you are off campus, you must connect through VPN if you want Thunderbird to suggest names or emails addresses from LDAP as you compose new email messages.