Setting up Thunderbird to use the Pomona address book

These instructions have been moved to the ITS Knowledge Base [http://helpdesk.pomona.edu].
You will be redirected in a moment.

Pomona offers a nifty e-mail directory that allows you to search for the e-mail address of anyone with an account at Pomona, so you can easily stay in contact with faculty, staff, and other students. Unfortunately, this directory is a proprietary Microsoft version of LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) that does not work in the standard manner. (This is an example of Microsoft being bad and breaking the specifications.) Please note that since we're being a little creative here, Thunderbird won't really be able to tell you if anything goes wrong. Also, note that while this is a Windows-oriented document, the steps should be similar for Thunderbird on Mac OS X or Linux.

1. In Thunderbird, click the Address Book icon in the main window. From the address book window that opens, select File > New > LDAP Directory...
   
   
   
2. Now, fill in this screen. "Name" is simply what you want to refer to the directory as. This example assumes the name Pomona Directory. "Hostname" should be set to ldap.pomona.edu. "Base DN" must be exactly the following: DC=campus,DC=pomona,DC=edu "Port" should be set to 389. For the last entry, Bind DN, enter your username in the Campus\xxx0200x format. Now, click OK.
   
   
   
3. Select the Address Book you just created from the list in the left side of the window and then click the Properties button. In the window that opens (it should be the same one as pictured above), click the Offline tab at the top.
   
   
   
4. Now, click on the Download Now button. You should be prompted by a window that wants you to enter a username and password. You should leave the "User Name" blank and enter your e-mail password for the "Password". You may also check the Use Password Manager to remember these values box if you don't want Thunderbird to prompt you to re-enter this information the next time you search the directory. Click OK in the authentication window.
   
   
   
5. If you checked the Use Password Manager... box, you may be presented with an information window from Thunderbird that looks like the one below. The next section of this page tells you how to set a master password, if you're so inclined.
   
   
   
6. Even though no contacts appear in the address book, you should now be able to search for people in the Pomona directory. Once you enter a search, it may take a second or two for the matching contacts to appear. Here, we can see the entry for President Oxtoby.
   
   
   
7. Now, go to Tools > Options... (For OS X, this would be Thunderbird > Preferences....) On the right, choose Composition. Here, make sure the entries under "Address Autocompletion" for Local Address Books and Directory Server are checked. In the dropdown box for Directory Server, select the entry for the directory you just created earlier. Now, click OK.