LdapMembershipProvider not available in SharePoint 2010 Foundation

Despite there being a number of TechNet articles covering how to configure forms-based authentication using the LdapMembershipProvider for a claims-based web application in SharePoint Foundation 2010, it turns out that the LDAP provider isn’t part of Foundation. The only way round it (and it’s not really a way round it as such) is to right your own LDAP provider.

If you closely follow all the config instructions on TechNet (e.g. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee806882.aspx) you’ll still end up with errors in the event log like this…..

Event id: 1310

Exception information:

Exception type: ConfigurationErrorsException

Exception message: Could not load type ‘Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapRoleProvider’ from assembly ‘Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c’. (C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\…………..\web.config line 334)

Microsoft tell me that a documentation bug has been raised on the TechNet site.

Ian Docking – Senior Technical Consultant