new LdapConnectionSettings(this.method, this.hostname, this.port, this.basedn,
this.authtype, this.username, this.password);
LOG.fine("this.settings: " + this.settings);
// only create an LdapRule if one was supplied
this.rule = (this.filter == null) ? null : new LdapRule(Scope.SUBTREE, this.filter);
}