* @return The connection object.
* @throws MojoExecutionException If the connection to the LDAP directory server failed.
*/
protected final LDAPConnection connect() throws MojoExecutionException {
String lastMessage = null;
LDAPException lastError = null;
final LDAPConnection connection = new LDAPConnection();
connection.setConnectTimeout(connectionTimeout);
int i = 0;
while (i < connectionRetries) {
try {