iPlanet compatibility

The parser used by the Directory Server allows the attribute values of schema attribute types (objectClasses and attributeTypes ) to be specified using the grammar of iPlanet. For example, descrs and numeric-oids can be specified with surrounding single quotation marks (as if they were qdescrs). However, the schema information is always made available through ldap_search. As soon as a single dynamic change (using ldap_modify) is performed on an attribute value in a file, the whole file is replaced by one where all attribute values follow the Directory Server specifications. Because the parser used on the files and on ldap_modify requests is the same, an ldap_modify that uses the iPlanet grammar for attribute values is also handled correctly.

When a query is made on the subschema entry of a iPlanet server, the resulting entry can have more than one value for a given OID. For example, if a certain attribute type has two names (such as 'cn' and 'commonName'), then the description of that attribute type is provided twice, once for each name. The Directory Server can parse a schema where the description of a single attribute type or object class appears multiple times with the same description (except for NAME and DESCR). However, when the Directory Server publishes the schema it provides a single description of such an attribute type with all of the names listed (the short name comes first). For example, here is how iPlanet describes the common name attribute:

   ( 2.5.4.3 NAME 'cn'
     DESC 'Standard Attribute'
      SYNTAX '1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15' )

   ( 2.5.4.3 NAME 'commonName'
     DESC 'Standard Attribute, alias for cn'
     SYNTAX '1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15' )

This is how the Directory Server describes it:

  ( 2.5.4.3 NAME ( 'cn' 'commonName' ) SUP name )

The Directory Server supports subtypes. If you do not want 'cn' to be a subtype of name (which deviates from the standard), you can declare the following:

( 2.5.4.3 NAME ( 'cn' 'commonName' )
     DESC 'Standard Attribute'
     SYNTAX '1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15' )

The first name ('cn') is taken as the preferred or short name and all other names after 'cn' as alternate names. From this point on, the strings '2.3.4.3', 'cn' and 'commonName' (as well as their case-insensitive equivalents) can be used interchangeably within the schema or for entries added to the directory.