iPlanet compatibility

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The parser that is used by IBM® Verify Directory allows the attribute values of schema attribute types (objectClassesand) to be specified by 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. When a single dynamic change by using ldap_modify is performed on an attribute value in a file, the file is replaced by one where all attribute values follow the specifications of IBM Verify Directory Version 6.0 and above. 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 specified 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. IBM Verify Directory 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 IBM Security 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 IBM Verify Directory describes it:

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

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

( 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. All other names after cn as alternate names. The strings 2.5.4.3, cn, and commonName (also, their case-insensitive equivalents) can be used interchangeably within the schema or for entries added to the directory.