RE: modify: "non-existant attribute"

["Steven Legg" <steven.legg@adacel.com.au>]

Jim,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ietf-ldapbis@OpenLDAP.org
> [mailto:owner-ietf-ldapbis@OpenLDAP.org]On Behalf Of Jim Sermersheim
> Sent: Friday, 17 November 2000 5:47
> To: ietf-ldapbis@OpenLDAP.org
> Subject: modify: "non-existant attribute"
> 
> 
> In section 4.6 of RFC 2251, the replace semantics state: ""A 
> replace ... is ignored if the attribute does not exist."
> 
> What does "does not exist" mean?
> 1) The attribute is known (in the schema), and valid for this 
> entry (in the object class), but no values currently exist. 
> (no, because previously it says "creating the attribute if it 
> did not already exist").
> 2) The attribute is known (in the schema), but is not valid 
> for this entry (not in the object class).
> 3) The attribute is not known (not in the schema at all).
> 
> Also, should similar language be applied to the delete 
> semantics? (ignore unknown attributes)

Keep in mind that X.500 allows entry contents to be in temporary
violation of the schema. Such violations can occur because an entry
has been moved from one subschema administrative area to another,
or because the schema has been revised. The administrator is
expected to quickly clean up any violations. One of the clean up
actions could be to delete what are now "unknown" attribute types.
We wouldn't want the clean up modifications to be ignored.

In the Adacel implementation we allow any update that doesn't cause
*additional* schema violations, even if it doesn't completely remove
all the *current* schema violations. So for example, we allow a replace
on a non-permitted attribute if the net change is the removal of
some values of that attribute type.

Regards,
Steven 

> 
> Jim
>