If anonymous access is disabled, i.e. configuration is
<property name="allowAnonymousAccess"><value>false</value></property>
a client which binds anonymously is not allowed to fetch any Root DSE data.
$ ldapsearch -b "" -s base -p 10389 "(objectclass=*)"
ldap_simple_bind: Insufficient access
It is expected that a client is at least able to read the attribute supportedSASLMechanisms if connected anonymously. This is because s/he can then decide which mechanism fits his/her needs best, before authentication. Here is what RFC 2829 says:
5. Anonymous authentication
...
LDAP implementations MUST support anonymous authentication, as
defined in section 5.1.
...
While there MAY be access control restrictions to prevent access to
directory entries, an LDAP server SHOULD allow an anonymously-bound
client to retrieve the supportedSASLMechanisms attribute of the root
DSE.
...
It is quite normal, that LDAP servers present the other information advertised in the Root DSE to anonymously connected clients as well (e.g. supportedLDAPVersion, namingContexts), even if anonymous binds are not allowed (e.g. default configuration of Active Directory).
But it seems to be up to us, which information we give anonymously bind users (except supportedSASLMechanisms), this is what RFC 2251 says:
3.4. Server-specific Data Requirements
An LDAP server MUST provide information about itself and other
information that is specific to each server. This is represented as
a group of attributes located in the root DSE (DSA-Specific Entry),
which is named with the zero-length LDAPDN. These attributes are
retrievable if a client performs a base object search of the root
with filter "(objectClass=*)", however they are subject to access
control restrictions.
Bug
Closed
Major
If anonymous access is disabled, reading the Root DSE is forbidden by the server
