If one tries to add an attribute without any value, an (illegal) attribute with empty value is created

• Key: DIRSERVER-630
• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Resolution: Fixed
• Priority: Major
• Assignee: Alex Karasulu
• Reporter: Stefan Zoerner
• Fix Version/s: 1.5.0, 1.0-RC4

Environment

Sun ONE Directory SDK for Java 4.1
ApacheDS 1.0 RC 3
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_04-b05)
Microsoft Windows XP version 5.1 Service Pack 1

Description

If one tries to add an attribute to an entry, and does not provide a value, it is assumed that the server does not modify the entry. We have a situation here using Sun ONE Directory SDK for Java (or Netscape, now Mozilla SDK, http://www.mozilla.org/directory/), where adding a description attribute without value to a person entry like this

dn: cn=Kate Bush,dc=example,dc=com
objectclass: person
objectclass: top
sn: Bush
cn: Kate Bush

does not fail (modify call does not result in an exception). Instead, a description attribute is created within the entry. At least the new attribute is readable with Netscape SDK (it is not visible to most UIs, because it is invalid ...).

Attached you find a test case which demonstrates the problem. It passes with Sun Java System Directory Server 5.2, for instance. Unfortunately, I was not able to create this situation with JNDI, because its LDAP Provider does not allow this (illegal) operation -- it throws an exception on the client side and does not seem to call the server at all.