Dots in usernames result in failed to create identity err: 8

Question

publish documents on apache webserver, Novell 6.5 SP7 (OES2)
Directory Access control is: auth ldap module, use e-directory rights. Base DN is pointing to a container of aliases. Search attribute is UID (tried CN as well).
This works great, until someone with a "." in their name tries to authenticate to the web page. That won't work. Here's the log. I have searched and searched, but haven't found any details on the err and errno.
If I try john.doe, I get
[Wed May 14 17:12:02 2008] [debug] mod_auth_ldap.c(337): [client 172.27.43.97] [214] auth_ldap authenticate: using URL ldap://II4SVr11.mycompany.com/ou=information_services,o=provd?uid?sub
[Wed May 14 17:12:02 2008] [debug] mod_auth_ldap.c(411): [client 172.27.43.97] [214] auth_ldap authenticate: accepting john.doe
[Wed May 14 17:12:02 2008] [debug] mod_edir.c(184): [client 172.27.43.97] MOD_eDIR user DN: cn=john.doe.ou=Information_Services.o=provd
[Wed May 14 17:12:02 2008] [debug] mod_edir.c(189): [client 172.27.43.97] server path root is SYS:
[Wed May 14 17:12:02 2008] [error] [client 172.27.43.97] failed to create identity for cn=john.doe.ou=Information_Services.o=provd on server II4SVr11. err: 83 errno: 0
If I try john\.doe, I get
Wed May 14 18:18:14 2008] [warn] [client 172.27.43.97] [233] auth_ldap authenticate: user john\\.doe authentication failed; URI /surgery [User not found][No such object]
I don't have any control over the 'dots' in the userid's.
The users are being authenticated, but it appears Apache is having some issue.
Thank you

Answer 1

Hello, and thank you for the reply.
We do create in C1 with '.' in the username. This is allowed by Novell. We have the option set to yes in the Novell Client properties, advanced Login tab, to "Allow Dots in Username". I have since redeployed the Webserver in IIS. All of the users are in AD as well as eDir, so the users can authenticate in IIS just fine.
Originally Posted by Guenter
Hi,
kb5psf <[email protected]> wrote in news:kb5psf.39fepz@no-
mx.forums.novell.com:
>
> publish documents on apache webserver, Novell 6.5 SP7 (OES2)
> Directory Access control is: auth ldap module, use e-directory rights.
> Base DN is pointing to a container of aliases. Search attribute is UID
> (tried CN as well).
>
> This works great, until someone with a "." in their name tries to
> authenticate to the web page. That won't work. Here's the log. I
> have searched and searched, but haven't found any details on the err
> and errno.
> I don't have any control over the 'dots' in the userid's.
>
> The users are being authenticated, but it appears Apache is having some
> issue.
currently it seems to me that you're lost: the prob is within mod_edir in
first place; there we have a function which replaces the LDAP commas to dots
to make a usual eDir DN from the LDAP one.
Since with non-LDAP DNs dots are used to separate between user, ou, o I'm in
doubt that a dot in the username might be a valid char at all; f.e. how would
you specify an absolute DN with Client32? F.e. if you use:
..john.doe.firstou.secondou.organisation
this would be avaluated such as 'doe' would be the first container instead of
'firstou' ...
A quick test with NWADM32 shows that it refuses to create a new user like
'john.doe'; so if any other tools like f.e. C1 accept this I consider this as
bug.
Gnter.