Subject: what is the correct return code for an incomplete entry

From: "Ken Morgan" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 11:26:51 -0400

We have a scenario in which the results of a single entry search can be an
incomplete entry,  where some of the attributes of the entry cannot be
retrieved
from the server's data repository due to some internal constraints.  We
want the
server to return the incomplete entry, but do not know what return code to
use to signal that the entry is not complete ( X.511 uses an
incompleteEntry
boolean flag within the EntryInformation returned by the server to indicate
this condition).  We considered adminLimitExceeded, but we're not
convinced that applies  - its description in X.511 seems to indicate that
no
partial results are returned to the user.

Any advice on how this scenario should be handled?

Thanks.

Ken Morgan
IBM S/390 LDAP Development

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From: "Kurt D. Zeilenga" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 09:10:24 -0700

>partial results are returned to the user.

LDAP provides no means for the server to signal the client that
the entries returned are not complete.  The resultCode in the
SearchDoneResult PDU should not be used for this purpose as this
code applies to the whole operation and not to individual entries
returned by the operation.

One could implement a control which indicated incompleteEntry.
That, of course, would be a new feature and best pursued on
an individual basis or within LDAPext.

>Any advice on how this scenario should be handled?

In LDAPv3, returning partial results is not abnormal... so I
suggest that the result code not be altered based upon the
fact that incomplete results were returned.  That is, if
there were no other exceptional conditions requiring a different
result code, I suggest implementations return success.

To bring this back to LDAPbis area of concern, I think RFC 2251
is clear that partial results can be returned so I don't see
any need for a clarification in this area.

Kurt

---

From: Bruce Greenblatt <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 09:23:42 -0700

As I recall, a similar scenario was discussed during the process of 
developing RFC 2251.  This discussion related to the fact that access 
control considerations might prohibit some of the attributes of an entry 
being returned to a LDAP client.  In this case, there was some 
consideration about returning a special result code indicating that there 
was more to the entry than was returned.  Obviously from the resulting 
document, it was decided that this was a normal situation, and no special 
result code should be returned.  Is this similar to your scenario?

Bruce

>IBM S/390 LDAP Development

==============================================
Bruce Greenblatt, Ph. D.
Directory Tools and Application Services, Inc.
http://www.directory-applications.com