RFC 4525

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Modify-Increment Extension

📅 published June 2006, from ietf

RFC 4525 📜💖

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Modify-Increment Extension 🎀

Okay bestie, here's the title block. It's RFC 4525, written by K. Zeilenga (Kurt D. Zeilenga) at the OpenLDAP Foundation ✨. It's Informational 🧚, dated June 2006 🌸. The title block doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates, so there's no drama there 💅.

Status of This Memo ✨

This memo gives info to the Internet community. It is NOT a specification of an Internet standard of any kind 🙈. Distribution of this memo is unlimited 🦋.

Copyright Notice 🎀

Abstract 🌈

This doc describes an extension to the LDAP Modify operation that adds an increment capability ➕. It's super useful for provisioning apps, especially when you pair it with the assertion control and/or the pre-read or post-read control extension 🔥.

Table of Contents 🍓

   1. Background and Intended Use .....................................1
   2. The Modify-Increment Extension ..................................2
   3. LDIF Support ....................................................2
   4. Security Considerations .........................................3
   5. IANA Considerations .............................................3
      5.1. Object Identifier ..........................................3
      5.2. LDAP Protocol Mechanism ....................................3
      5.3. LDAP Protocol Mechanism ....................................4
   6. References ......................................................4
      6.1. Normative References .......................................4
      6.2. Informative References .....................................5

1. Background and Intended Use 🧠

LDAP [RFC4510] doesn't have an operation to increment an attribute's values, so right now a client has to read the values and then modify them by hand to add the amount it wants 😭. The problem is that other clients can change those values between the read and the modify. So the client has to be careful to build its modify request so it fails in that case, and then re-read the values and build a brand new modify request 💀.

This doc extends the LDAP Modify Operation [RFC4511] to add an increment values capability 🦋. This feature is meant to be used with either the LDAP pre-read or post-read control extensions [RFC4527] 🫶. It can also be used with the LDAP assertion control extension [RFC4528] to get test-and-increment functionality 🔥.

In this document key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] 👑.

2. The Modify-Increment Extension 💅

This doc extends the LDAP Modify request to add an increment values capability ✨. Implementations of this extension SHALL support an additional ModifyRequest operation enumeration value increment (3), as described here 💖. Implementations that don't support this extension will treat this value like any other unlisted value, for example as a protocol error 🙈.

The increment (3) operation value says that an increment values modification is requested 🎀. Every existing value of the modification attribute gets incremented by the listed value ➕. The modification attribute must be appropriate for the request (for example, it must have INTEGER or other increment-able values), and the modification must provide one and only one value 🍓. If the attribute isn't appropriate for the request, a constraintViolation or other appropriate error is to be returned 😭. If multiple values are provided, a protocolError is to be returned 💀.

Servers that support this feature SHOULD publish the object identifier (OID) 1.3.6.1.1.14 as a value of the 'supportedFeatures' [RFC4512] attribute in the root DSE 🧚. Clients that support this feature SHOULD NOT use the feature unless they know the server supports it 🫶.

3. LDIF Support 🌸

To represent Modify-Increment requests in LDAP Data Interchange Format [RFC2849], the ABNF [RFC4234] production <mod-spec> gets extended like this 🦋:

    mod-spec =/ "increment:" FILL AttributeDescription SEP
         attrval-spec "-" SEP

Here's an example 🍓:

    # Increment uidNumber
    dn: cn=max-assigned uidNumber,dc=example,dc=com
    changetype: modify
    increment: uidNumber
    uidNumber: 1
    -

This LDIF fragment represents a Modify request that increments the value(s) of uidNumber by 1 ✨.

4. Security Considerations 🔐

⚠️ Serious security stuff, bestie. Please read this part carefully.

The general LDAP security considerations [RFC4510] apply to this Modify-Increment extension 🫶. The security considerations specific to the LDAP Modify [RFC4511] also apply 🔥. On top of that, it's worth noting that adding this extension should reduce application complexity 🧠. It gives you one operation for what currently takes multiple operations, so it may help people build correct and secure implementations 💖.

5. IANA Considerations 🌈

The registration of the following values [RFC4520] has been completed 👑.

5.1. Object Identifier 🎀

IANA has assigned an LDAP Object Identifier to identify the LDAP Modify-Increment feature, as defined in this document 🧚.

    Subject: Request for LDAP Object Identifier Registration
    Person & email address to contact for further information:
        Kurt Zeilenga <kurt@OpenLDAP.org>
    Specification: RFC 4525
    Author/Change Controller: Author
    Comments:
        Identifies the LDAP Modify-Increment feature

5.2. LDAP Protocol Mechanism 🦋

The following LDAP Protocol Mechanism has been registered 💅.

    Subject: Request for LDAP Protocol Mechanism Registration
    Object Identifier: 1.3.6.1.1.14
    Description: Modify-Increment
    Person & email address to contact for further information:
        Kurt Zeilenga <kurt@openldap.org>

    Usage: Feature
    Specification: RFC 4525
    Author/Change Controller: Kurt Zeilenga <kurt@openldap.org>
    Comments: none

5.3. LDAP Protocol Mechanism 🌸

IANA has assigned an LDAP ModifyRequest Operation Type (3) [RFC4520] for use in this document ✨.

    Subject: Request for LDAP Protocol Mechanism Registration
    ModifyRequest Operation Name: increment
    Description: Modify-Increment
    Person & email address to contact for further information:
        Kurt Zeilenga <kurt@openldap.org>
    Usage: Feature
    Specification: RFC 4525
    Author/Change Controller: Kurt Zeilenga <kurt@openldap.org>
    Comments: none

6. References 📚

6.1. Normative References 🔥

[RFC2119]     Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

[RFC4234]     Crocker, D. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax
              Specifications: ABNF", RFC 4234, October 2005.

[RFC2849]     Good, G., "The LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) -
              Technical Specification", RFC 2849, June 2000.

[RFC4510]     Zeilenga, K., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access
              Protocol (LDAP): Technical Specification Road Map", RFC
              4510, June 2006.

[RFC4511]     Sermersheim, J., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access
              Protocol (LDAP): The Protocol", RFC 4511, June 2006.

[RFC4512]     Zeilenga, K., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
              (LDAP): Directory Information Models", RFC 4512, June
              2006.

6.2. Informative References 💜

[RFC4520]     Zeilenga, K., "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
              (IANA) Considerations for the Lightweight Directory
              Access Protocol (LDAP)", BCP 64, RFC 4520, June 2006.

[RFC4527]     Zeilenga, K., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
              (LDAP) Read Entry Controls", RFC 4527, June 2006.

[RFC4528]     Zeilenga, K., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
              (LDAP) Assertion Control", RFC 4528, June 2006.

Author's Address 🧚

   Kurt D. Zeilenga
   OpenLDAP Foundation

   EMail: Kurt@OpenLDAP.org

Full Copyright Statement 🎀

This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors retain all their rights 👑.

This document and the information contained herein are provided on an "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE 🙈.

Intellectual Property 🦋

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Acknowledgement 🫶

Funding for the RFC Editor function is provided by the IETF Administrative Support Activity (IASA) ✨.

📦 where this page comes from

ietf: rfc4525 2006-06
💖 girlified by claude-haiku-5-5 on 2026-10-16: a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms