One document matched: draft-ietf-ldapbis-filter-00.txt
Network Working Group M. Smith, Editor
Request for Comments: DRAFT Netscape Communications Corp.
Obsoletes: RFC 2254 T. Howes
Expires: 20 August 2001 Loudcloud, Inc.
20 February 2001
The String Representation of LDAP Search Filters
<draft-ietf-ldapbis-filter-00.txt>
1. Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026. Internet-Drafts are working
documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas,
and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute
working documents as Internet-Drafts.
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet- Drafts as reference
material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt
The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.
Discussion of this document should take place on the LDAP (v3)
Revison (ldapbis) Working Group mailing list <ietf-
ldapbis@openldap.org>. After appropriate review and discussion, this
document will be submitted as a Standards Track replacement for RFC
2254.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved.
2. Abstract
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) [RFC2251] defines a
network representation of a search filter transmitted to an LDAP
server. Some applications may find it useful to have a common way of
representing these search filters in a human-readable form. This
document defines a human-readable string format for representing the
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full range of possible LDAP version 3 search filters, including
extended match filters.
This document replaces RFC 2254. See Appendix A for a list of
changes relative to RFC 2254.
3. LDAP Search Filter Definition
An LDAPv3 search filter is defined in Sections 4.5.1 of [RFC2251] as
follows:
Filter ::= CHOICE {
and [0] SET OF Filter,
or [1] SET OF Filter,
not [2] Filter,
equalityMatch [3] AttributeValueAssertion,
substrings [4] SubstringFilter,
greaterOrEqual [5] AttributeValueAssertion,
lessOrEqual [6] AttributeValueAssertion,
present [7] AttributeDescription,
approxMatch [8] AttributeValueAssertion,
extensibleMatch [9] MatchingRuleAssertion
}
SubstringFilter ::= SEQUENCE {
type AttributeDescription,
-- at least one must be present
substrings SEQUENCE OF CHOICE {
initial [0] LDAPString,
any [1] LDAPString,
final [2] LDAPString
}
}
AttributeValueAssertion ::= SEQUENCE {
attributeDesc AttributeDescription,
assertionValue AssertionValue
}
MatchingRuleAssertion ::= SEQUENCE {
matchingRule [1] MatchingRuleID OPTIONAL,
type [2] AttributeDescription OPTIONAL,
matchValue [3] AssertionValue,
dnAttributes [4] BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE
}
AttributeDescription ::= LDAPString
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AttributeValue ::= OCTET STRING
MatchingRuleID ::= LDAPString
AssertionValue ::= OCTET STRING
LDAPString ::= OCTET STRING
where the LDAPString above is limited to the UTF-8 encoding of the
ISO 10646 character set [RFC2279]. The AttributeDescription is a
string representation of the attribute description and is defined in
[RFC2251]. The AttributeValue and AssertionValue OCTET STRING have
the form defined in [RFC2252]. The Filter is encoded for
transmission over a network using the Basic Encoding Rules defined in
[ASN.1], with simplifications described in [RFC2251].
4. String Search Filter Definition
The string representation of an LDAP search filter is defined by the
following grammar, following the ABNF notation defined in [RFC2234].
The filter format uses a prefix notation.
filter = "(" filtercomp ")"
filtercomp = and / or / not / item
and = "&" filterlist
or = "|" filterlist
not = "!" filter
filterlist = 1*filter
item = simple / present / substring / extensible
simple = attr filtertype assertionvalue
filtertype = equal / approx / greater / less
equal = "="
approx = "~="
greater = ">="
less = "<="
extensible = attr [":dn"] [":" matchingrule] ":=" assertionvalue
/ [":dn"] ":" matchingrule ":=" assertionvalue
present = attr "=*"
substring = attr "=" [initial] any [final]
initial = value
any = "*" *(value "*")
final = value
attr = <AttributeDescription from Section 4.1.5 of [RFC2251]>
matchingrule = <MatchingRuleId from Section 4.1.9 of [RFC2251]>
value = <AttributeValue from Section 4.1.6 of [RFC2251]
encoded using the valueencoding rule>
assertionvalue = <AssertionValue from Section 4.1.7 of [RFC2251]
encoded using the valueencoding rule>
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valueencoding = 0*(normal / escaped)
normal = %x01-27 / %x2b-5b / %x5d-7f
escaped = " 0" / "2" ( "8" / "9" / "a" ) / "5c"
The attr and matchingrule constructs are as described in the
corresponding section of [RFC2251] given above.
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The valueencoding rule provides that the characters "*" (ASCII 0x2a),
"(" (ASCII 0x28), ")" (ASCII 0x29), " 0x00) are represented as the
backslash " followed by the two hexadecimal digits representing the
ASCII value of the encoded character.
This simple escaping mechanism eliminates filter-parsing ambiguities
and allows any filter that can be represented in LDAP to be
represented as a NUL-terminated string. Other characters besides the
ones listed above may be escaped using this mechanism, for example,
non-printing characters.
For example, the filter checking whether the "cn" attribute contained
a value with the character "*" anywhere in it would be represented as
"(cn=*\2a*)".
Note that although both the substring and present productions in the
grammar above can produce the "attr=*" construct, this construct is
used only to denote a presence filter.
5. Examples
This section gives a few examples of search filters written using
this notation.
(cn=Babs Jensen)
(!(cn=Tim Howes))
(&(objectClass=Person)(|(sn=Jensen)(cn=Babs J*)))
(o=univ*of*mich*)
(seeAlso=)
The following examples illustrate the use of extensible matching.
(cn:1.2.3.4.5:=Fred Flintstone)
(cn:=Betty Rubble)
(sn:dn:2.4.6.8.10:=Barney Rubble)
(o:dn:=Ace Industry)
(:1.2.3:=Wilma Flintstone)
(:dn:2.4.6.8.10:=Dino)
The first example shows use of the matching rule "1.2.3.4.5".
The second example demonstrates use of a MatchingRuleAssertion form
without a matchingRule.
The third example illustrates the use of the ":dn" notation to
indicate that matching rule "2.4.6.8.10" should be used when making
comparisons, and that the attributes of an entry's distinguished name
should be considered part of the entry when evaluating the match.
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The fourth example denotes an equality match, except that DN
components should be considered part of the entry when doing the
match.
The fifth example is a filter that should be applied to any attribute
supporting the matching rule given (since the attr has been omitted).
The sixth and final example is also a filter that should be applied
to any attribute supporting the matching rule given. Attributes
supporting the matching rule contained in the DN should also be
considered.
The following examples illustrate the use of the escaping mechanism.
(o=Parens R Us \28for all your parenthetical needs\29)
(cn=*\2A*)
(filename=C:\5cMyFile)
(bin=\00\00\00\04)
(sn=Lu\c4\8di\c4\87)
(1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.0;binary=\04\02\48\69)
The first example shows the use of the escaping mechanism to
represent parenthesis characters. The second shows how to represent a
"*" in a value, preventing it from being interpreted as a substring
indicator. The third illustrates the escaping of the backslash
character.
The fourth example shows a filter searching for the four-byte value
0x00000004, illustrating the use of the escaping mechanism to
represent arbitrary data, including NUL characters.
The fifth example illustrates the use of the escaping mechanism to
represent various non-ASCII UTF-8 characters.
The sixth and final example demonstrates assertion of a BER encoded
value.
6. Security Considerations
This memo describes a string representation of LDAP search filters.
While the representation itself has no known security implications,
LDAP search filters do. They are interpreted by LDAP servers to
select entries from which data is retrieved. LDAP servers should
take care to protect the data they maintain from unauthorized access.
Please refer to the Security Considerations sections of RFC 2251
[RFC2251], RFC 2829 [RFC2829], and RFC 2830 [RFC2830] for more
information.
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7. References
[ASN.1] Specification of ASN.1 encoding rules: Basic, Canonical, and
Distinguished Encoding Rules, ITU-T Recommendation X.690, 1994.
[RFC2234] Crocker, D., Overell, P., "Augmented BNF for Syntax
Specifications: ABNF", RFC 2234, November 1997.
[RFC2251] Wahl, M., Howes, T., and S. Kille, "Lightweight Directory
Access Protocol (v3)", RFC 2251, December 1997.
[RFC2252] Wahl, M., Coulbeck, A., Howes, T., and S. Kille,
"Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): Attribute Syntax
Definitions", RFC 2252, December 1997.
[RFC2279] Yergeau, F., "UTF-8, a transformation format of ISO 10646",
RFC 2279, January 1998.
[RFC2829] Wahl, M., Alvestrand, H., Hodges, J. and R. Morgan,
"Authentication Methods for LDAP", RFC 2829, May 2000.
[RFC2830] Hodges, J., Morgan, R., Wahl, M., "Lightweight Directory
Access Protocol (v3): Extension for Transport Layer Security", RFC
2830, May 2000.
8. Acknowledgments
This document is an update to RFC 2254 by Tim Howes. Changes
included in this revised specification are based upon discussions
among the authors, discussions within the LDAP (v3) Revision Working
Group (ldapbis), and discussions within other IETF Working Groups.
The contributions of individuals in these working groups is
gratefully acknowledged.
9. Authors' Address
Mark Smith (document editor)
Netscape Communications Corp.
Mailstop USCA17-201
4170 Network Circle
Santa Clara, CA 95054
USA
+1 650 937-3477
mcs@netscape.com
Tim Howes
Smith & Howes Intended Category: Standards Track [Page 7]
INTERNET-DRAFT String Representation of LDAP Filters 22 November 2000
Loudcloud, Inc.
599 N. Mathilda Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
USA
+1 408 744-7509
howes@loudcloud.com
10. Full Copyright Statement
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved.
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
English.
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.
This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS 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.
11. Appendix A: Changes Since RFC 2254
11.1. Technical Changes
"String Search Filter Definition" section: replaced the "value" rule
with a new "assertionvalue" rule within the "simple" and "extensible"
rules. Added angle brackets around free-form prose in the "attr",
"matchingrule", and "value" rules. Introduced the "valueencoding"
and associated "normal" and "escaped" rules to reduce the dependence
on descriptive text.
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11.2. Editorial Changes
IESG Note: removed note about lack of satisfactory mandatory
authentication mechanisms.
Header and "Authors' Addresses" sections: added Mark Smith as the
document editor and updated Tim's affiliation and contact
information.
Copyright: changed the year to 2001.
"Abstract" section: updated second paragraph to indicate that RFC
2254 is replaced by this document (instead of RFC 1960).
"LDAP Search Filter Definition" section: made corrections to the
LDAPv3 search filter ABNF so it matches RFC 2251. In particular, the
"at least one must be present" comment and the "substrings" label
were added to the SubstringFilter initial/any/final sequence and the
second element of the AttributeValueAssertion was changed from
"attributeValue AttributeValue" to "assertionValue AssertionValue."
"Search Filter Definition" section: clarified the definition of
AttributeValue from RFC 2251 section 4.1.6 (special handling is
required for some characters).
"Examples" section: added four additional examples: (seeAlso=),
(cn:=Betty Rubble), (:1.2.3:=Wilma Flintstone), and
(1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.0;binary=\04\02\48\69).
"Security Considerations" section: added references to RFC 2251, RFC
2829, and RFC 2830.
"References" section: changed from [1] style to [RFC2251] style
throughout the document. Added entries for RFC 2829 and RFC 2830 and
updated UTF-8 reference to RFC 2279. Replaced RFC 822 reference with
a RFC 2234.
"Acknowledgments" section: added.
"Appendix A: Changes Since RFC 2254" section: added.
"Appendix B: Changes Since Previous Document Revision" section:
added.
"Appendix C: Loose Ends" section: added.
"Table of Contents" section: added.
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12. Appendix B: Changes Since Previous Document Revision
This appendix lists all changes relative to the last published revision,
draft-smith-ldapv3-filter-update-01.txt. Note that these changes are
also included in Appendix A, but are included here for those who have
already reviewed draft-smith-ldapv3-filter-update-01.txt.
12.1. Technical Changes
"String Search Filter Definition" section: replaced the "value" rule
with a new "assertionvalue" rule within the "simple" and "extensible"
rules. Added angle brackets around free-form prose in the "attr",
"matchingrule", and "value" rules. Introduced the "valueencoding"
and associated "normal" and "escaped" rules to reduce the dependence
on descriptive text.
12.2. Editorial Changes
Header: changed document from an individual submission to an ldapbis
working group submission. Discussion referred to the ietf-
ldapbis@openldap.org mailing list.
Header and "Authors' Addresses" sections: added "editor" next to Mark
Smith's name.
Copyright: changed the year to 2001.
"LDAP Search Filter Definition" section: made corrections to the
LDAPv3 search filter ABNF so it matches RFC 2251. In particular, the
"at least one must be present" comment and the "substrings" label
were added to the SubstringFilter initial/any/final sequence and the
second element of the AttributeValueAssertion was changed from
"attributeValue AttributeValue" to "assertionValue AssertionValue."
"Examples" section: added the "(seeAlso=)" example to demonstrate
assertion of a zero-length value.
References: changed from [1] style to [RFC2251] style throughout the
document. Replaced reference to RFC 822 with a reference to RFC
2234.
"Acknowledgments" section: added.
"Appendix C: Loose Ends": removed RFC 2234 ABNF item and added a new
item about possible changes to the LDAPv3 protocol document that may
result in changes to this document.
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13. Appendix C: Loose Ends
There has been some discussion on the LDAPBIS working group
discussion list about how to modify the LDAPv3 protocol specification
to support use of substring filters within an extensible match
filter, which led to further discussion about whether the definition
of the SubstringFilter should be changed from LDAPString to
AssertionValue. Once that issue is resolved, this filter
specification will likely need to be revised to accommodate the
group's decision.
This Internet Draft expires on 20 August 2001.
Smith & Howes Intended Category: Standards Track [Page 11]
1. Status of this Memo............................................1
2. Abstract.......................................................1
3. LDAP Search Filter Definition..................................2
4. String Search Filter Definition................................3
5. Examples.......................................................5
6. Security Considerations........................................6
7. References.....................................................7
8. Acknowledgments................................................7
9. Authors' Address...............................................7
10. Full Copyright Statement.......................................8
11. Appendix A: Changes Since RFC 2254.............................8
11.1. Technical Changes...........................................8
11.2. Editorial Changes...........................................9
12. Appendix B: Changes Since Previous Document Revision...........10
12.1. Technical Changes...........................................10
12.2. Editorial Changes...........................................10
13. Appendix C: Loose Ends.........................................11
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