Using the Binary Attribute Subtype

You can use DSCC to perform this task. For information, see Directory Service Control Center Interface and the DSCC online help.

The attribute;binary subtype indicates that attribute values must be transported over LDAP as binary data, regardless of their actual syntax. This subtype is designed for complex syntax that does not have LDAP string representations, such as userCertificate. The binary subtype should not be used outside of this purpose.

When used with the ldapmodify command, appropriate subtypes can be added to attribute names in any of the LDIF statements.

To enter a binary value, you may type it directly in the LDIF text or read it from another file. The LDIF syntax for reading it from a file is shown in the following example:

$ ldapmodify -h host1 -p 1389 -D cn=admin,cn=Administrators,cn=config -w -
Enter bind password:
version: 1
dn: uid=bjensen,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com
changetype: modify
add: userCertificate;binary
userCertificate;binary:< file:///local/cert-file

To use the :< syntax to specify a file name, you must begin the LDIF statement with the line version: 1. When ldapmodify processes this statement, it will set the attribute to the value that is read from the entire contents of the given file.