DIT Structure Rule Description Format

The DIT structure rule description format is described in RFC 4512, section 4.1.7.1, as shown here:

DITStructureRuleDescription = LPAREN WSP
ruleid                     ; rule identifier
[ SP "NAME" SP qdescrs ]   ; short names (descriptors)
[ SP "DESC" SP qdstring ]  ; description
[ SP "OBSOLETE" ]          ; not active
SP "FORM" SP oid           ; NameForm
[ SP "SUP" ruleids ]       ; superior rules
extensions WSP RPAREN      ; extensions
ruleids = ruleid / ( LPAREN WSP ruleidlist WSP RPAREN )
ruleidlist = ruleid *( SP ruleid )
ruleid = number

The DIT structure rule description includes these elements:

ruleid

The integer rule ID assigned to the DIT structure rule. It must be unique among all other DIT structure rules in the schema.

NAME

An optional set of human-readable names that can be used to refer to the DIT structure rule. If there is a single name, then it should be enclosed in single quotes. If there are multiple names, then they should each be enclosed in single quotes separated by spaces, and the entire set of names should be enclosed in parentheses.

DESC

An optional human-readable description. If a description is provided, then it should be enclosed in single quotes.

OBSOLETE

An optional OBSOLETE flag that can be used to indicate whether the DIT structure rule is active. If it is marked OBSOLETE, then it should not be taken into account when entries are created or moved.

FORM

The name or OID of the name form with which the DIT structure rule is associated. As mentioned in Understanding DIT Structure Rules, the name form associates the DIT structure rule with a structural object class.

SUP

An optional set of superior rule IDs for the DIT structure rule. If there are multiple superior rule IDs, then separate them by spaces, and enclose the entire set of superior rule IDs in parentheses. It is permissible for multiple DIT structure rules to use overlapping sets of superior rule IDs.

extensions

An optional set of extensions for the DIT structure rule. The directory server currently uses the following extensions for DIT structure rules:

X-ORIGIN

Provides information about where the DIT structure rule is defined (for example, whether it came from a particular RFC or Internet Draft, or whether it is defined within the project)

X-SCHEMA-FILE

Indicates which schema file contains the DIT structure rule definition (This extension is generally used for internal purposes only and is exposed to clients.)

The following example is the DIT structure rule definition for the uddiContactStructureRule DIT structure rule:

dITStructureRule:
( 2 NAME 'uddiContactStructureRule' FORM uddiContactNameForm SUP ( 1 )
X-ORIGIN 'RFC 4403' )

In this case, the rule ID is 2, and the human-readable name is uddiContactStructureRule. It is associated with the uddiContactNameForm name form (which in turn links it to the uddiContact object class), and it has a superior rule ID of 1. It was defined in RFC 4403. It does not have a description, nor is it marked OBSOLETE.