ACI Syntax

The aci attribute has the following syntax:

aci: [list of (target)](version 3.0; acl "name";[list of "permission bindRules;"])

The following values are used in the ACI syntax:

target

Specifies the entry, attributes, or set of entries and attributes for which you want to control access. The target can be a distinguished name, one or more attributes, or a single LDAP filter. The target is optional. When a target is not specified, the ACI applies to the entry on which it is defined and its subtree. For information about targets, see ACI Targets.

version 3.0

A required string that identifies the ACI version.

name

A required string that identifies the ACI. Although there are no restrictions on the name, it is good practice to use unique, descriptive names for ACIs. Using unique names, will allow you to use Get Effective Rights to determine which ACI is in force.

permission

States what rights you are allowing or denying. For information about permissions, see ACI Permissions.

bindRules

Specifies the credentials and bind parameters that a user has to provide to be granted access. Bind rules can also be based on user membership, group membership, or connection properties of the client. For information about bind rules, see ACI Bind Rules.

The permission and bind rule portions of the ACI are set as a pair, also called an Access Control Rule (ACR). The specified permission to access the target is granted or denied depending on whether the accompanying bind rule is evaluated to be true or false.

Multiple targets and multiple permission-bind rule pairs can be used. This allows you to refine both the entry and attributes being targeted and efficiently set multiple access controls for a given target. The following example shows an ACI with multiple targets and multiple permission-bind rule pairs:

aci: (targetdefinition)...(targetdefinition)(version 3.0;acl "name"; 
permission bindRule; ...; permission bindRule;)

In the following example, the ACI states that bjensen has rights to modify all attributes in her own directory entry:

aci: (target="ldap:///uid=bjensen,dc=example,dc=com")
  (targetattr="*")(targetscope="subtree")(version 3.0; acl "example";
   allow (write) userdn="ldap:///self";)

The following sections describe the syntax of targets, permissions and bind rules.