In an LDIF file, the record to add an entry can come before the record to add its parent container. In eDirectory which guarantees referential integrity, this situation generates an error because the entry's parent does not exist. The -F option for the LDAP destination handler solves this problem. It enables the creation of a forward reference for the parent container. When the record to create the parent is processed, the forward reference is replaced with a normal entry.
It is possible, that after the entire LDIF file is processed, that a few forward references will remain because the LDIF file did not contain records to add them. Such forward references remain in the directory as unknown objects, and the entries below them remain and function as normal entries. You can either add these remaining forward references as entries or move the subordinate entries to another container.
To identify the unknown objects in your directory, you can
Use ConsoleOne where unknown objects are represented by a round yellow icon with a question mark in the center.
Use an LDAP search with the search filter set to objectClass=unknown.
Both of these methods display all entries that have an objectClass of unknown, not just the entries that are forward references. From these entries, you need to select the entries to add.
When eDirectory processes an add for an unknown object that already exists as a forward reference, eDirectory transforms the existing forward reference entry into a normal entry.
When eDirectory processes an add for an unknown object that isn't a forward reference, eDirectory returns an error of “object already exists.”