Error -16049 when working with passwords.

  • 3537706
  • 04-Jun-2007
  • 26-Apr-2012

Environment


Novell Modular Authentication Service (NMAS) version 3.1

Situation

When trying to view a user's password policy via iManager or trying to set the Universal Password (UP) via iManager, the client, or Identity Manager an error shows up on the screen or in dstrace. The error states there is a missing attribute.

Resolution

A password policy is linked to all of its assignments and each object that is assigned is also linked back to the password policy itself. The policy-side attribute (nsimAssignments) is not currently required for proper functionality and is there to prevent querying the entire tree for assignments each time a policy is modified. The assigned-object-side attribute (nspmPasswordPolicyDN) is required for NMAS to work properly. The eDirectory tools which manage policy assignments currently create both attributes properly and do not allow doing one without the other.

It is possible that an administrative error could cause one of these attributes to be populated without the other. As long as nspmPasswordPolicyDN is populated everything should work properly but if nsimAssignments is the only attribute populated a -16049 error will appear because the attribute which
is sought cannot be found. Removing the association between the password policy and re-adding it will resolve this. This could also be done to many objects in bulk with LDAP or a similar protocol.