ldap filter for distinguishedName

Question

I am successfully querying our Active Directory for a user with the following code:

$filter = (&(objectCategory=person)(samaccountname=someusername));
$fields = array("samaccountname","mail","manager","department","displayname","objectGUID");

$user = ldap_search($ldapconnection, $baseDn, $filter, $fields);

The resulting array gives this value for the manager attribute:

CN=McBossy\, Boss,OU=Users,OU=CentralOffice,DC=ds,DC=example,DC=com

This looks like a distinguishedName to me. But when I try to query for the manager's record,

$filter = (&(objectCategory=person)(dn='CN=McBossy\, Boss,OU=Users,OU=CentralOffice,DC=ds,DC=example,DC=com'));

$manager = ldap_search($ldapconnection, $baseDn, $filter, $fields);

the query fails with PHP Warning: ldap_search(): Search: Bad search filter

I've tried a number of possibilities including different quotation, more parentheses, using distinguishedName rather than dn, etc.

What am I doing wrong and what is the right way to get the manager's record?

Solution

dn is not an attribute. Only attribute types, OIDs, and names can be used in filters.

When you get the manager attribute, to get the attributes for the DN that is the manager, use the value of the manager attribute as the base object in a search request. Set the scope of the search to BASE, the filter to either (&) or (objectClass=*) and request the attributes required. Then transmit the search request to the server and interpret the response.

Comments

[dnagirl]

ok. Then, given that the only link to a user's manager (so far as I know) is the manager attribute, how do I use that information to get the manager's user record?

[dnagirl]

Wouldn't that find all the people who had my current user as a manager? I want to get the manager of my current user. Sorry if I'm being thick.

[Terry Gardner]

Yes, it would. I re-read your question and updated my answer.

[Brian Ashe]

Hi, I'm in the same boat -- I can query a user by email, get their manager in the result, then I want to get their manager's manager, but all I have to work with from the first AD result is "CN=McBossy\, Boss,OU=Users,OU=CentralOffice,DC=ds,DC=example,DC=com". I don't know enough about AD to make use of this answer. I understand when you say that you can't search by DN, but how do I "set the scope of the search to BASE"? I'm using almost the same code as @dnagirl to start.

[dnagirl]

@BrianAshe, php's ldap_search is a wrapper for ldapsearch. To understand the options, have a look here: access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Directory_Serv‌​er/… You're probably most interested in the -b option

[Peter Thoeny]

The full DN in the search filter did not work for me until I escaped special characters (in my case parenthesis) - see stackoverflow.com/questions/4827263/…