NetWorker AD/LDAP Integration Failing With "LDAP: error code 34"

AD/LDAP integration from the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) or NetWorker Web User Interface (NWUI) fails, the following error appears:

• NetWorker: How To Set up AD/LDAP Authentication
• NetWorker: How to Configure AD or LDAP from the NetWorker Web User Interface

Failed to verify configuration CONFIG_NAME: An error occurred while processing LDAP request: CN=#IT,dc=amer,dc=lan: [LDAP: error code 34 - 0000208F: LdapErr: DSID-0C090C21, comment: Error processing name, data 0, v3839]

AD/LDAP integration using authc_config command or authc-create-xx-config script fails with the following error:

• NetWorker: How To Set up LDAP/AD using authc_config scripts

Error executing command. Failure: 400 Bad Request. Server message: Failed to verify configuration labad: cn=#IT: [LDAP: error code 34 - 0000208F: NameErr: DSID-0310022D, problem 2006 (BAD_NAME), data
8349, best match of:
        'CN=#IT,dc=amer,dc=lan'
 ]; nested exception is javax.naming.InvalidNameException: cn=#IT: [LDAP: error code 34 - 0000208F: NameErr: DSID-0310022D, problem 2006 (BAD_NAME), data 8349, best match of:
        'CN=#IT,dc=amer,dc=lan'
 ]; remaining name 'cn=#IT'

There is a special character in a Distinguished Name (DN) field specified in the external authority integration. The special character is interfering with the path and must be properly escaped. 
 

LDAP error code 34: This code signifies an "Invalid DN Syntax" error. It means that the DN provided in the request is not correctly formatted.
0000208F: LdapErr: DSID-0C090C21: This part of the message is specific to Microsoft's Active Directory and provides internal details about where the error occurred.
0000208F: NameErr: DSID-0310022D: This part of the message is specific to Microsoft's Active Directory and provides internal details about where the error occurred.
Error processing name: This indicates that the LDAP server encountered a problem while trying to process the DN.
Problem 2006 (BAD_NAME): This indicates that the LDAP server encountered a problem with the DN; it is considered a "bad name"
 

Common causes for this error include:

• Incorrect DN format: Ensure that the DN follows the correct syntax, such as CN=John Doe,OU=Users,DC=example,DC=com.
• Special characters: Avoid using special characters that are not properly escaped.

If a special character resides in a Distinguished Name (DN) used in the external authority configuration, it must be escaped. In the example shown in this article, a Group Search Path was set to:

CN=#IT,dc=amer,dc=lan

 The # must be escaped using a backslash (\):

CN=\#IT,dc=amer,dc=lan

The following special characters must be escaped to ensure proper formatting and avoid errors:

• Comma (,): \,
• Backslash (\): \\
• Pound sign (#): \#
• Plus sign (+): \+
• Less than symbol (<): \<
• Greater than symbol (>): \>
• Semicolon (;): \;
• Double quote ("): \"
• Equal sign (=): \=
• Leading or trailing spaces: \