[GH-ISSUE #1164] [BUG] Changing the Display Name of a group changes also its CN #415

New issue

Closed

opened 2026-02-27 08:17:10 +03:00 by kerem · 3 comments

kerem commented

2026-02-27 08:17:10 +03:00

Owner

Originally created by @Wrong-Code on GitHub (May 1, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/lldap/lldap/issues/1164

Describe the bug
Changing the Display Name attribute of a group has a side effect to also rename the group (altering its CN) to the same value.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

Select one group
Change its display name
Click on Save changes
The CN of the group follows the DN change

Expected behavior
CN and displayName are two different attributes. They are managed correctly for users, but not for groups.

Logs
None.

Additional context
None.

Originally created by @Wrong-Code on GitHub (May 1, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/lldap/lldap/issues/1164 **Describe the bug** Changing the Display Name attribute of a group has a side effect to also rename the group (altering its CN) to the same value. **To Reproduce** Steps to reproduce the behavior: 1. Select one group 2. Change its display name 3. Click on Save changes 4. The CN of the group follows the DN change **Expected behavior** CN and displayName are two different attributes. They are managed correctly for users, but not for groups. **Logs** None. **Additional context** None.

kerem

2026-02-27 08:17:10 +03:00

closed this issue
added the
bug
label

kerem commented

2026-02-27 08:17:10 +03:00

Author

Owner

@nitnelave commented on GitHub (May 1, 2025):

Actually, in LLDAP they are aliases of each other for groups.

You can create your own custom attribute (e.g. "name") and add a different name for each group, mapping it differently in the various services.

This is intended for simplicity, the use case of groups being a user-facing entity being considered rarer than not, so having a single name/CN for groups simplifies administration.

@nitnelave commented on GitHub (May 1, 2025): Actually, in LLDAP they are aliases of each other for groups. You can create your own custom attribute (e.g. "name") and add a different name for each group, mapping it differently in the various services. This is intended for simplicity, the use case of groups being a user-facing entity being considered rarer than not, so having a single name/CN for groups simplifies administration.

kerem commented

2026-02-27 08:17:10 +03:00

Author

Owner

@Wrong-Code commented on GitHub (May 1, 2025):

If so, I would suggest to remove the display name from groups. As it is its usage is misleading, being displayName is a well-defined attribute in many LDAP implementations, and it's not expected to be the same thing of the common name.

@Wrong-Code commented on GitHub (May 1, 2025): If so, I would suggest to remove the display name from groups. As it is its usage is misleading, being displayName is a well-defined attribute in many LDAP implementations, and it's not expected to be the same thing of the common name.

kerem commented

2026-02-27 08:17:10 +03:00

Author

Owner

@nitnelave commented on GitHub (May 1, 2025):

I know that I'm departing from convention; but LLDAP does not aim to be a conventional LDAP server, and it is aimed primarily at people who are not very familiar with LDAP or other LDAP servers.

I feel like this is a good default situation, though it could be more clearly communicated. Thankfully, we have ongoing work to clarify the attributes and more specifically the aliases, so it will be clearer that display name, cn and uid are the same thing for groups.

@nitnelave commented on GitHub (May 1, 2025): I know that I'm departing from convention; but LLDAP does not aim to be a conventional LDAP server, and it is aimed primarily at people who are not very familiar with LDAP or other LDAP servers. I feel like this is a good default situation, though it could be more clearly communicated. Thankfully, we have ongoing work to clarify the attributes and more specifically the aliases, so it will be clearer that display name, cn and uid are the same thing for groups.