What does Windows error code 8392 (ERROR_DS_BAD_RDN_ATT_ID_SYNTAX) mean?

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: A class schema chooses an rDNAttID whose attribute syntax cannot be used for that RDN.

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ERROR_DS_BAD_RDN_ATT_ID_SYNTAX

The naming attribute is not a Unicode string attribute

MS-ADTS applies a specific consistency rule to rDNAttID: the referenced attribute must have the String(Unicode) syntax. The field identifies the attribute used to form the relative distinguished names of instances of the class. A schema extension that selects an attribute with an incompatible syntax cannot provide valid AD naming behavior.

Inspect the referenced attributeSchema object, including its syntax tuple, rather than only the name written in rDNAttID. If the application needs a numeric or binary identifier, store it in a separate attribute and use an appropriate Unicode naming attribute for the RDN. Changing the attribute syntax after deployment can have broad schema consequences and is not a routine fix.

What to inspect

Resolve the rDNAttID reference to its attribute schema.
Confirm that the attribute maps to Active Directory String(Unicode) syntax.
Separate the human or directory naming key from binary or numeric application identifiers.

References

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