Etautil command fails if command line length is more than 4096

Products

• CA Identity Manager

Issue/Introduction

When executing the etautil command, users may encounter the following error messages if the full command string exceeds 4,096 characters:

• ETA_E_1199, Command greater than maximum length allowed (4096)
• ETA_E_1337, ETAUTIL command failed

 

Environment

• Product: CA Identity Manager (IdentityMinder)
• Component: Etautil
• Release: 14.x

Cause

The etautil utility has a hard-coded command line length limitation of 4,096 characters. This is a design constraint within the application and cannot be adjusted via configuration settings.

Resolution

To perform complex operations that require long command strings, you must avoid passing all arguments directly via the command line.

Workaround: Using Input Files (-f parameter)

The recommended method to bypass this limitation is to use input files to supply command arguments. By utilizing the -f flag, you offload the instruction processing to the tool itself rather than the shell.

1. Create a text file (e.g., command.txt).
2. Add your commands to the file. Ensure each command is specified on a single line and ends with a semicolon (;).

Example command.txt content:

text

 

update 'eTGlobalUserContainerName=Global Users,eTNamespaceName=CommonObjects,dc=im' eTGlobalUser eTGlobalUserName='User1' to eTTitle='Manager';update 'eTGlobalUserContainerName=Global Users,eTNamespaceName=CommonObjects,dc=im' eTGlobalUser eTGlobalUserName='User2' to eTTitle='Director';

3. Execute the etautil command referencing the input file:
   bash

    

   etautil -u [USER] -p [PASSWORD] -f command.txt

Additional Information

For additional context on etautil operations, parameters, and common troubleshooting, please refer to the following knowledge base articles:

• Etautils Command with different Options – General guidance on using input files and processing multiple entries.
• etautil in command prompt with local non-US characters – How to resolve character translation issues using input files.
• etautil -f syntax of the input file (to add a new UNIX v2 endpoint) – Practical example of -f syntax.
• Error: "Class 'ETDYNAccount' is not a valid class name" while using etautil – Guidance on using the -DYN option.
• Password in etautil command – Information on secure password handling.
• How to propagate Title attribute to the AD Endpoint using etautil – Example of bulk operations using etautil.