Error occurs when retrieving external ID from attributes
Follow these steps to troubleshoot if an error or NullPointerException occurs when retrieving external ID from an attribute.
Problem
The following exception may occur when retrieving an external ID from an attribute.
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at
com.ibm.ws.wim.adapter.ldap.LdapConfigManager.getExtIdFromAttributes(LdapConfigManager.java:1994)
at com.ibm.ws.wim.adapter.ldap.LdapConnection.searchEntities(LdapConnection .java:2695)
The default external ID attribute that is defined by virtual member manager cannot have null values for an entity. If it does, a NullPointerException occurs.
Solution
Ensure that there is no null value specified for the external ID attribute of all entities in the LDAP repository. (If you are using WebSphere Application Server version 6.1, also ensure that you install version 6.1.0.15 service release, where the NullPointerException has been replaced by the error message stating that the external identifier contains a null value for entity.)
Related topic
Invalid character error occurs during search operation (This topic also lists the default external ID attributes and syntax used by virtual member manager.)