/* fall thru to check value to add */
 
                case LDAP_MOD_ADD:
+               case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT:
                        assert( mlist->sml_values != NULL );
 
+                       if ( mlist->sml_op == SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT
+                               && attr_find( e->e_attrs, mlist->sml_desc ) )
+                       {
+                               break;
+                       }
+
                        for ( bv = mlist->sml_nvalues
                                        ? mlist->sml_nvalues : mlist->sml_values;
                                bv->bv_val != NULL; bv++ )
                        break;
 
                case LDAP_MOD_DELETE:
+               case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL:
                        if ( mlist->sml_values == NULL ) {
                                if ( ! access_allowed( op, e,
                                        mlist->sml_desc, NULL,
 
                        }
                        break;
 
+               case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL:
+                       Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS,
+                               "bdb_modify_internal: softdel %s\n",
+                               mod->sm_desc->ad_cname.bv_val, 0, 0);
+                       /* Avoid problems in index_delete_mods()
+                        * We need to add index if necessary.
+                        */
+                       mod->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_DELETE;
+
+                       err = modify_delete_values( e, mod, get_permissiveModify(op),
+                               text, textbuf, textlen );
+
+                       mod->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL;
+
+                       if ( err == LDAP_TYPE_OR_VALUE_EXISTS ) {
+                               err = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                       }
+
+                       if( err != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
+                               Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS, "bdb_modify_internal: %d %s\n",
+                                       err, *text, 0);
+                       }
+                       break;
+
+               case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT:
+                       if ( attr_find( e->e_attrs, mod->sm_desc ) != NULL ) {
+                               /* skip */
+                               err = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                               break;
+                       }
+
+                       Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS,
+                               "bdb_modify_internal: add_if_not_present %s\n",
+                               mod->sm_desc->ad_cname.bv_val, 0, 0);
+                       /* Avoid problems in index_add_mods()
+                        * We need to add index if necessary.
+                        */
+                       mod->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_ADD;
+
+                       err = modify_add_values( e, mod, get_permissiveModify(op),
+                               text, textbuf, textlen );
+
+                       mod->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT;
+
+                       if( err != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
+                               Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS, "bdb_modify_internal: %d %s\n",
+                                       err, *text, 0);
+                       }
+                       break;
+
                default:
                        Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ANY, "bdb_modify_internal: invalid op %d\n",
                                mod->sm_op, 0, 0);
 
                                rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
                        }
                        break;
+
+               case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL:
+                       mods->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_DELETE;
+                       rc = modify_delete_values(entry, mods,
+                                  get_permissiveModify(op),
+                                  &rs->sr_text, textbuf,
+                                  sizeof( textbuf ) );
+                       mods->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL;
+                       if (rc == LDAP_NO_SUCH_ATTRIBUTE) {
+                               rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                       }
+                       break;
+
+               case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT:
+                       if ( attr_find( entry->e_attrs, mods->sm_desc ) ) {
+                               rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                               break;
+                       }
+                       mods->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_ADD;
+                       rc = modify_add_values(entry, mods,
+                                  get_permissiveModify(op),
+                                  &rs->sr_text, textbuf,
+                                  sizeof( textbuf ) );
+                       mods->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT;
+                       break;
                }
                if(rc != LDAP_SUCCESS) break;
        }
 
                        }
                        break;
 
+               case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL:
+                       Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS,
+                               "ndb_modify_internal: softdel %s\n",
+                               mod->sm_desc->ad_cname.bv_val, 0, 0);
+                       mod->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_DELETE;
+
+                       rc = modify_delete_values( NA->e, mod, get_permissiveModify(op),
+                               text, textbuf, textlen );
+
+                       mod->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL;
+
+                       if ( rc == LDAP_NO_SUCH_ATTRIBUTE) {
+                               rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                       }
+
+                       if( rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
+                               Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS, "ndb_modify_internal: %d %s\n",
+                                       rc, *text, 0);
+                       }
+                       break;
+
+               case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT:
+                       Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS,
+                               "ndb_modify_internal: add_if_not_present %s\n",
+                               mod->sm_desc->ad_cname.bv_val, 0, 0);
+                       if ( attr_find( NA->e->e_attrs, mod->sm_desc ) ) {
+                               rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                               break;
+                       }
+
+                       mod->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_ADD;
+
+                       rc = modify_add_values( NA->e, mod, get_permissiveModify(op),
+                               text, textbuf, textlen );
+
+                       mod->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT;
+
+                       if( rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
+                               Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ARGS, "ndb_modify_internal: %d %s\n",
+                                       rc, *text, 0);
+                       }
+                       break;
+
                default:
                        Debug(LDAP_DEBUG_ANY, "ndb_modify_internal: invalid op %d\n",
                                mod->sm_op, 0, 0);
 
                 */
                case LDAP_MOD_ADD:
                /* case SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD: */
+               /* case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT: */
 add_only:;
                        if ( at->bam_add_proc == NULL ) {
                                Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_TRACE,
                        break;
                        
                case LDAP_MOD_DELETE:
+               /* case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL: */
                        if ( at->bam_delete_proc == NULL ) {
                                Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_TRACE,
                                        "   backsql_modify_internal(): "
 
                ct = config_find_table( colst, nocs, ml->sml_desc, ca );
                switch (ml->sml_op) {
                case LDAP_MOD_DELETE:
-               case LDAP_MOD_REPLACE: {
+               case LDAP_MOD_REPLACE:
+               case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL:
+               {
                        BerVarray vals = NULL, nvals = NULL;
                        int *idx = NULL;
                        if ( ct && ( ct->arg_type & ARG_NO_DELETE )) {
                                ml->sml_values = vals;
                                ml->sml_nvalues = nvals;
                        }
+                       if ( rc == LDAP_NO_SUCH_ATTRIBUTE && ml->sml_op == SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL )
+                       {
+                               rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                       }
+                       /* FIXME: check rc before fallthru? */
                        if ( !vals )
                                break;
-                       }
+               }
                        /* FALLTHRU: LDAP_MOD_REPLACE && vals */
 
+               case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT:
+                       if ( ml->sml_op == SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT
+                               && attr_find( e->e_attrs, ml->sml_desc ) )
+                       {
+                               rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                               break;
+                       }
+
                case LDAP_MOD_ADD:
                case SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD: {
                        int mop = ml->sml_op;
 
                for ( modtail = modsp; *modtail; modtail = &(*modtail)->sml_next ) {
                        if ( (*modtail)->sml_op != LDAP_MOD_ADD &&
                                (*modtail)->sml_op != SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD &&
+                               (*modtail)->sml_op != SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT &&
                                (*modtail)->sml_op != LDAP_MOD_REPLACE )
                        {
                                continue;
 
                                                        }
                                                        break;
 
+                                               case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL:
+                                                       mod->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_ADD;
+                                                       err = modify_delete_values( target_entry_copy,
+                                                               mod, get_permissiveModify(op),
+                                                               &text, textbuf, textlen );
+                                                       mod->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL;
+                                                       if ( err == LDAP_NO_SUCH_ATTRIBUTE ) {
+                                                               err = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                                                       }
+                                                       break;
+
+                                               case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT:
+                                                       if ( attr_find( target_entry_copy->e_attrs, mod->sm_desc ) ) {
+                                                               err = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+                                                               break;
+                                                       }
+                                                       mod->sm_op = LDAP_MOD_ADD;
+                                                       err = modify_add_values( target_entry_copy,
+                                                               mod, get_permissiveModify(op),
+                                                               &text, textbuf, textlen );
+                                                       mod->sm_op = SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT;
+                                                       break;
+
                                                default:
                                                        err = LDAP_OTHER;
                                                        break;
 
 
                        switch ( mod->sml_op ) {
                        case LDAP_MOD_DELETE:
+                       case SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL: /* FIXME? */
                                if ( mod->sml_values != NULL ) {
                                        if ( BER_BVISEMPTY( &bv_entryTtl ) 
                                                || !bvmatch( &bv_entryTtl, &mod->sml_values[ 0 ] ) )
                                entryTtl = -1;
                                /* fallthru */
 
-                       case SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD: /* FIXME? */
                        case LDAP_MOD_ADD:
+                       case SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD: /* FIXME? */
+                       case SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT: /* FIXME? */
                                assert( mod->sml_values != NULL );
                                assert( BER_BVISNULL( &mod->sml_values[ 1 ] ) );
 
 
 # define SLAP_STRING_UNKNOWN   "unknown"
 #endif /* ! TCP Wrappers */
 
-/* LDAPMod.mod_op value ===> Must be kept in sync with ldap.h!
- * This is a value used internally by the backends. It is needed to allow
- * adding values that already exist without getting an error as required by
- * modrdn when the new rdn was already an attribute value itself.
+/* LDAPMod.mod_op value ===> Must be kept in sync with ldap.h! */
+/* These values are used internally by the backends. */
+/* SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD allows adding values that already exist without getting
+ * an error as required by modrdn when the new rdn was already an attribute
+ * value itself.
+ */
+#define SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD               0x1000
+/* SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL allows deleting values if they exist without getting
+ * an error otherwise.
+ */
+#define SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL               0x1001
+/* SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT allows adding values unless the attribute
+ * is already present without getting an error.
+ */
+#define SLAP_MOD_ADD_IF_NOT_PRESENT    0x1002
+/* SLAP_MOD_DEL_IF_PRESENT allows deleting values if the attribute
+ * is present, without getting an error otherwise.
+ * The semantics can be obtained using SLAP_MOD_SOFTDEL with NULL values.
  */
-#define SLAP_MOD_SOFTADD       0x1000
 
 #define MAXREMATCHES (100)