diff --git a/servers/slapd/attr.c b/servers/slapd/attr.c
index 762c90cb6f5025d49df038935175307bebe0f94a..87bfb97a5bb85f12f2b922d702698db1172187df 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/attr.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/attr.c
@@ -61,33 +61,39 @@ attrs_free( Attribute *a )
 	}
 }
 
-Attribute *attr_dup( Attribute *a )
+Attribute *
+attr_dup( Attribute *a )
 {
 	Attribute *tmp;
 
-	if( a == NULL) return NULL;
+	if ( a == NULL) return NULL;
 
 	tmp = ch_malloc( sizeof(Attribute) );
 
-	if( a->a_vals != NULL ) {
+	if ( a->a_vals != NULL ) {
 		int i;
 
-		for( i=0; a->a_vals[i].bv_val != NULL; i++ ) {
+		for ( i = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &a->a_vals[i] ); i++ ) {
 			/* EMPTY */ ;
 		}
 
-		tmp->a_vals = ch_malloc((i+1) * sizeof(struct berval));
-		for( i=0; a->a_vals[i].bv_val != NULL; i++ ) {
+		tmp->a_vals = ch_malloc( (i + 1) * sizeof(struct berval) );
+		for ( i = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &a->a_vals[i] ); i++ ) {
 			ber_dupbv( &tmp->a_vals[i], &a->a_vals[i] );
-			if( BER_BVISNULL( &tmp->a_vals[i] ) ) break;
+			if ( BER_BVISNULL( &tmp->a_vals[i] ) ) break;
+			/* FIXME: error? */
 		}
 		BER_BVZERO( &tmp->a_vals[i] );
 
-		if( a->a_nvals != a->a_vals ) {
-			tmp->a_nvals = ch_malloc((i+1) * sizeof(struct berval));
-			for( i=0; a->a_nvals[i].bv_val != NULL; i++ ) {
+		/* a_nvals must be non null; it may be equal to a_vals */
+		assert( a->a_nvals );
+
+		if ( a->a_nvals != a->a_vals ) {
+			tmp->a_nvals = ch_malloc( (i + 1) * sizeof(struct berval) );
+			for ( i = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &a->a_nvals[i] ); i++ ) {
 				ber_dupbv( &tmp->a_nvals[i], &a->a_nvals[i] );
-				if( BER_BVISNULL( &tmp->a_nvals[i] ) ) break;
+				if ( BER_BVISNULL( &tmp->a_nvals[i] ) ) break;
+				/* FIXME: error? */
 			}
 			BER_BVZERO( &tmp->a_nvals[i] );
 
@@ -107,7 +113,8 @@ Attribute *attr_dup( Attribute *a )
 	return tmp;
 }
 
-Attribute *attrs_dup( Attribute *a )
+Attribute *
+attrs_dup( Attribute *a )
 {
 	Attribute *tmp, **next;
 
@@ -166,8 +173,14 @@ attr_merge(
 
 	rc = value_add( &(*a)->a_vals, vals );
 
-	if( !rc && nvals ) rc = value_add( &(*a)->a_nvals, nvals );
-	else (*a)->a_nvals = (*a)->a_vals;
+	if ( rc == LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
+		if ( nvals ) {
+			rc = value_add( &(*a)->a_nvals, nvals );
+			/* FIXME: what if rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ? */
+		} else {
+			(*a)->a_nvals = (*a)->a_vals;
+		}
+	}
 
 	return rc;
 }
@@ -187,10 +200,10 @@ attr_merge_normalize(
 	{
 		int	i;
 		
-		for ( i = 0; vals[i].bv_val; i++ );
+		for ( i = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &vals[i] ); i++ );
 
 		nvals = slap_sl_calloc( sizeof(struct berval), i + 1, memctx );
-		for ( i = 0; vals[i].bv_val; i++ ) {
+		for ( i = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &vals[i] ); i++ ) {
 			rc = (*desc->ad_type->sat_equality->smr_normalize)(
 					SLAP_MR_VALUE_OF_ATTRIBUTE_SYNTAX,
 					desc->ad_type->sat_syntax,
@@ -198,7 +211,7 @@ attr_merge_normalize(
 					&vals[i], &nvals[i], memctx );
 
 			if ( rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
-				BER_BVZERO( &nvals[i+1] );
+				BER_BVZERO( &nvals[i + 1] );
 				goto error_return;
 			}
 		}
@@ -241,8 +254,14 @@ attr_merge_one(
 
 	rc = value_add_one( &(*a)->a_vals, val );
 
-	if( !rc && nval ) rc = value_add_one( &(*a)->a_nvals, nval );
-	else (*a)->a_nvals = (*a)->a_vals;
+	if ( rc == LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
+		if ( nval ) {
+			rc = value_add_one( &(*a)->a_nvals, nval );
+			/* FIXME: what if rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ? */
+		} else {
+			(*a)->a_nvals = (*a)->a_vals;
+		}
+	}
 	return rc;
 }
 
@@ -254,7 +273,7 @@ attr_merge_normalize_one(
 	void		*memctx )
 {
 	struct berval	nval;
-	struct berval	*nvalp;
+	struct berval	*nvalp = NULL;
 	int		rc;
 
 	if ( desc->ad_type->sat_equality &&
@@ -270,8 +289,6 @@ attr_merge_normalize_one(
 			return rc;
 		}
 		nvalp = &nval;
-	} else {
-		nvalp = NULL;
 	}
 
 	rc = attr_merge_one( e, desc, val, nvalp );
diff --git a/servers/slapd/schema.c b/servers/slapd/schema.c
index ef142d08117094b0b89054cd23a4da4786ff83bb..0d4b99af688e52efeee4409757992c6cca143469 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/schema.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/schema.c
@@ -65,25 +65,20 @@ schema_info( Entry **entry, const char **text )
 	ber_dupbv( &e->e_nname, &frontendDB->be_schemandn );
 	e->e_private = NULL;
 
-	vals[0].bv_val = "subentry";
-	vals[0].bv_len = sizeof("subentry")-1;
-	if( attr_merge_one( e, ad_structuralObjectClass, vals, vals ) ) {
+	BER_BVSTR( &vals[0], "subentry" );
+	if( attr_merge_one( e, ad_structuralObjectClass, vals, NULL ) ) {
 		/* Out of memory, do something about it */
 		entry_free( e );
 		*text = "out of memory";
 		return LDAP_OTHER;
 	}
 
-	vals[0].bv_val = "top";
-	vals[0].bv_len = sizeof("top")-1;
-	vals[1].bv_val = "subentry";
-	vals[1].bv_len = sizeof("subentry")-1;
-	vals[2].bv_val = "subschema";
-	vals[2].bv_len = sizeof("subschema")-1;
-	vals[3].bv_val = "extensibleObject";
-	vals[3].bv_len = sizeof("extensibleObject")-1;
-	vals[4].bv_val = NULL;
-	if( attr_merge( e, ad_objectClass, vals, vals ) ) {
+	BER_BVSTR( &vals[0], "top" );
+	BER_BVSTR( &vals[1], "subentry" );
+	BER_BVSTR( &vals[2], "subschema" );
+	BER_BVSTR( &vals[3], "extensibleObject" );
+	BER_BVZERO( &vals[4] );
+	if ( attr_merge( e, ad_objectClass, vals, NULL ) ) {
 		/* Out of memory, do something about it */
 		entry_free( e );
 		*text = "out of memory";
@@ -119,7 +114,7 @@ schema_info( Entry **entry, const char **text )
 		nvals[0].bv_len = frontendDB->be_schemandn.bv_len -
 			(nvals[0].bv_val - frontendDB->be_schemandn.bv_val);
 
-		if( attr_merge_one( e, desc, vals, nvals ) ) {
+		if ( attr_merge_one( e, desc, vals, nvals ) ) {
 			/* Out of memory, do something about it */
 			entry_free( e );
 			*text = "out of memory";
@@ -159,13 +154,13 @@ schema_info( Entry **entry, const char **text )
 		vals[0].bv_val = timebuf;
 		vals[0].bv_len = strlen( timebuf );
 
-		if( attr_merge_one( e, ad_createTimestamp, vals, vals ) ) {
+		if( attr_merge_one( e, ad_createTimestamp, vals, NULL ) ) {
 			/* Out of memory, do something about it */
 			entry_free( e );
 			*text = "out of memory";
 			return LDAP_OTHER;
 		}
-		if( attr_merge_one( e, ad_modifyTimestamp, vals, vals ) ) {
+		if( attr_merge_one( e, ad_modifyTimestamp, vals, NULL ) ) {
 			/* Out of memory, do something about it */
 			entry_free( e );
 			*text = "out of memory";
diff --git a/servers/slapd/value.c b/servers/slapd/value.c
index 5295cd8330545377b159428ca02a98b88eac5e1a..e22cab5144839088dc83a2c1fe0a545794e30f18 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/value.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/value.c
@@ -40,14 +40,16 @@
 
 int
 value_add( 
-    BerVarray *vals,
-    BerVarray addvals )
+    BerVarray	*vals,
+    BerVarray	addvals )
 {
-	int	n, nn;
-	BerVarray v2;
+	int		n, nn = 0;
+	BerVarray	v2;
 
-	for ( nn = 0; addvals != NULL && addvals[nn].bv_val != NULL; nn++ )
-		;	/* NULL */
+	if ( addvals != NULL ) {
+		for ( ; !BER_BVISNULL( &addvals[nn] ); nn++ )
+			;	/* NULL */
+	}
 
 	if ( *vals == NULL ) {
 		*vals = (BerVarray) SLAP_MALLOC( (nn + 1)
@@ -63,8 +65,9 @@ value_add(
 			return LBER_ERROR_MEMORY;
 		}
 		n = 0;
+
 	} else {
-		for ( n = 0; (*vals)[n].bv_val != NULL; n++ ) {
+		for ( n = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &(*vals)[n] ); n++ ) {
 			;	/* Empty */
 		}
 		*vals = (BerVarray) SLAP_REALLOC( (char *) *vals,
@@ -81,24 +84,23 @@ value_add(
 		}
 	}
 
-	v2 = *vals + n;
-	for ( ; addvals->bv_val; v2++, addvals++ ) {
-		ber_dupbv(v2, addvals);
-		if (v2->bv_val == NULL) break;
+	v2 = &(*vals)[n];
+	for ( ; !BER_BVISNULL( addvals ); v2++, addvals++ ) {
+		ber_dupbv( v2, addvals );
+		if ( BER_BVISNULL( v2 ) ) break;
 	}
-	v2->bv_val = NULL;
-	v2->bv_len = 0;
+	BER_BVZERO( v2 );
 
 	return LDAP_SUCCESS;
 }
 
 int
 value_add_one( 
-    BerVarray *vals,
-    struct berval *addval )
+    BerVarray		*vals,
+    struct berval	*addval )
 {
-	int	n;
-	BerVarray v2;
+	int		n;
+	BerVarray	v2;
 
 	if ( *vals == NULL ) {
 		*vals = (BerVarray) SLAP_MALLOC( 2 * sizeof(struct berval) );
@@ -113,8 +115,9 @@ value_add_one(
 			return LBER_ERROR_MEMORY;
 		}
 		n = 0;
+
 	} else {
-		for ( n = 0; (*vals)[n].bv_val != NULL; n++ ) {
+		for ( n = 0; !BER_BVISNULL( &(*vals)[n] ); n++ ) {
 			;	/* Empty */
 		}
 		*vals = (BerVarray) SLAP_REALLOC( (char *) *vals,
@@ -131,12 +134,11 @@ value_add_one(
 		}
 	}
 
-	v2 = *vals + n;
+	v2 = &(*vals)[n];
 	ber_dupbv(v2, addval);
 
 	v2++;
-	v2->bv_val = NULL;
-	v2->bv_len = 0;
+	BER_BVZERO( v2 );
 
 	return LDAP_SUCCESS;
 }