diff --git a/servers/slapd/back-bdb/cache.c b/servers/slapd/back-bdb/cache.c
index d6dd366165..aef5127b5e 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/back-bdb/cache.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/back-bdb/cache.c
@@ -336,9 +336,9 @@ bdb_cache_find_ndn(
 
 		/* Advance to next lower RDN */
 		for (ptr = ei.bei_nrdn.bv_val - 2; ptr > ndn->bv_val
-			&& !DN_SEPARATOR(*ptr); ptr--) /* empty */;
+			&& !NDN_SEPARATOR(*ptr); ptr--) /* empty */;
 		if ( ptr >= ndn->bv_val ) {
-			if (DN_SEPARATOR(*ptr)) ptr++;
+			if (NDN_SEPARATOR(*ptr)) ptr++;
 			ei.bei_nrdn.bv_len = ei.bei_nrdn.bv_val - ptr - 1;
 			ei.bei_nrdn.bv_val = ptr;
 		}
diff --git a/servers/slapd/slap.h b/servers/slapd/slap.h
index 3ea9dc2462..d6408f3fa9 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/slap.h
+++ b/servers/slapd/slap.h
@@ -133,7 +133,8 @@ LDAP_BEGIN_DECL
 	|| (c) == '(' || (c) == ')' || !ASCII_PRINTABLE(c) )
 
 #define DN_ESCAPE(c)	((c) == SLAP_ESCAPE_CHAR)
-#define DN_SEPARATOR(c)	((c) == ',' || (c) == ';')
+#define NDN_SEPARATOR(c)	((c) == ',')
+#define DN_SEPARATOR(c)	(NDN_SEPARATOR(c) || (c) == ';')
 #define RDN_ATTRTYPEANDVALUE_SEPARATOR(c) ((c) == '+') /* RFC 2253 */
 #define RDN_SEPARATOR(c) (DN_SEPARATOR(c) || RDN_ATTRTYPEANDVALUE_SEPARATOR(c))
 #define RDN_NEEDSESCAPE(c)	((c) == '\\' || (c) == '"')