X509_NAME *parse_name(char *subject, long chtype, int multirdn)
	{
	size_t buflen = strlen(subject)+1; /* to copy the types and values into. due to escaping, the copy can only become shorter */
	char *buf = OPENSSL_malloc(buflen);
	size_t max_ne = buflen / 2 + 1; /* maximum number of name elements */
	char **ne_types = OPENSSL_malloc(max_ne * sizeof (char *));
	char **ne_values = OPENSSL_malloc(max_ne * sizeof (char *));
	int *mval = OPENSSL_malloc (max_ne * sizeof (int));

	char *sp = subject, *bp = buf;
	int i, ne_num = 0;

	X509_NAME *n = NULL;
	int nid;

	if (!buf || !ne_types || !ne_values)
		{
		BIO_printf(bio_err, "malloc error\n");
		goto error;
		}	

	if (*subject != '/')
		{
		BIO_printf(bio_err, "Subject does not start with '/'.\n");
		goto error;
		}
	sp++; /* skip leading / */

	/* no multivalued RDN by default */
	mval[ne_num] = 0;

	while (*sp)
		{
		/* collect type */
		ne_types[ne_num] = bp;
		while (*sp)
			{
			if (*sp == '\\') /* is there anything to escape in the type...? */
				{
				if (*++sp)
					*bp++ = *sp++;
				else	
					{
					BIO_printf(bio_err, "escape character at end of string\n");
					goto error;
					}
				}	
			else if (*sp == '=')
				{
				sp++;
				*bp++ = '\0';
				break;
				}
			else
				*bp++ = *sp++;
			}
		if (!*sp)
			{
			BIO_printf(bio_err, "end of string encountered while processing type of subject name element #%d\n", ne_num);
			goto error;
			}
		ne_values[ne_num] = bp;
		while (*sp)
			{
			if (*sp == '\\')
				{
				if (*++sp)
					*bp++ = *sp++;
				else
					{
					BIO_printf(bio_err, "escape character at end of string\n");
					goto error;
					}
				}
			else if (*sp == '/')
				{
				sp++;
				/* no multivalued RDN by default */
				mval[ne_num+1] = 0;
				break;
				}
			else if (*sp == '+' && multirdn)
				{
				/* a not escaped + signals a mutlivalued RDN */
				sp++;
				mval[ne_num+1] = -1;
				break;
				}
			else
				*bp++ = *sp++;
			}
		*bp++ = '\0';
		ne_num++;
		}	

	if (!(n = X509_NAME_new()))
		goto error;

	for (i = 0; i < ne_num; i++)
		{
		if ((nid=OBJ_txt2nid(ne_types[i])) == NID_undef)
			{
			BIO_printf(bio_err, "Subject Attribute %s has no known NID, skipped\n", ne_types[i]);
			continue;
			}

		if (!*ne_values[i])
			{
			BIO_printf(bio_err, "No value provided for Subject Attribute %s, skipped\n", ne_types[i]);
			continue;
			}

		if (!X509_NAME_add_entry_by_NID(n, nid, chtype, (unsigned char*)ne_values[i], -1,-1,mval[i]))
			goto error;
		}

	OPENSSL_free(ne_values);
	OPENSSL_free(ne_types);
	OPENSSL_free(buf);
	OPENSSL_free(mval);
	return n;

error:
	X509_NAME_free(n);
	if (ne_values)
		OPENSSL_free(ne_values);
	if (ne_types)
		OPENSSL_free(ne_types);
	if (mval)
		OPENSSL_free(mval);
	if (buf)
		OPENSSL_free(buf);
	return NULL;
}