diff --git a/acl.go b/acl.go
index 969b66e..d1a65d9 100644
--- a/acl.go
+++ b/acl.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package goovn
 
 import (
 	"github.com/ebay/libovsdb"
+	"reflect"
 )
 
 // ACL ovnnb item
@@ -78,8 +79,14 @@ func (odbi *ovndb) getACLUUIDByRow(lsw, table string, row OVNRow) (string, error
 											goto unmatched
 										}
 									case "external_ids":
-										if value != nil && !odbi.oMapContians(cacheACL.Fields["external_ids"].(libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap, value.(*libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap) {
-											goto unmatched
+										if value == nil {
+											if len(cacheACL.Fields["external_ids"].(libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap) != 0 {
+												goto unmatched
+											}
+										} else {
+											if !reflect.DeepEqual(cacheACL.Fields["external_ids"].(libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap, value.(*libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap) {
+												goto unmatched
+											}
 										}
 									}
 								}
@@ -119,8 +126,14 @@ func (odbi *ovndb) getACLUUIDByRow(lsw, table string, row OVNRow) (string, error
 									goto out
 								}
 							case "external_ids":
-								if value != nil && !odbi.oMapContians(cacheACL.Fields["external_ids"].(libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap, value.(*libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap) {
-									goto out
+								if value == nil {
+									if len(cacheACL.Fields["external_ids"].(libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap) != 0 {
+										goto out
+									}
+								} else {
+									if !reflect.DeepEqual(cacheACL.Fields["external_ids"].(libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap, value.(*libovsdb.OvsMap).GoMap) {
+										goto out
+									}
 								}
 							}
 						}
@@ -144,14 +157,6 @@ func (odbi *ovndb) aclAddImp(lsw, direct, match, action string, priority int, ex
 	row["match"] = match
 	row["priority"] = priority
 
-	if external_ids != nil {
-		oMap, err := libovsdb.NewOvsMap(external_ids)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		row["external_ids"] = oMap
-	}
-
 	_, err = odbi.getACLUUIDByRow(lsw, TableACL, row)
 	switch err {
 	case ErrorNotFound:
@@ -162,6 +167,14 @@ func (odbi *ovndb) aclAddImp(lsw, direct, match, action string, priority int, ex
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	if external_ids != nil {
+		oMap, err := libovsdb.NewOvsMap(external_ids)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		row["external_ids"] = oMap
+	}
+
 	row["action"] = action
 	row["log"] = logflag
 	if logflag {
@@ -220,13 +233,6 @@ func (odbi *ovndb) aclDelImp(lsw, direct, match string, priority int, external_i
 		row["priority"] = priority
 	}
 
-	if external_ids != nil {
-		oMap, err := libovsdb.NewOvsMap(external_ids)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		row["external_ids"] = oMap
-	}
 
 	aclUUID, err := odbi.getACLUUIDByRow(lsw, TableACL, row)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/acl_test.go b/acl_test.go
index 824f337..9984686 100644
--- a/acl_test.go
+++ b/acl_test.go
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ func TestACLs(t *testing.T) {
 	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLAdd(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH, "drop", 1001, nil, true, "", "")
 	// ACLAdd must return error
 	assert.Equal(t, true, nil != err, "test[%s]", "add same acl twice, should only one added.")
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
 	// cmd is nil, so this is noop
 	err = ovndbapi.Execute(cmd)
 	assert.Equal(t, true, nil == err, "test[%s]", "add same acl twice, should only one added.")
@@ -141,7 +144,35 @@ func TestACLs(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 2, "test[%s]", "add second acl")
 
+	// The following should fail because it is considered a duplicate of an existing ACL
 	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLAdd(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, "drop", 1001, map[string]string{"A": "b", "B": "b"}, false, "", "")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// cmd is nil, so this is noop
+	err = ovndbapi.Execute(cmd)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	acls, err = ovndbapi.ACLList(LSW)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 2, "test[%s]", "add second acl")
+
+	//***************** Add more tests here
+	// The following should fail because it is considered a duplicate of an existing ACL
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLAdd(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, "drop", 1001, nil, false, "", "")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Different priority is a different ACL, so this should succeed
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLAdd(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, "drop", 1002, map[string]string{"A": "a", "B": "b"}, false, "", "")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -156,7 +187,8 @@ func TestACLs(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 3, "test[%s]", "add second acl")
 
-	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH, 1001, map[string]string{})
+	// Different direction is a different ACL, so this should succeed
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLAdd(LSW, "from-lport", MATCH_SECOND, "drop", 1001, map[string]string{"A": "a", "B": "b"}, false, "", "")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -169,9 +201,10 @@ func TestACLs(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 2, "test[%s]", "acl remove")
+	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 4, "test[%s]", "add second acl")
 
-	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, 1001, map[string]string{"A": "a"})
+
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, 1002, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -184,10 +217,40 @@ func TestACLs(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
+	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 3, "test[%s]", "add second acl")
 
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "from-lport", MATCH_SECOND, 1001, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	err = ovndbapi.Execute(cmd)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	acls, err = ovndbapi.ACLList(LSW)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 2, "test[%s]", "acl remove")
+
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH, 1001, map[string]string{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	err = ovndbapi.Execute(cmd)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	acls, err = ovndbapi.ACLList(LSW)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
 	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 1, "test[%s]", "acl remove")
 
-	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, 1001, map[string]string{"A": "b"})
+	// The following ACLDel should succeed.  The external_ids are different, but they are ignored during the delete.
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, 1001, map[string]string{"A": "a"})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -202,6 +265,12 @@ func TestACLs(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Equal(t, true, len(acls) == 0, "test[%s]", "acl remove")
 
+	// The following ACLDel should fail because all the ACLs have been deleted.
+	cmd, err = ovndbapi.ACLDel(LSW, "to-lport", MATCH_SECOND, 1001, map[string]string{"A": "b"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
 	cmd, err = ovndbapi.LSPDel(LSP)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)