mark@ditmela.oz (Mark Blakey) (11/16/89)
X.500 permits attribute value assertions (AVA) of all attribute types. If the attribute type is "Distinguished Name" then the AVA is recursive (since DNs are sequences of RDNs which are sequences of AVAs). Can someone from NIST advise me whether the support of recursive DNs is mandatory under the 1989 agreement (we have the 1988 version which does not address this issue). Can anyone think of a real-world application for a recursive DN? Mark Blakey ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Software Development Group Telephone: +613 7279111 Datacraft Computer Protocol Pty Ltd FAX: +613 7265300 Maroondah Highway Telex: AA 34278 Croydon 3136 Email: mark@ditmela.oz.au Australia mark@datacraft.oz.au
ransom@wombat.ncsl.nist.gov (Michael Ransom) (11/22/89)
Mark,
Several of us at NIST have reconsidered your question regarding
support for recursive DN's. Our conclusions are:
1. The question of support for recursive DN's is not specifically
addressed in the current OSI Implementors' Agreements.
2. There are no plans to address the topic in the next edition of the
Agreements. New text for the 1989 edition will be approved at the
next meeting in December, however, text to be added to the 1989
edition must already be in the Working Implementation Agreements.
The current Working Implementation Agreements do not consider
the question of recursive DN's.
3. If you desire the OSI Implementors' Workshop to specifically
address your question, you should contact the chairperson
for the Directory Special Interest Group. The chairperson is:
Chris Moore
Touch Communications Incorporated
250 East Hacienda Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008
Phone (408)374-2500
Fax (408)374-1680
e-mail: chris_moore@um.cc.umich.edu
Please be aware that Chris has recently relocated to the above
work location and we have not verified the new e-mail address.
If you have trouble contacting him you can send a message
to Michael Ransom (ransom@osi3.ncsl.nist.gov) and he will help you
get through.
We hope this helps.
Michael Ransom
Len Gebase
John Tebbuttala@hpindda.HP.COM (Alyson Abramowitz) (12/02/89)
I don't believe the 1989 Agreements will require any attribute which has the characteristics you describe to be supported. In addition, it is unclear to me that the attribute you describe is recursive. The Directory only uses a Distinguished Name as part of an attribute to continue name resolution under one circumstance: an alias. It is well known that an alias can be recursive. There is nothing to prevent that in the Directory. It is fairly easy to check for in the case of an alias pointing back to the same entry. It is much harder when the point back actually occurs down the chain a bit. However, otherwise, there shouldn't be a problem. An attribute of type Distinguished Name is not necessarily recursive. The DN of the entry containing the information could be A.B.C and the attribute of type DN in it could contain the value D.E.F. This is not recursive just because the components of the attribute are of the same type. BTW, X.500 is called The Directory not Directories.