Re: [ietf-smtp] [Technical Errata Reported] RFC5321 (5414)

Hi.

Because I couldn't remember whether this was done intentionally
or not, I forwarded this to the ietf-smtp list.  It appears from
discussion there that this was done (by the DRUMS WG) to align
the successors to RFC 821 with the successors to RFC 822 and so
is deliberate.   It may be that DRUMS made the wrong decision
and that the empty construction that this allows should be
disallowed in both specifications, but that would be a
substantive change, not an erratum.

Recommendation:

(1) The erratum should be rejected.  Like it or not, the ABNF in
5321 is intentional, at least in part for consistency between
the SMTP Standard and the Mail Headers one.

(2) If Mr. Romerstein believes that a Local-part of "", i.e., a
Mailbox that looks like  ""@Domain, should be prohibited, I
suggest that he review the recent thread on ietf-smtp
(https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf-smtp) and, if they
can be found and searched (I suspect they cannot) the archives
of the mailing list for the long-gone DRUMS WG to understand the
history of this issue.   Once that history is at least
understood in general terms, an Internet-Draft that would change
this for both SMTP and Mail-Headers would be procedurally in
order.  Of course, that is not a prediction that such a draft
will be successful in gaining consensus... I can't even guess at
that.

best,
   john

--On Friday, June 29, 2018 15:30 -0700 RFC Errata System
<rfc-editor@rfc-editor.org> wrote:

> The following errata report has been submitted for RFC5321,
> "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol".
> 
> --------------------------------------
> You may review the report below and at:
> http://www.rfc-editor.org/errata/eid5414
> 
> --------------------------------------
> Type: Technical
> Reported by: David Romerstein <romer@apple.com>
> 
> Section: 4.1.2
> 
> Original Text
> -------------
> Quoted-string  = DQUOTE *QcontentSMTP DQUOTE
> 
> Corrected Text
> --------------
> Quoted-string  = DQUOTE 1*QcontentSMTP DQUOTE
> 
> Notes
> -----
> As written, this allows for an email envelope recipient
> (Forward-path) with a NULL value for the local part of their
> address. This is a functional departure from similar wording
> in the preceding RFC 821, which defines quoted-string in such
> a way as to require at least one character that is not one of
> the surrounding quotation marks.
> 
> Instructions:
> -------------
> This erratum is currently posted as "Reported". If necessary,
> please use "Reply All" to discuss whether it should be
> verified or rejected. When a decision is reached, the
> verifying party   can log in to change the status and edit the
> report, if necessary. 
> 
> --------------------------------------
> RFC5321 (draft-klensin-rfc2821bis-11)
> --------------------------------------
> Title               : Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
> Publication Date    : October 2008
> Author(s)           : J. Klensin
> Category            : DRAFT STANDARD
> Source              : IETF - NON WORKING GROUP
> Area                : N/A
> Stream              : IETF
> Verifying Party     : IESG