Actions

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Hallo,
here is the last update for the actions and documents.

<1>: Claudio Allocchio: Produce new document explaining how the X.400 DNS
     tables should be used and distribute to x400ops list.

Draft v1.0: Guidelines to implement a DNS based distributed database for
            X.400 mapping and routing informations.

will be distributed within a few days, it is just a list of guidelines
and suggestions. No authority implications, as the argument is being
widely dealt within another document about RFC1327 Mapping authorities,
and in the last document about routing.

<5>: Claudio Allocchio will organize a pilot to get operational
     experience from the use of OPS-2.

The pilot is in the implementation phase. V1.0 of the API is ready for
distribution both for Unix and VMS platforms (UCX, Multinet, Wollongong).
The manual is being written now.

Phase one: one central server containing the whole mapping tables. Currently
under x400.it (timescale: now)

Phase two: a number of voluteers (PT, CH, FR, US, IT) will migrate their
own zone, distribuiting the database. (timescale: April 15th)

Phase three: some sites will start to derive also their static tables
from DNS, preparing some scripts based on one of the API tools (X400lookup).
(timescale: end of May).

(Any other volunteer?)

<6>: Claudio Allocchio: Part 1 (Mapping) of the document OPS-2 will be
     ready before Jan 1; deadline for comments is Jan 15; submission for
     Prototype RFC is expected by Jan 30.

Document is ready since mid January: it was still waiting for registration of
X400.Arpa domain. Then some late objections about the general philosophy of 
using DNS delayed the the submission. See later in this mail.
 
<7>: Claudio Allocchio: Timescales for Part 2 (Routing) of OPS-2, now
     called OPS-2b, depend on the timescale for the routing document;
     expected date of an updated version is 2 weeks after the final
     version of the routing document (OPS-3).
Document ready: as soon as I get the "relay-mta" version of Urs' routing
document also the final version will go on-line (tomorrow?)
 
<8>: Claudio Allocchio: OPS-4 will be submitted as Prototype RFC within
     3 weeks from now.
 
[Done RFC1405]



        OPS-2b: "Using the Internet DNS to maintain X.400 MHS Routing 
                Informations"

        OPS-3:  "Routing coordination for X.400 MHS services within a 
                multi protocol / multi network environment. Table Format 
                V3 for static routing"

        OPS-4:  "Mapping between X.400(1984/1988) and Mail-11 (DECnet mail)"



        OPS-10: ".. explanation of how the X.400 DNS tables should be used
                for Address Mapping and Routing purposes"
See new title.

About the OPS-2 documents, the status is now final, and a real implementaion
is in place; at the meeting we will decide if we still wait for x400.arpa
or we just go immediately using x400.it as an already usable root. There are
no actual reasons to delay a solution which is intended since the beginning
as an interim solution. The experience gained since now showed no technical
problems in the implementation and in the DNS service. After the meeting
I will submit as experimental RFC both OPS-2a and OPS-2b. In fact the opinion
of all the technical people I spoke with about the objections to DNS use
is somehow common: there are not really technical resons which could prevent
that kind of implementation. There could be the same kind of political
implications like the ones about MIME headers currently flooding the IETF
list: in fact using DNS could really give finally an immediate thrust to
X.400 mailing systems in the Internet and this will of course contrast
with rfc822 extensions and MIME. I do not think we should deal with this kind
of problems, however. We should just give the end users a real efficient
service. Anybody wants to try mapping via DNS? we will release an rfc1327
address translator as first product is a few days.

see you in Columbus.

Claudio