Directory Services Work coordination proposal
"Erik Huizer (SURFnet BV)" <Erik.Huizer@surfnet.nl> Thu, 11 November 1993 12:21 UTC
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To: RARE & IETF OSI-DS wg <osi-ds@cs.ucl.ac.uk>, ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu
Cc: apples@surfnet.nl
Subject: Directory Services Work coordination proposal
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Date: Thu, 11 Nov 93 12:52:44 +0100
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From: "Erik Huizer (SURFnet BV)" <Erik.Huizer@surfnet.nl>
Here's a new version of the document I worked on during the Houston IETF. I think I incorporated all comments I received, and thankfully there were many. Rather than starting a discussion on further refinements of the doc, I suggest we use it as the basis for further discussions. That should lead to a set of WGs that work on issues common to all IETF Directory Services efforts. As a follow-up to this note I'd like to ask Sri to send out the list of WGs that OSI-DS identified so far, so we can get input on this from the WNILS people. Furthermore, I suggest that we try to finalise what we can thru E-mail discussions. Experience has shown that face to face meetings are needed however. I therefore propose that in Seattle we reserve a slot on monday morning where we (if still necessary) discuss the common issues, and create (:-) concensus. Whatever WGs we spin-off will benefit from this later that week. Erik ----------------- Coordination of IETF Applications Area White Pages Efforts A paper for discussion Erik Huizer Introduction A white pages service (WPS) is a distributed database service that contains (contact) information on people and that is accessible to users over the network. There is an increasing demand for such a WPS on the Internet. One possible solution to offering a WPS is the ISO/CCITT directory service X.500. Although X.500 can be used as a WPS, the cost of installing a X.500 WPS and the lack of available and interworking products is perceived by many to be inhibiting. The usage of X.500 as a WPS on the Internet is growing, though currently the high entry cost prevent it from being used ubiquitously. Parallel to X.500 several other efforts are starting to take place on the Internet to provide a low entry cost WPS. The IETF cannot enforce a ubiquitous WPS for the Internet based on a single protocol. (Maybe that opportunity was there several years ago; it certainly is no longer there). This paper suggests a way in which some of the common ground in WPS efforts within the IETF can be coordinated to hopefully minimise interworking problems, and thus maximise functionality for an Internet WPS. Note: This paper does not propose to create THE final WPS protocol, it tries to provide a framework in which common issues (like data structure) in various proposals (specifically WHOIS++ and X.500) can be solved by a common pool of experts. Current situation With respect to WPS there are currently four separate efforts going on in the Applications and User Services areas of the IETF: - IDS; This WG deals with issues pertaining to deployment of a WPS that are protocol independent; e.g. Data management, organizational and legal issues. - OSI-DS; This WG deals with technical issues concerning deployment of X.500 on the Internet for WPS and Yellow Pages Service usage. - WNILS; This WG deals with extending the existing whois service (WHOIS++). - Finger. Both X.500 and WHOS are used (either as a pilot or as a service) by various sites on the Internet. In addition other WPS (not IETF originated) are being deployed like netfind, whois and CSO. These, mostly unconnected, WPS do not provide the user with the ubiquitous service that he or she wishes for. Two approaches This section describes two approaches that can be followed in the IETF to produce common standards to allow the deployment of a WPS that does meet the users requirements. The meta-WPS approach. (suggested by M.T. Rose and others) The rationale for this approach is that it builds on current practices, while striving to provide a ubiquitous directory service. Since there are various efforts going on to develop WPS based on various different protocols, one can envisage a future with a meta-WPS that uses a combination of an intelligent User Agent and a distributed indexing service to access the requested data from any available WPS. The user perceived functionality of such a meta-WPS will necessarily be restricted to the lowest common denominator. One will hope that through "market" forces, the number of protocols used will decrease (or converge), and that the functionality will increase. The common ground approach. This approach aims to provide the ubiquitous WPS with a high functionality and a low entry cost. This is done by singling out issues that are common for various competing WPS and coordinate work on these in specific and dedicated WGs (e.g. datamodel coordination). The IETF will continue development of X.500 and WHOIS++ as two separate entities. The work on these two protocols will be broken down in various small and focussed WGs that address specific technical issues, using ideas from both X.500 and WHOIS++. The goal being to produce common standards for information formats, datamodel and access protocols. Where possible the results of such a WG will be used in both WHOIS++ and X.500, although it is envisaged that several WGs may work on issues that remain specific to one of the protocols. The IDS WG continues to work on non-protocol specific issues. To achieve coordination that leads to convergence rather than divergence, the applications area directorate (apples) will provide guidance to the Application Area Directors as well as to the various WGs and the User Services Area Council (usac) will provide the necessary user perspective. It is obvious that these two approaches are not mutually exclusive. As there is already a constituency for WHOIS++ and for X.500, work on the second approach seems feasible. Work on the first approach may be taken up whenever there is constituency in the IETF to persue this. Suggested workitems The following non-exclusive list of issues will need to be addressed in the second approach as described above: - Lightweight protocols for access, and synchronisation. - Data stucture and schema(management) - Use of indexing servers (centroids/indexed DSAs) - (Cross system) searching - Data management (data entry and maintenance) - Legal issues - Deployment guidelines - Authentication and accesscontrol And some non-WP issues - Use of Directory for storage of data for network Management - Use of Directory for URN to URL resolution How to proceed The IETF IDS, WHOIS++ and Internet X.500 WGs should start a discussion using the list above as a starting point, to identify the "common ground" issues and spin off WGs to work on these. The IDS WG could add to the discussion by publishing a list of available tools for White Pages Services. -----------
- Directory Services Work coordination proposal Erik Huizer (SURFnet BV)
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Barry M. Leiner
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Masataka Ohta
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Simon E Spero
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal John Curran
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Simon Spero
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal John Curran
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal pays
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Masataka Ohta
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal John Curran
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal John Curran
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal sri
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal sri
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Erik Huizer (SURFnet BV)
- Re: Directory Services Work coordination proposal Barry M. Leiner