One document matched: draft-zeilenga-ldapbis-reorg-00.txt

INTERNET-DRAFT                                      Kurt D. Zeilenga
Intended Category: Informational                    OpenLDAP Foundation
Expires: 17 May 2001                                17 November 2000





            Reorganization of the LDAP Technical Specification
                     draft-zeilenga-ldapbis-reorg-00




  This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with all
  provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

  This document is intended to be, after appropriate review and
  revision, submitted to the RFC Editor as a Informational document.
  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.  Technical discussion of this
  document will take place on the IETF LDAP Revision (Proposed) Working
  Group (LDAPbis) mailing list <ietf-ldapbis@openldap.org>.  Please send
  editorial comments directly to the author <Kurt@OpenLDAP.org>.

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  Copyright 2000, The Internet Society.  All Rights Reserved.

  Please see the Copyright section near the end of this document for
  more information.


1.  Abstract

  This document suggests one approach for reorganization of the LDAP
  Technical Specification.





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2.  Current Organization

  The LDAP "core" technical specification is currently described in the
  following documents:

    - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): Technical
      Specification [LDAPTS],
    - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3) [RFC2251],
    - LDAPv3: Attribute Syntax Definitions [RFC 2252],
    - LDAPv3: UTF-8 String Representation of Distinguished Names
      [RFC2253],
    - The String Representation of LDAP Search Filters [RFC2254],
    - The LDAP URL Format [RFC2255],
    - A Summary of the X.500(96) User Schema for use with LDAPv3
      [RFC2256],
    - Authentication Methods for LDAP [RFC2829],
    - LDAPv3: Extension for Transport Layer Security [RFC2830], and
    - Using Digest Authentication as a SASL Mechanism [RFC2831].

  This section brief details which portions of the technical
  specification each document contains.


2.1. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): Technical Specification

  The primary purpose of this document is to detail which technical
  specifications (which are detailed in other documents) define LDAP.


2.2. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3)

  The primary purpose of this document is to define the on-the-wire
  protocol.  The document also describes the LDAP protocol and data
  models and the relationship to X.500.


2.3. LDAPv3: Attribute Syntax Definitions

  The primary purpose of this document is to define attribute syntaxes
  and matching rules used in LDAP.  This document also details a number
  of operational attribute.


2.4. LDAPv3: UTF-8 String Representation of Distinguished Names

  The purpose of this document is to define the string representation of
  Distinguished Names as used in LDAPv3.




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2.5. String Representation of LDAP Search Filters

  The purpose of this document is to define the string representation of
  search filters.


2.6. The LDAP URL Format

  The purpose of this document is to define the LDAP Uniform Resource
  Locator scheme.


2.7. A Summary of the X.500(96) User Schema for use with LDAPv3

  The primary purpose of this document is to define user schema,
  including object classes and user attributes.


2.8. Authentication Methods for LDAP

  The primary purpose of this document is to detail authentication
  methods for LDAP including specification of the mandatory-to-implement
  strong authentication method.


2.9. LDAPv3: Extension for Transport Layer Security

  The primary purpose of this document is to detail the Start TLS
  extended operation.


2.10. Using Digest Authentication as a SASL Mechanism

  The primary purpose of this document is to detail the DIGEST-MD5 SASL
  mechanism.  Though this mechanism is not specific to LDAP, it is
  currently viewed as part of the LDAP "core" specification.


2.11. Normative References

  Like many technical specifications, LDAP relies heavily on technical
  specifications defined in other documents.  As some of these documents
  are not likely to be progressed independently to Draft Standard or are
  documents in which the LDAP TS shall obsolete, some reorganization of
  materials contained in these documents may be necessary.  This
  document does not (yet) discuss the particulars of reorganization due
  to these normative references.




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3. A Proposed Organization

  This section proposed that LDAP technical specification be reorganized
  as follows:


3.1 LDAP Overview / Data Model

  This document would provide an overview of LDAP, detail the LDAP Data
  Model, the relationship to X.500, as well as define which other
  technical specifications comprise LDAP.  This document would be based
  upon the [LDAPTS] and select sections (e.g. 3.2-3.4) of [RFC2251]


3.2 LDAP Protocol Specification

  This document would detail the LDAP protocol.  This document would be
  based upon [RFC2251] and select sections of [RFC2829].


3.3 LDAP SASL Profile

  This document would detail the LDAP SASL profile. This document would
  be based [RFC2829] and select sections of [RFC2251].


3.4 LDAP Extension for TLS

  This document would detail Start TLS extended operation.  This
  document would be based upon [RFC2830].


3.5 LDAP Syntaxes and Matching Rules

  This document would detail LDAP syntaxes and matching rules.  This
  document would be based upon [RFC2252].


3.6 LDAP System Schema

  This document would detail system schema including specification of
  operational attributes and select user attributes (e.g.  objectclass).
  This document would be based upon select sections of [RFC2252] and
  [RFC2256].


3.7 LDAP User Schema




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  This document would detail user schema.  This document would be based
  upon [RFC2256].


3.8 LDAP Distinguished DN

  This document would detail the DN string representation.  This
  document would be based upon [RFC2253].


3.9 LDAP Search Filter

  This document would detail the search filter string representation.
  This document would be based upon [RFC2254].


3.10 LDAP URL

  This document would detail the LDAP Uniform Resource Locator scheme.
  This document would be based upon [RFC2255].


3.11. Using Digest Authentication as a SASL Mechanism

  This document would detail the DIGEST-MD5 SASL mechanism.  This
  document would be based upon [RFC2831].


4.  Security Considerations

  This document proposes a reorganization which is intended to improve
  the readibility of the specification including security consideration
  detailed within these specifications.  It is hoped that this
  reorganization will improve the readability of these security
  considerations.


5.  Acknowledgements

  This document is a based the input of members of the IETF LDAP
  Revision (proposed) and LDAP Extensions working groups.  The
  contributions of individuals in these groups is gratefully
  acknowledged.


6.  Bibliography

  [LDAPTS]  J. Hodges, R. Morgan, "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol



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            (v3): Technical Specification", a work in progress, October
            2000.

  [RFC2251] M. Wahl, T. Howes, S. Kille, "Lightweight Directory Access
            Protocol (v3)", RFC 2251, December 1997.

  [RFC2252] M. Wahl, A. Coulbeck, T. Howes, S. Kille, "Lightweight
            Directory Access Protocol (v3):  Attribute Syntax
            Definitions", RFC 2252, December 1997.

  [RFC2253] S. Kille, M. Wahl, T. Howes, "Lightweight Directory Access
            Protocol (v3): UTF-8 String Representation of Distinguished
            Names", RFC 2253, December 1997.

  [RFC2254] T. Howes, "A String Representation of LDAP Search Filters",
            RFC 2254, December 1997.

  [RFC2255] T. Howes, M. Smith, "The LDAP URL Format", RFC 2255,
            December 1997.

  [RFC2256] M. Wahl, "A Summary of the X.500(96) User Schema for use
            with LDAPv3", RFC 2256, December 1997.

  [RFC2829] M. Wahl, H. Alvestrand, J. Hodges, RL "Bob" Morgan,
            "Authentication Methods for LDAP", RFC 2829, June 2000.

  [RFC2830] J. Hodges, R. Morgan, M. Wahl, "Lightweight Directory Access
            Protocol (v3): Extension for Transport Layer Security", RFC
            2830, May 2000.

  [RFC2831] P. Leach, C. Newman, "Using Digest Authentication as a SASL
            Mechanism", RFC 2831, June 2000.

  [RFC2247] S. Kille, M. Wahl, A. Grimstad, R. Huber, S. Sataluri,
            "Using Domains in LDAP/X.500 Distinguished Names", RFC 2247,
            January 1998.



7. Authors' Addresses

  Kurt Zeilenga
  OpenLDAP Foundation
  <kurt@OpenLDAP.org>


Copyright 2000, The Internet Society.  All Rights Reserved.




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Zeilenga                                                        [Page 7]