Internet Draft C. Apple
Document: draft-apple-schema-reg-file-00.txt DSI Consulting, Inc.
Expires: December 2003 June 2003
Directory Schema Listing File Names
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
all provisions of Section 10 of [RFC2026].
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Abstract
This memo specifies a file name syntax for use by the primary listing
repository operator of the directory schema listing service.
Conventions used in this document
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119].
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction...................................................3
1.1 Scope......................................................3
1.2 Terms and Definitions......................................3
2. Formal File Name Syntax........................................4
3. Intended Use of File Names.....................................5
4. Example File Names.............................................6
5. Security Considerations........................................7
6. References.....................................................8
7. Acknowledgments................................................8
8. Author's Address...............................................9
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1. Introduction
The fastest route to interoperable directory services is through
standard object classes and attribute types. There is a growing
number of places where schema for Internet Directory Services and
Internet Operations are being defined, with varying degrees of
documentation. This plethora of schema is unavoidable in the light
of the needs of different service communities, but makes it difficult
for directory service builders to find and make use of an existing
schema that will serve their needs and increase interoperability with
other systems. A listing service providing a single point of
discovery for directory service schema will promote schema reuse,
reduce duplication of effort, and thus promote directory service
interoperability. Schema listings will be stored in multiple files
based on the different types of information associated with a
listing: meta data and one or more syntax specifications.
1.1 Scope
A file name syntax specification intended for use during the initial
release of a directory schema listing service is inside the scope of
this document.
1.2 Terms and Definitions
Information Object - a descriptive abstraction of some real-world
object
Object Attribute - a descriptive property of an information object;
typically, object attributes are defined in terms of semantic and
syntactic definitions
Schema - a collection of definitions for related information objects
Schema Unit - a related or grouped set of object attributes that form
a discrete unit within the context of a schema for a particular
protocol; examples include an LDAP object class or a WHOIS++ template
Schema Pak - a related or grouped set of schema units that
collectively specify a schema associated with a particular protocol;
an example of a schema pak is the set of LDAP object classes
specified in [RFC2256]
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Metadata - characteristics that differentiate one schema unit or
schema pak from another; used to catalog listing service content;
structured using a profile of [RFC2425]; also contains references to
files stored within and outside of a listing repository
Schema Unit Content - a formal specification of a schema unit using a
profile of [RFC2425]
Schema Unit Listing - the combination of a single schema unit content
file intended for use within the context of a particular protocol and
a file containing metadata describing the schema unit specified
within that schema unit content file
Schema Pak Listing - a single metadata file containing information
describing and referring to a set of related or grouped schema unit
content files
Repository - a database in which listings are stored
Listing Request - a proposed schema unit listing or schema pak
listing formatted using [MIME] constructs that is submitted for
consideration as a listing to be published in a repository
Operator - an organization that administers and maintains a
repository
Primary Repository - the repository that masters the schema listings
database
Shadow Repository - a repository that mirrors the primary repository
Contact Person - the name of the individual who holds the authority
to update a listing and who should be contacted if questions or
concerns arise related to a listing or listing request
Listing Authority Contact - the name of the individual who holds
authority to replace a contact person; can be either the contact
person for a listing or an alternate contact within the organization
to which the contact person belongs (this allows one person
organizations to list schema)
2. Formal File Name Syntax
All file names for listing meta data and listing content MUST comply
with the following ABNF [RFC2234] grammar:
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file-name = sequence "." listversion "." type
sequence = ("0" / "current") / NZDIGIT 0*<DIGIT>
; initialized to one (1) for first schema listing
; increments by one (1) for each successive schema
; listing name
type = "meta-unit" / ; these <type> values are defined
"ldap" / ; for the initial release of the
"pak-ldap" / ; schema listing service
"whois++" /
"pak-whois++" / ; other <type> values may be defined
"rwhois" / ; according to community needs in
"pak-rwhois" / ; the future
"whois" /
"pak-whois" ; this document will be updated or
; obsoleted when additional <type>
; values are defined
listversion = 1*<DIGIT>
NZDIGIT = <any DIGIT except "0" (0x30)>
DIGIT = <any ASCII decimal digit (0x30 - 0x39)>
Other possible values of the type component of a file name MAY be
defined in the future to accomodate schema listings specified using
[RFC2425] profiles other than those defined for containing LDAP
[RFC2251], WHOIS++ [RFC1835], and RWHOIS [RFC1714] schema listing
content.
3. Intended Use of File Names
Schema writers, implementors, and users of the schema listing service
SHOULD make use of the form of file names which includes descriptive
alphabetic tokens as the value for the <type> part of a file name.
Filenames MAY be specified as an OID by prepending the OID value used
as a root for the service filename and swapping alphabetic tokens for
their numeric equivalent according to the following table:
Token Number
----------- ------
current 0
meta-unit 0
ldap 1
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pak-ldap 2
whoispp 3
pak-whoispp 4
rwhois 5
pak-rwhois 6
whois 7
pak-whois 8
For the initial release of the service the behaviors documented in
Section 4.0 for file retrieval based on file name will be supported.
Schema writers, implementors, and users of the schema listing service
SHOULD NOT rely on future support of such file retrieval behavior for
the file name examples that are missing alphabetic tokens.
The behavior of file retrieval based on file names containing
alphabetic tokens MUST be preserved permanently by the schema listing
repository operators.
4. Example File Names
Generally, file names will be of the following form:
"sequence.listversion.type"
The 'sequence' part of a file name consists of a serial number
generated by the primary listing repository operator and is unique
within the context of the schema listing service.
When referring to a listing, a 'listversion' of "0" always represents
the most current version (the highest current listversion number)
published in the repository. Alternately, the token "current" may be
used to request the most current version of a listing file.
Otherwise, the listversion part of a file name represents the version
number of a listing within the context of the schema listing service.
The 'type' part of a file name consists of a token or number
representing a file type. This token is unique within the context of
the schema listing service and reflects the nature of file content.
If an OID is used to retrieve a file, the base OID used by the
primary listing repository operator MUST be prepended to the numeric
representation of the filename.
Retrieval of files will exhibit the following behavior for the
initial release of the service (NOTE: a value of 1 is used as the
base OID in these examples, the real base OID will be different):
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1.12.4.0: returns schema unit metadata for version 4 of listing 12.
12.4.meta-unit: returns schema unit metadata for version 4 of listing
12
1.12.0.0: returns schema unit metadata for latest version of listing
12
12.current.meta-unit: returns schema unit metadata for latest version
of listing 12
1.12.4.1: returns ldap schema unit content for version 4 of listing
12
12.4.ldap: returns ldap schema unit content for version 4 of listing
12
1.12.0.1: returns ldap schema unit content for latest version of
listing 12
12.current.ldap: returns ldap schema unit content for latest version
of listing 12
1.13.2.2: returns metadata for version 4 of listing 12
13.2.pak-ldap: returns ldap schema pak metadata for version 2 of
listing 13
1.13.0.2: returns ldap schema pak metadata for latest version of
listing 13
13.current.pak-ldap: returns ldap schema pak metadata for latest
version of listing 13
5. Security Considerations
There are no known security concerns associated with the file name
syntax specified in this document.
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6. References
[RFC822] D. Crocker, "Standard of the Format of ARPA-Internet Text
Messages", STD 11, RFC 822, August 1982.
[RFC1630] T. Berners-Lee, "Universal Resource Identifiers in WWW",
RFC 1630, June 1994.
[RFC1835] P. Deutsch, R. Schoultz, P. Faltstrom, C. Weider,
"Architecture of the WHOIS++ Service", RFC 1835, August, 1995.
[RFC1714] S. Williamson, M. Kosters,"Referral Whois Protocol
(RWhois)", RFC 1714, November 1994
[RFC2026] S. Bradner, "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3",
BCP 9, RFC 2026, October 1996.
[RFC2119] S. Bradner, "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Level", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[RFC2234] D. Crocker and P. Overell (Editors), "Augmented BNF for
Syntax Specifications: ABNF", RFC 2234, Internet Mail Consortium and
Demon Internet, Ltd., November 1997.
[RFC2251] M. Wahl, T. Howes, S. Kille, "Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (Version 3)", RFC 2251, December 1997.
[RFC2425] T. Howes, M. Smith, "A MIME Content-Type for Directory
Information", RFC 2425, September 1998.
7. Acknowledgments
Leslie Daigle of Verisign reviewed and provided valuable comments on
the syntax specification content in this document.
The schema listing service engineering team:
Chris Apple - DSI Consulting
Sanjay Sain - Oracle
Michael Mealling - Verisign
John Strassner - Intelliden
Sam Sun - CNRI
Mark Wahl - Sun Microsystems
Chris Weider - Microsoft
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Paul Hoffman for review and comment resulting from his effort to
develop a platform for the initial release of the listing service.
The members of the ietf-schema-reg@imc.org mailing list.
8. Author's Address
Chris Apple
DSI Consulting, Inc.
3601 West Hundred Road
Chester, VA 23831
Phone: +1 609 828 2987
Email: capple@dsi-consulting.net
This INTERNET-DRAFT expires on October 21, 1998.
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