Network Working Group                                          M.T. Rose
Internet-Draft                                    Invisible Worlds, Inc.
Expires: March 12, 2001                               September 11, 2000


           The Blocks eXtensible eXchange Protocol Framework
                      draft-ietf-beep-framework-01

Status of this Memo

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

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on March 12, 2001.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000). All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This memo describes a generic application protocol framework for
   connection-oriented, asynchronous interactions. The framework
   permits simultaneous and independent exchanges within the context of
   a single application user-identity, supporting both textual and
   binary messages.










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Table of Contents

   1.      Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
   2.      The BXXP Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   2.1     Roles  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
   2.1.1   Exchange Styles  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
   2.2     Messages and Frames  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
   2.2.1   Frame Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
   2.2.1.1 Frame Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
   2.2.1.2 Frame Payload  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   2.2.1.3 Frame Trailer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
   2.2.2   Frame Semantics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   2.2.2.1 Poorly-formed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   2.2.2.2 XML-based Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
   2.3     Channel Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
   2.3.1   Message Semantics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
   2.3.1.1 The Greeting Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
   2.3.1.2 The Start Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
   2.3.1.3 The Close Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   2.3.1.4 The OK Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
   2.3.1.5 The Error Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
   2.4     Session Establishment and Release  . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
   2.5     Transport Mappings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
   2.5.1   Session Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
   2.5.2   Message Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
   2.6     Parallelism  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   2.6.1   Within a Single Channel  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   2.6.2   Between Different Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   2.6.3   Pre-emptive Replies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   2.6.4   Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   2.7     Peer-to-Peer Behavior  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   3.      Transport Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   3.1     The TLS Transport Security Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
   3.1.1   Profile Identification and Initialization  . . . . . . . . 32
   3.1.2   Message Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
   3.1.3   Message Semantics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
   3.1.3.1 The Ready Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
   3.1.3.2 The Proceed Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
   4.      User Authentication  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
   4.1     The SASL Family of Profiles  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
   4.1.1   Profile Identification and Initialization  . . . . . . . . 37
   4.1.2   Message Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
   4.1.3   Message Semantics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
   5.      Profile Registration Template  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
   6.      Initial Profile Registrations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
   6.1     BXXP Channel Management  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
   6.2     BXXP Channel Management DTD  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
   6.3     Registration: TLS Transport Security Profile . . . . . . . 45
   6.4     TLS Transport Security Profile DTD . . . . . . . . . . . . 46


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   6.5     Registration: SASL Family of Profiles  . . . . . . . . . . 47
   6.6     SASL Family of Profiles DTD  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
   7.      Reply Codes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
   8.      Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
   9.      IANA Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
           References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
           Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
   A.      Changes from draft-ietf-beep-framework-00  . . . . . . . . 54
   B.      Changes from draft-mrose-bxxp-framework-01 . . . . . . . . 55
   C.      Changes from draft-mrose-bxxp-framework-00 . . . . . . . . 56
   D.      Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
           Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58







































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1. Introduction

   This memo describes a generic application protocol framework for
   connection-oriented, asynchronous interactions. Consult [1] for a
   description of the framework's design principles.

   At the core of the BXXP framework is a framing mechanism that
   permits simultaneous and independent exchanges of messages between
   peers. Messages are arbitrary MIME[2] content, but are usually
   textual (structured using XML[3]).

   Frames are exchanged in the context of a "channel". Each channel has
   an associated "profile" that defines the syntax and semantics of the
   messages exchanged. Implicit in the operation of BXXP is the notion
   of channel management. In addition to defining BXXP's channel
   management profile, this document defines:

   o  the TLS[4] transport security profile; and,

   o  the SASL[5] family of profiles.

   Other profiles, such as those used for data exchange, are defined by
   an application protocol designer. A registration template is
   provided for this purpose.



























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2. The BXXP Framework

   The BXXP framework is message-oriented. All exchanges occur in the
   context of a channel -- a binding to a well-defined aspect of the
   application, such as transport security, user authentication, or
   data exchange.

   A BXXP session is mapped onto an underlying transport service. A
   separate series of documents describe how a particular transport
   service realizes a BXXP session. For example, [6] describes how a
   BXXP session is mapped onto a single TCP[7] connection.

   During the creation of a channel, the client supplies one or more
   proposed profiles for that channel. If the server creates the
   channel, it selects one of the profiles and sends it in a reply;
   otherwise, it may indicate that none of the profiles are acceptable,
   and decline creation of the channel.

   Channel usage falls into one of two categories:

   initial tuning: these are used by profiles that perform
      initialization once the BXXP session is established (e.g.,
      negotiating the use of transport security); although several
      exchanges may be required to perform the initialization, these
      channels become inactive early in the BXXP session and remain so
      for the duration.

   continuous: these are used by profiles that support data exchange;
      typically, these channels are created after the initial tuning
      channels have gone quiet.





















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2.1 Roles

   Although BXXP is peer-to-peer, it is convenient to label each peer
   in the context of the role it is performing at a given time:

   o  When a BXXP session is established, the peer that awaits new
      connections is acting in the listening role, and the other peer,
      which establishes a connection to the listener, is acting in the
      initiating role. In the examples which follow, these are referred
      to as "L:" and "I:", respectively.

   o  A BXXP peer starting an exchange is termed the client; similarly,
      the other BXXP peer is termed the server. In the examples which
      follow, these are referred to as "C:" and "S:", respectively.

   Typically, a BXXP peer acting in the server role is also acting in a
   listening role. However, because BXXP is peer-to-peer in nature, no
   such requirement exists.

2.1.1 Exchange Styles

   BXXP allows three styles of exchange:

   MSG/RPY: the client sends a "MSG" message asking the server to
      perform some task, the server performs the task and replies with
      a "RPY" message (termed a positive reply).

   MSG/ERR: the client sends a "MSG" message, the server does not
      perform any task and replies with an "ERR" message (termed a
      negative reply).

   MSG/ANS: the client sends a "MSG" message, the server, during the
      course of performing some task, replies with zero or more "ANS"
      messages, and, upon completion of the task, sends a "NUL"
      message, which signifies the end of the reply.

   The first two styles are termed one-to-one exchanges, whilst the
   third style is termed a one-to-many exchange.













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2.2 Messages and Frames

   A message is structured according to the rules of MIME. Accordingly,
   the payload may begin with "entity-headers" (c.f., MIME[2]'s Section
   3). If none, or only some, of the "entity-headers" are present:

   o  the default "Content-Type" is "text/xml"; and,

   o  the default "Content-Transfer-Encoding" is "binary".

   Hence, in the absence of typing information, a message is a
   well-formed XML[3] document.

   Normally, a message is sent in a single frame. However, it may be
   convenient or necesary to segment a message into multiple frames
   (e.g., if only part of a message is ready to be sent).

   Each frame consists of a header, the payload, and a trailer. The
   header and trailer are each represented using printable ASCII
   characters and are terminated with a CRLF pair. Between the header
   and the trailer is the payload, consisting of zero or more octets.

   For example, here is a message contained in a single frame that
   contains a payload of 96 octets spread over 4 lines (each line is
   terminated with a CRLF pair):

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 96
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       C: </start>
       C: END

   Note that the message starts with a blank line, signifying a lack of
   explicit MIME typing information. Also note that in this example,
   the message is represented as a single payload.















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2.2.1 Frame Syntax

   The ABNF for a frame is:

   frame      = header payload trailer / mapping

   header     = msg / rpy / err / ans / nul

   msg        = "MSG" SP common          CR LF

   rpy        = "RPY" SP common          CR LF

   ans        = "ANS" SP common SP ansno CR LF

   err        = "ERR" SP common          CR LF

   nul        = "NUL" SP common          CR LF


   common     = channel SP msgno SP more SP seqno SP size

   channel    = 0..2147483647

   msgno      = 0..2147483647

   more       = "." / "*"

   seqno      = 0..4294967295

   size       = 0..2147483647

   ansno      = 0..2147483647


   payload    = *OCTET


   trailer    = "END" CR LF


   mapping    = ;; each transport mapping may define additional frames










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2.2.1.1 Frame Header

   The frame header consists of a three-character keyword (one of:
   "MSG", "RPY", "ERR", "ANS", or "NUL"), followed by zero or more
   parameters. A single space character (decimal code 32, " ")
   separates each component. The header is terminated with a CRLF pair.

   The channel number ("channel") must be a non-negative integer (in
   the range 0..2147483647).

   The message number ("msgno") must be a non-negative integer (in the
   range 0..2147483647) and have a different value than all other "MSG"
   messages for which a reply has not been completely received.

   The continuation indicator ("more", one of: decimal code 42, "*", or
   decimal code 46, ".") specifies whether this is the final frame of
   the message:

      intermediate ("*"): at least one other frame follows for the
      message; or,

      complete ("."): this frame completes the message.

   The sequence number ("seqno") must be a non-negative integer (in the
   range 0..4294967295) and specifies the sequence number of the first
   octet in the payload, for the associated channel.

   The payload size ("size") must be a non-negative integer (in the
   range 0..2147483647) and specifies the exact number of octets in the
   payload. (This does not include either the header or trailer.)

   Note that a frame may have an empty payload, e.g.,

       S: RPY 0 1 * 287 27
       S:
       S:     ...
       S:     ...
       S:     ...
       S: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 314 0
       S: END

   The answer number ("ansno") must be a non-negative integer (in the
   range 0..4294967295) and must have a different value than all other
   answers in progress for the message being replied to.






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   When a message is segmented and sent as several frames, those frames
   must be sent sequentally, without any intervening frames from other
   messages on the same channel. However, there are two exceptions:
   first, no restriction is made with respect to the interleaving of
   frames for other channels; and, second, in a one-to-many exchange,
   multiple answers may be simultaneously in progress.

   Accordingly, frames for "ANS" messages may be interleaved on the
   same channel -- the answer number is used for collation, e.g.,

       S: ANS 1 0 * 0 10 0
       S:
       S:     ...
       S: END
       S: ANS 1 0 * 10 20 1
       S:
       S:     ...
       S:     ...
       S: END
       S: ANS 1 0 . 30 10 0
       S:     ...
       S: END

   which shows two "ANS" messages interleaved on channel 1 as part of a
   reply to message number 0. Note that the sequence number is advanced
   for each frame sent on the channel, and is independent of the
   messages sent in those frames.

   There are several rules for identifying poorly-formed frames:

   o  if the header doesn't start with "MSG", "RPY", "ERR", "ANS", or
      "NUL";

   o  if any of the parameters in the header cannot be determined or
      are invalid (i.e., syntactically incorrect);

   o  if the value of the channel number doesn't refer to an existing
      channel;

   o  if the header starts with "MSG", and the message number refers to
      a "MSG" message that has been completely received but for which a
      reply has not been completely sent;

   o  if the header doesn't start with "MSG", and refers to a message
      number for which a reply has not been completely received;

   o  if the header doesn't start with "MSG", and refers to a message
      number that has never been sent (except during session
      establishment, c.f., Section 2.3.1.1);


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   o  if the header starts with "MSG", "ERR", or "ANS", and refers to a
      message number for which at least one other frame has been
      received, and the three-character keyword starting this frame and
      the immediately-previous received frame for this reply are not
      identical;

   o  if the header starts with "NUL", and refers to a message number
      for which at least one other frame has been received, and the
      keyword of of the immediately-previous received frame for this
      reply isn't "ANS";

   o  if the continuation indicator of the previous frame received on
      the same channel was intermediate ("*"), and its message number
      isn't identical to this frame's message number;

   o  if the value of the sequence number doesn't correspond to the
      expected value for the associated channel (c.f., Section 2.2.1.2);

   o  if the header starts with "NUL", and the continuation indicator
      is intermediate ("*") or the payload size is non-zero;

   o  if the header doesn't start with "NUL", and the continuation
      indicator is complete ("."), and the total size of the
      (re-assembled) message is less than two octets; or,

   o  if the header doesn't start with "NUL", and the continuation
      indicator is complete ("."), and "entity-headers" are present but
      poorly-formed in the (re-assembled) message.

   If a frame is poorly-formed, then the session is terminated without
   generating a response, and it is recommended that a diagnostic entry
   be logged.



















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2.2.1.2 Frame Payload

   The frame payload consists of zero or more octets.

   Every payload octet sent in each direction on a channel has an
   associated sequence number. Numbering of payload octets within a
   frame is such that the first payload octet is the lowest numbered,
   and the following payload octets are numbered consecutively. (When a
   channel is created, the sequence number associated with the first
   payload octet of the first frame is 0.)

   The actual sequence number space is finite, though very large,
   ranging from 0..4294967295 (2**32 - 1). Since the space is finite,
   all arithmetic dealing with sequence numbers is performed modulo
   2**32. This unsigned arithmetic preserves the relationship of
   sequence numbers as they cycle from 2**32 - 1 to 0 again.

   When receiving a frame, the sum of its sequence number and payload
   size, modulo 4294967296 (2**32), gives the expected sequence number
   associated with the first payload octet of the next frame received.
   Accordingly, when receiving a frame if the sequence number isn't the
   expected value for this channel, then the BXXP peers have lost
   synchronization, then the session is terminated without generating a
   response, and it is recommended that a diagnostic entry be logged.



























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2.2.1.3 Frame Trailer

   The frame trailer consists of "END" followed by a CRLF pair.

   When receiving a frame, if the characters immediately following the
   payload don't correspond to a trailer, then the session is
   terminated without generating a response, and it is recommended that
   a diagnostic entry be logged.











































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2.2.2 Frame Semantics

   The semantics of each message is channel-specific. Accordingly, the
   profile associated with a channel must define:

   o  the initialization messages, if any, exchanged during channel
      creation;

   o  the messages that may be exchanged in the payload of the channel;
      and,

   o  the semantics of these messages.

   A profile registration template (Section 5) organizes this
   information.

2.2.2.1 Poorly-formed Messages

   When defining the behavior of the profile, the template must specify
   how poorly-formed "MSG" messages are replied to. For example, the
   channel management profile sends a negative reply containing an
   error message (c.f., Section 2.3.1.5).

   If a poorly-formed reply is received on channel zero, the session is
   terminated without generating a response, and it is recommended that
   a diagnostic entry be logged.

   If a poorly-formed reply is received on another channel, then the
   channel must be closed using the procedure in Section 2.3.1.3.






















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2.2.2.2 XML-based Profiles

   If a profile uses XML to structure its messages, then only XML's
   baseline facilities (as described in the XML 1.0 specification[3])
   are allowed. Additional XML features (e.g., namespaces) are made
   available only by being explicitly discussed in a given profile's
   specification.

   In particular this limitation allows use of only the five predefined
   general entities references ("&amp;", "&lt;", "&gt;", "&apos;", and
   "&quot;") and numeric entity references in the messages exchanged.

   Further, because the profile registration template defines the
   messages exchanged over a channel, the XML documents exchanged in
   each message needn't have either a "XML" declaration (e.g., <?xml
   version="1.0" ?>) or a "DOCTYPE" declaration (e.g., <!DOCTYPE ...>).
   All other XML 1.0 instructions (e.g., CDATA blocks, processing
   instructions, and so on) are allowed.

   Finally, because the "XML" declaration isn't present, the default
   character set for XML-based profiles is UTF-8. If another character
   set is desired, a "Content-Type" entity-header should be used to
   specify the character set in question.




























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2.3 Channel Management

   When a BXXP session starts, only channel number zero is defined,
   which is used for channel management. Section 6.1 contains the
   profile registration for BXXP channel management.

   Channel management allows each BXXP peer to advertise the profiles
   that it supports (c.f., Section 2.3.1.1), bind an instance of one of
   those profiles to a channel (c.f., Section 2.3.1.2), and then later
   close any channels or release the BXXP session (c.f., Section
   2.3.1.3).

   A BXXP peer should support at least 257 concurrent channels.






































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2.3.1 Message Semantics

2.3.1.1 The Greeting Message

   When a BXXP session is established, each BXXP peer signifies its
   availability by immediately sending a positive reply with a message
   number of zero that contains a "greeting" element, e.g.,

       L: <wait for incoming connection>
       I: <open connection>
       L: RPY 0 0 . 0 86
       L:
       L: <greeting>
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS' />
       L: </greeting>
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END

   Note that this example implies that the BXXP peer in the initiating
   role waits until the BXXP peer in the listening role sends its
   greeting -- this is an artifact of the presentation; in fact, both
   BXXP peers send their replies independently.

   The "greeting" element has two optional attributes ("features" and
   "localize") and zero or more "profile" elements, one for each
   profile supported by the BXXP peer acting in a server role:

   o  the "features" attribute, if present, contains one or more
      feature tokens, each indicating an optional feature of the
      channel management profile supported by the BXXP peer;

   o  the "localize" attribute, if present, contains one or more
      language tokens (defined in [8]), each identifying a desirable
      language tag to be used by the remote BXXP peer when generating
      textual diagnostics for the "close" and "error" elements (the
      tokens are ordered from most to least desirable); and,

   o  each "profile" element contained within the "greeting" element
      identifies a profile, and unlike the "profile" elements that
      occur within the "start" element, the content of each "profile"
      element may not contain an optional initialization element.

   At present, there are no optional features defined for the channel
   management profile.




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2.3.1.2 The Start Message

   When a BXXP peer wants to create a channel, it sends a "start"
   element on channel zero, e.g.,

       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 96
       I:
       I: <start number='1'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       I: </start>
       I: END

   The "start" element has a "number" attribute, an optional
   "serverName" attribute, and one or more "profile" elements:

   o  the "number" attribute indicates the channel number (in the range
      1..2147483647) used to identify the channel in future messages;

   o  the "serverName" attribute, an arbitrary string, indicates the
      desired server name for this BXXP session; and,

   o  each "profile" element contained within the "start" element
      identifies a profile, and, optionally, contains an XML element
      exchanged during channel creation as its content.

   To avoid conflict in assigning channel numbers when requesting the
   creation of a channel, BXXP peers acting in the initiating role use
   only positive integers that are odd-numbered; similarly, BXXP peers
   acting in the listening role use only positive integers that are
   even-numbered.

   The "serverName" attribute for the first successful "start" element
   received by a BXXP peer is meaningful for the duration of the BXXP
   session. (If the attribute isn't present or it's value is empty,
   then the sending BXXP peer is requesting a configuration-specific
   default value.) The BXXP peer decides whether to operate as the
   indicated "serverName"; if not, an "error" element is sent in a
   negative reply.

   When a BXXP peer receives a "start" element on channel zero, it
   examines each of the proposed profiles, and decides whether to use
   one of them to create the channel. If so, the appropriate "profile"
   element is sent in a positive reply; otherwise, an "error" element
   is sent in a negative reply.

   When creating the channel, the value of the "serverName" attribute
   from the first successful "start" element is consulted to provide
   configuration information, e.g., the desired server-side certificate
   when starting the TLS transport security profile (Section 3.1).


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   For example, a successful channel creation might look like this:

       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 173
       I:
       I: <start number='1'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       I:    <profile
       I:       uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/ANONYMOUS' />
       I: </start>
       I: END
       L: RPY 0 1 . 287 63
       L:
       L: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       L: END

   Similarly, an unsuccessful channel creation might look like this:

       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 96
       I:
       I: <start number='2'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       I: </start>
       I: END
       L: ERR 0 1 . 287 91
       L:
       L: <error code='501'>number attribute
       L: in &lt;start&gt; element must be odd-valued</error>
       L: END

   Finally, here's an example in which an initialization element is
   exchanged during channel creation:

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 122
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       C:        <ready />
       C:    </profile>
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 86 85
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       S:     <proceed />
       S: </profile>
       S: END





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2.3.1.3 The Close Message

   When a BXXP peer wants to close a channel, it sends a "close"
   element on channel zero, e.g.,

       I: MSG 0 2 . 163 35
       I:
       I: <close number='1' code='200' />
       I: END

   The "close" element has a "number" attribute, a "code" attribute, an
   optional "xml:lang" attribute, and an optional textual diagnostic as
   its content:

   o  the "number" attribute indicates the channel number;

   o  the "code" attribute is a three digit reply code meaningful to
      programs (c.f., Section 7);

   o  the "xml:lang" attribute identifies the language that the
      element's content is written in (the value is suggested, but not
      mandated, by the "localize" attribute of the "greeting" element
      sent by the remote BXXP peer); and,

   o  the textual diagnostic (which may be multiline) is meaningful to
      implementers, perhaps administrators, and possibly even users,
      but never programs.

   Note that if the textual diagnostic is present, then the "xml:lang"
   attribute is absent only if the language indicated as the remote
   BXXP peer's first choice is used.

   If the value of the "number" attribute is zero, then the BXXP peer
   wants to release the BXXP session (c.f., Section 2.4) -- otherwise
   the value of the "number" attribute refers to an existing channel.

   When a BXXP peer receives a "close" element on channel zero, it
   decides whether it is willing to close the channel. If so, an "ok"
   element is sent in a positive reply; otherwise, an "error" element
   is sent in a negative reply.











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   For example, a successful channel close might look like this:

       I: MSG 0 2 . 163 35
       I:
       I: <close number='1' code='200' />
       I: END
       L: RPY 0 2 . 429 10
       L:
       L: <ok />
       L: END

   Similarly, an unsuccessful channel close might look like this:

       I: MSG 0 2 . 163 35
       I:
       I: <close number='1' code='200' />
       I: END
       L: ERR 0 2 . 429 43
       L:
       L: <error code='550'>still working</error>
       L: END






























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2.3.1.4 The OK Message

   When a BXXP peer agrees to close a channel (or release the BXXP
   session), it sends an "ok" element in a positive reply.

   The "ok" element has no attributes and no content.

2.3.1.5 The Error Message

   When a BXXP peer declines the creation of a channel, it sends an
   "error" element in a negative reply, e.g.,

       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 91
       I:
       I: <start number='2'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/FOO' />
       I: </start>
       I: END
       L: ERR 0 1 . 287 69
       L:
       L: <error code='550'>all requested profiles are
       L: unsupported</error>
       L: END

   The "error" element has a "code" attribute, an optional "xml:lang"
   attribute, and an optional textual diagnostic as its content:

   o  the "code" attribute is a three digit reply code meaningful to
      programs (c.f., Section 7);

   o  the "xml:lang" attribute identifies the language that the
      element's content is written in (the value is suggested, but not
      mandated, by the "localize" attribute of the "greeting" element
      sent by the remote BXXP peer); and,

   o  the textual diagnostic (which may be multiline) is meaningful to
      implementers, perhaps administrators, and possibly even users,
      but never programs.

   Note that if the textual diagnostic is present, then the "xml:lang"
   attribute is absent only if the language indicated as the remote
   BXXP peer's first choice is used.









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   In addition, a BXXP peer sends an "error" element whenever:

   o  it receives a "MSG" message containing a poorly-formed or
      unexpected element;

   o  it receives a "MSG" message asking to close a channel (or release
      the BXXP session) and it declines to do so; or

   o  a BXXP session is established, the BXXP peer is acting in the
      listening role, and that BXXP peer is unavailable (in this case,
      the BXXP acting in the listening role does not send a "greeting"
      element).

   In the final case, both BXXP peers terminate the session, and it is
   recommended that a diagnostic entry be logged by both BXXP peers.




































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2.4 Session Establishment and Release

   When a BXXP session is established, each BXXP peer signifies its
   availability by immediately sending a positive reply with a message
   number of zero on channel zero that contains a "greeting" element,
   e.g.,

       L: <wait for incoming connection>
       I: <open connection>
       L: RPY 0 0 . 0 86
       L:
       L: <greeting>
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS' />
       L: </greeting>
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END

   Alternatively, if the BXXP peer acting in the listening role is
   unavailable, it sends a negative reply, e.g.,

       L: <wait for incoming connection>
       I: <open connection>
       L: ERR 0 0 . 0 24
       L:
       L: <error code='421' />
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END
       I: <close connection>
       L: <close connection>
       L: <wait for next connection>

   and the "greeting" element sent by the BXXP peer acting in the
   initiating role is ignored. It is recommended that a diagnostic
   entry be logged by both BXXP peers.

   Note that both of these examples imply that the BXXP peer in the
   initiating role waits until the BXXP peer in the listening role
   sends its greeting -- this is an artifact of the presentation; in
   fact, both BXXP peers send their replies independently.






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   When a BXXP peer wants to release the BXXP session, it sends a
   "close" element with a zero-valued "number" attribute on channel
   zero. The other BXXP peer indicates its willingness by sending an
   "ok" element in a positive reply, e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 24
       C:
       C: <close code='200' />
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 287 10
       S:
       S: <ok />
       S: END
       I: <close connection>
       L: <close connection>
       L: <wait for next connection>

   Alternatively, if the other BXXP doesn't want to release the BXXP
   session, the exchange might look like this:

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 24
       C:
       C: <close code='200' />
       C: END
       S: ERR 0 1 . 287 43
       S:
       S: <error code='550'>still working</error>
       L: END

   If session release is declined, the BXXP session should not be
   terminated, if possible.




















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2.5 Transport Mappings

   All transport interactions occur in the context of a session -- a
   mapping onto a particular transport service. Accordingly, this memo
   defines the requirements that must be satisified by any document
   describing how a particular transport service realizes a BXXP
   session.

2.5.1 Session Management

   A BXXP session is connection-oriented. A mapping document must
   define:

   o  how a BXXP session is established;

   o  how a BXXP peer is identified as acting in the listening role;

   o  how a BXXP peer is identified as acting in the initiating role;

   o  how a BXXP session is released; and,

   o  how a BXXP session is terminated.

2.5.2 Message Exchange

   A BXXP session is message-oriented. A mapping document must define:

   o  how messages are reliably sent and received;

   o  how messages on the same channel are received in the same order
      as they were sent; and,

   o  how messages on different channels are sent without ordering
      constraint.

















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2.6 Parallelism

2.6.1 Within a Single Channel

   A BXXP peer acting in the client role may send multiple "MSG"
   messages on the same channel without waiting to receive the
   corresponding replies.

   A BXXP peer acting in the server role must process all "MSG"
   messages for a given channel in the same order as they are received.
   As a consequence, the BXXP peer must generate replies in the same
   order as the corresponding "MSG" messages are received on a given
   channel.

2.6.2 Between Different Channels

   A BXXP peer acting in the client role may send multiple "MSG"
   messages on different channels without waiting to receive the
   corresponding replies.

   A BXXP peer acting in the server role may process "MSG" messages
   received on different channels in any order it chooses. As a
   consequence, although the replies for a given channel appear to be
   generated in the same order in which the corresponding "MSG"
   messages are received, there is no ordering constraint for replies
   on different channels.

2.6.3 Pre-emptive Replies

   A BXXP peer acting in the server role may send a negative reply
   before it receives the final "MSG" frame of a message. If it does
   so, that BXXP peer is obliged to ignore any subsequent "MSG" frames
   for that message, up to and including the final "MSG" frame.

   If a BXXP peer acting in the client role receives a negative reply
   before it sends the final "MSG" frame for a message, then it is
   required to send a "MSG" frame with a continuation status of
   complete (".") and having a zero-length payload.

2.6.4 Interference

   If the processing of a particular message has sequencing impacts on
   other messages (either intra-channel or inter-channel), then the
   corresponding profile should define this behavior, e.g., a profile
   whose messages alter the underlying transport mapping.






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2.7 Peer-to-Peer Behavior

   BXXP is peer-to-peer -- as such both peers must be prepared to
   receive all messages defined in this memo. Accordingly, an
   initiating BXXP peer capable of acting only in the client role must
   behave gracefully if it receives a "MSG" message. Accordingly, all
   profiles must provide an appropriate error message for replying to
   unexpected "MSG" messages.

   As a consequence of the peer-to-peer nature of BXXP, message numbers
   are unidirectionally-significant. That is, the message numbers in
   "MSG" messages sent by a BXXP peer acting in the initiating role are
   unrelated to the message numbers in "MSG" messages sent by a BXXP
   peer acting in the listening role.

   For example, these two messages

       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 96
       I:
       I: <start number='1'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       I: </start>
       I: END
       L: MSG 0 1 . 287 92
       L:
       L: <start number='2'>
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/IMXP' />
       L: </start>
       L: END

   refer to different messages sent on channel zero.




















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3. Transport Security

   When a BXXP session is established, plaintext transfer, without
   privacy, is provided. Accordingly, transport security in BXXP is
   achieved using an initial tuning profile.

   This document defines one profile:

   o  the TLS transport security profile, based on TLS version one[4].

   Other profiles may be defined and deployed on a bilateral basis.
   Note that because of their intimate relationship with the tranpsort
   service, a given transport security profile tends to be relevant to
   a single transort mapping (c.f., Section 2.5).

   When a channel associated with transport security begins the
   underlying negotiation process, all channels (including channel
   zero) are closed on the BXXP session. Accordingly, upon completion
   of the negotiation process, regardless of its outcome, a new
   greeting is issued by both BXXP peers.































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   A BXXP peer may choose to issue different greetings based on whether
   privacy is in use, e.g.,

       L: <wait for incoming connection>
       I: <open connection>
       L: RPY 0 0 . 0 86
       L:
       L: <greeting>
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS' />
       L: </greeting>
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END
       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 122
       I:
       I: <start number='1'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       I:        <ready />
       I:    </profile>
       I: </start>
       I: END
       L: RPY 0 1 . 86 85
       L:
       L: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       L:     <proceed />
       L: </profile>
       L: END

           ... successful transport security negotiation ...

       L: RPY 0 0 . 0 227
       L:
       L: <greeting>
       L:    <profile
       L:       uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/ANONYMOUS' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/IMXP' />
       L: </greeting>
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END






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   Of course, not all BXXP peers need be as single-minded:

       L: <wait for incoming connection>
       I: <open connection>
       L: RPY 0 0 . 0 287
       L:
       L: <greeting>
       L:    <profile
       L:       uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/ANONYMOUS' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/IMXP' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS' />
       L: </greeting>
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END
       I: MSG 0 1 . 16 122
       I:
       I: <start number='1'>
       I:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       I:        <ready />
       I:    </profile>
       I: </start>
       I: END
       L: RPY 0 1 . 287 85
       L:
       L: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       L:     <proceed />
       L: </profile>
       L: END

           ... failed transport security negotiation ...

       L: RPY 0 0 . 0 287
       L:
       L: <greeting>
       L:    <profile
       L:       uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/ANONYMOUS' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/IMXP' />
       L:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS' />
       L: </greeting>
       L: END
       I: RPY 0 0 . 0 16
       I:
       I: <greeting />
       I: END


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3.1 The TLS Transport Security Profile

   Section 6.3 contains the registration for this profile.

3.1.1 Profile Identification and Initialization

   The TLS transport security profile is identified as:

       http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS

   in the BXXP "profile" element during channel creation.

   During channel creation, the corresponding "profile" element in the
   BXXP "start" element may contain a "ready" element. If channel
   creation is successful, then before sending the corresponding reply,
   the BXXP peer processes the "ready" element and includes the
   resulting response in the reply, e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 122
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       C:        <ready />
       C:    </profile>
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 86 85
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       S:     <proceed />
       S: </profile>
       S: END



















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   Note that it is possible for the channel to be created, but for the
   encapsulated operation to fail, e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 137
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       C:        <ready version="oops" />
       C:    </profile>
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 86 158
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS'>
       S:     <error code='501'>version attribute
       S: poorly formed in &lt;ready&gt; element</error>
       S: </profile>
       S: END

   In this case, a positive reply is sent (as channel creation
   succeeded), but the encapsulated response contains an indication as
   to why the operation failed.

3.1.2 Message Syntax

   Section 6.4 defines the messages that are used in the TLS transport
   security profile.

3.1.3 Message Semantics

3.1.3.1 The Ready Message

   The "ready" element has an optional "version" attribute and no
   content:

   o  the "version" element defines the earliest version of TLS
      acceptable for use.

   When a BXXP peer sends the "ready" element, it must not send any
   further traffic on any channel until a corresponding reply is
   received; similarly, before processing a "ready" element, the
   receiving BXXP peer waits until any pending replies have been
   generated and sent.

3.1.3.2 The Proceed Message

   The "proceed" element has no attributes and no content. It is sent
   as a reply to the "ready" element. When a BXXP peer receives the
   "ready" element, it begins the underlying negotiation process for


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   transport security.


















































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4. User Authentication

   When a BXXP session is established, anonymous access, without trace
   information, is provided. Accordingly, user authentication in BXXP
   is achieved using an initial tuning profile.

   This document defines a family of profiles based on SASL mechanisms:

   o  each mechanism in the IANA SASL registry[13] has an associated
      profile.

   Other profiles may be defined and deployed on a bilateral basis.

   Whenever a successful authentication occurs, on any channel, the
   authenticated identity is updated for all existing and future
   channels on the BXXP session; further, no additional attempts at
   authentication are allowed.

   Note that regardless of transport security and user authentication,
   authorization is an internal matter for each BXXP peer. As such,
   each peer may choose to restrict the operations it allows based on
   the authentication credentials provided (i.e., unauthorized
   operations might be rejected with error code 530).




























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4.1 The SASL Family of Profiles

   Section 6.5 contains the registration for this profile.

   Note that SASL may provide both user authentication and transport
   security. Once transport security is successfully negotiated for a
   BXXP session, then a SASL security layer must not be negotiated;
   similarly, once any SASL negotiation is successful, a transport
   security profile must not begin its underlying negotiation process.

   Section 4 of the SASL specification[5] requires the following
   information be supplied by a protocol definition:

   service name: "bxxp"

   initiation sequence: Creating a channel using a BXXP profile
      corresponding to a SASL mechanism starts the exchange. An
      optional parameter corresponding to the "initial response" sent
      by the client is carried within a "blob" element during channel
      creation.

   exchange sequence: "Challenges" and "responses" are carried in
      exchanges of the "blob" element. The "status" attribute of the
      "blob" element is used both by a server indicating a successful
      completion of the exchange, and a client aborting the exchange,
      The server indicates failure of the exchange by sending an
      "error" element.

   security layer negotiation: When a security layer starts
      negotiation, all channels (including channel zero) are closed on
      the BXXP session. Accordingly, upon completion of the negotiation
      process, regardless of its outcome, a new greeting is issued by
      both BXXP peers.

      If a security layer is successfully negotiated, it takes effect
      immediately following the message that concludes the server's
      successful completion reply.

   use of the authorization identity: This is made available to all
      channels for the duration of the BXXP session.











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4.1.1 Profile Identification and Initialization

   Each SASL mechanism registered with the IANA is identified as:

       http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/MECHANISM

   where "MECHANISM" is the token assigned to that mechanism by the
   IANA.

   Note that during channel creation, a BXXP peer may provide multiple
   profiles to the remote peer, e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 173
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile
       C:       uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/ANONYMOUS' />
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 287 63
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP' />
       S: END

   During channel creation, the corresponding "profile" element in the
   BXXP "start" element may contain a "blob" element. Note that it is
   possible for the channel to be created, but for the encapsulated
   operation to fail, e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 147
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP'>
       C:        <blob>AGJsb2NrbWFzdGVy</blob>
       C:    </profile>
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 287 142
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP'>
       S:     <error code='534'>authentication mechanism is
       S: too weak</error>
       S: </profile>
       S: END

   In this case, a positive reply is sent (as channel creation
   succeeded), but the encapsulated response contains an indication as
   to why the operation failed.


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   Otherwise, the server sends a challenge (or signifies success), e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 147
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP'>
       C:        <blob>AGJsb2NrbWFzdGVy</blob>
       C:    </profile>
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 287 146
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/OTP'>
       S:     <blob>b3RwLXNoYTEgOTk5NyBwaXh5bWlzYXM4NTgwNSBleHQ=</blob>
       S: </profile>
       S: END

   If a challenge is received, then the client responds and awaits
   another reply, e.g.,

       C: MSG 1 0 . 0 69
       C:
       C: <blob>d29yZDpmZXJuIGhhbmcgYnJvdyBib25nIGhlcmQgdG9n</blob>
       C: END
       S: RPY 1 0 . 0 15
       S:
       S: <blob status='complete' />
       S: END

   Of course, the client could abort the authentication process by
   sending "<blob status='abort' />" instead.

   Alternatively, the server might reject the response with an error:
   e.g.,

       C: MSG 1 0 . 0 69
       C:
       C: <blob>d29yZDpmZXJuIGhhbmcgYnJvdyBib25nIGhlcmQgdG9n</blob>
       C: END
       S: ERR 1 1 . 0 24
       S:
       S: <error code='535' />
       S: END








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   Finally, depending on the SASL mechanism, an initialization element
   may be exchanged unidirectionally during channel creation, e.g.,

       C: MSG 0 1 . 16 109
       C:
       C: <start number='1'>
       C:    <profile
       C:        uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/CRAM-MD5' />
       C: </start>
       C: END
       S: RPY 0 1 . 287 150
       S:
       S: <profile uri='http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/CRAM-MD5'>
       S: <blob>PDE4OTYuNjk3MTcwOTUyQHBvc3RvZmZpY2UucmVzdG9uLm1jaS5uZXQ+
                                                                 </blob>
       S: </profile>
       S: END

   Note that this example implies that the "blob" element in the
   server's reply appears on two lines -- this is an artifact of the
   presentation; in fact, only one line is used.

4.1.2 Message Syntax

   Section 6.6 defines the messages that are used for each profile in
   the SASL family.

   Note that because many SASL mechanisms exchange binary data, the
   content of the "blob" element is always a base64-encoded string.






















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4.1.3 Message Semantics

   The "blob" element has an optional "status" attribute, and arbitrary
   octets as its content:

   o  the "status" attribute, if present, takes one of three values:

      abort: used by a client to indicate that it is aborting the
         authentication process;

      complete: used by a server to indicate that the exchange is
         complete and successful; or,

      continue: used by either a client or server, otherwise.

   Finally, note that SASL's EXTERNAL mechanism works with an "external
   authentication" service, which is provided by one of:

   o  a transport security profile, capable of providing authentication
      information (e.g., Section 3.1), being active on the connection;

   o  a network service, capable of providing strong authentication
      (e.g., IPSec[11]), underlying the connection; or,

   o  a locally-defined security service.

   For authentication to succeed, two conditions must hold:

   o  an external authentication service must be active; and,

   o  if present, the authentication identity must be consistent with
      the credentials provided by the external authentication service
      (if the authentication identity is empty, then an authorization
      identity is automatically derived from the credentials provided
      by the external authentication service).
















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5. Profile Registration Template

   When a profile is registered, the following information is supplied:

   Profile Identification: specify a URI[9] that authoritatively
      identifies this profile.

   Elements Exchanged during Channel Creation: specify the elements
      that may be exchanged during channel creation (If the profile
      doesn't exchange XML elements, then initialization information
      may not be exchanged during channel creation). Regardless, the
      size of any initialization element may not exceed 4K octets.

   Messages starting one-to-one exchanges: specify the datatypes that
      may be present when an exchange starts.

   Messages in positive replies: specify the datatypes that may be
      present in a positive reply.

   Messages in negative replies: specify the datatypes that may be
      present in a negative reply.

   Messages in one-to-many exchanges: specify the datatypes that may be
      present in a one-to-many exchange.

   Message Syntax: specify the syntax of the datatypes exchanged by the
      profile.

   Message Semantics: specify the semantics of the datatypes exchanged
      by the profile.

   Note that "datatype" refers to any MIME media type, whilst "element"
   refers to any well-formed XML document.


















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6. Initial Profile Registrations

6.1 BXXP Channel Management

   Profile Identification: not applicable

   Elements Exchanged during Channel Creation: not applicable

   Messages starting one-to-one exchanges: "start" or "close"

   Messages in positive replies: "greeting", "profile", or "ok"

   Messages in negative replies: "error"

   Messages in one-to-many exchanges: none

   Message Syntax: c.f., Section 6.2

   Message Semantics: c.f., Section 2.3.1
































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6.2 BXXP Channel Management DTD

   <!--
     DTD for BXXP Channel Management, as of 2000-09-04


     Refer to this DTD as:

       <!ENTITY % BXXP PUBLIC "-//Blocks//DTD BXXP//EN"
                  "http://xml.resource.org/profiles/BXXP/bxxp.dtd">
       %BXXP;
     -->


   <!--
     DTD data types:

           entity        syntax/reference     example
           ======        ================     =======
       a channel number
           CHAN          1..2147483647        1

       authoritative profile identification
           URI          c.f., [RFC-2396]      http://invisible.net/

       one or more feature tokens, seperated by space
           FTRS         NMTOKENS              "magic"

       zero or more language tags
           LOCS         NMTOKENS              "en-US"

       a language tag
           LANG         c.f., [RFC-1766]      "en", "en-US", etc.

       a 3-digit reply code
           XYZ           [1-5][1-9][1-9]      500
   -->


   <!ENTITY % CHAN       "CDATA">
   <!ENTITY % URI        "CDATA">
   <!ENTITY % FTRS       "NMTOKENS">
   <!ENTITY % LOCS       "NMTOKEN">
   <!ENTITY % LANG       "NMTOKEN">
   <!ENTITY % XYZ        "CDATA">






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   <!--
     BXXP messages

        role       MSG         RSP         ERR
       =======     ===         ===         ===
       I and L                 greeting    error

       I or L      start       profile     error

       I or L      close       ok          error
     -->


   <!ELEMENT greeting    (profile)*>
   <!ATTLIST greeting
             features    %FTRS;            #IMPLIED
             localize    %LOCS;            "i-default">

   <!ELEMENT start       (profile)+>
   <!ATTLIST start
             number      %CHAN;             #REQUIRED
             serverName  CDATA              #IMPLIED>

   <!-- profile element is empty if contained in a greeting -->
   <!ELEMENT profile     ANY>
   <!ATTLIST profile
             uri         %URI;              #REQUIRED>

   <!ELEMENT close       (#PCDATA)*>
   <!ATTLIST close
             number      %CHAN;             "0"
             code        %XYZ;              #REQUIRED
             xml:lang    %LANG;             #IMPLIED>

   <!ELEMENT ok          EMPTY>

   <!ELEMENT error       (#PCDATA)*>
   <!ATTLIST error
             code        %XYZ;              #REQUIRED
             xml:lang    %LANG;             #IMPLIED>











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6.3 Registration: TLS Transport Security Profile

   Profile Identification: http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS

   Elements Exchanged during Channel Creation: "ready"

   Messages starting one-to-one exchanges: "ready"

   Messages in positive replies: "proceed"

   Messages in negative replies: "error"

   Messages in one-to-many exchanges: none

   Message Syntax: c.f., Section 6.4

   Message Semantics: c.f., Section 3.1.3


































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6.4 TLS Transport Security Profile DTD

   <!--
     DTD for the TLS Transport Security Profile, as of 2000-09-04


     Refer to this DTD as:

       <!ENTITY % TLS PUBLIC "-//Blocks//DTD TLS//EN"
                  "http://xml.resource.org/profiles/TLS/tls.dtd">
       %TLS;
     -->


   <!--
     TLS messages

        role       MSG         RSP         ERR
       ======      ===         ===         ===
       I or L      ready       proceed     error
     -->


   <!ELEMENT ready       EMPTY>
   <!ATTLIST ready
             version     CDATA              "1">

   <!ELEMENT proceed     EMPTY>























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6.5 Registration: SASL Family of Profiles

   Profile Identification:
      http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/MECHANISM, where
      "MECHANISM" is a token registered with the IANA[14]

   Elements Exchanged during Channel Creation: "blob"

   Messages starting one-to-one exchanges: "blob"

   Messages in positive replies: "blob"

   Messages in negative replies: "error"

   Messages in one-to-many exchanges: none

   Message Syntax: c.f., Section 6.6

   Message Semantics: c.f., Section 4.1.3
































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6.6 SASL Family of Profiles DTD

   <!--
     DTD for the SASL Family of Profiles, as of 2000-09-04


     Refer to this DTD as:

       <!ENTITY % SASL PUBLIC "-//Blocks//DTD SASL//EN"
                  "http://xml.resource.org/profiles/sasl/sasl.dtd">
       %SASL;
     -->


   <!--
     SASL messages

        role       MSG         RSP         ERR
       ======      ===         ===         ===
       I or L      blob        blob        error
     -->


   <!ELEMENT blob        (#PCDATA)*>
   <!ATTLIST blob
             xml:space   (default|preserve)
                                           "preserve"
             status      (abort|complete|continue)
                                            "continue">






















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7. Reply Codes

   code    meaning
   ====    =======
   421     service not available

   450     requested action not taken
           (e.g., lock already in use)

   451     requested action aborted
           (e.g., local error in processing)

   454     temporary authentication failure

   500     general syntax error
           (e.g., poorly-formed XML)

   501     syntax error in parameters
           (e.g., non-valid XML)

   504     parameter not implemented

   530     authentication required

   534     authentication mechanism insufficient
           (e.g., too weak, sequence exhausted, etc.)

   535     authentication failure

   537     action not authorized for user

   538     authentication mechanism requires encryption

   550     requested action not taken
           (e.g., no requested profiles are acceptable)

   553     parameter invalid

   554     transaction failed
           (e.g., policy violation)











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8. Security Considerations

   The BXXP framing mechanism, per se, provides no protection against
   attack; however, judicious use of initial tuning profiles provides
   varying degrees of assurance:

   1.  If one of the profiles from the SASL family is used, refer to
       [5]'s Section 9 for a discussion of security considerations.

   2.  If the TLS transport security profile is used (or if a SASL
       security layer is negotiated), then:

       1.  A man-in-the-middle may remove the security-related profiles
           from the BXXP greeting or generate a negative reply to the
           "ready" element of the TLS transport security profile. A
           BXXP peer may be configurable to refuse to proceed without
           an acceptable level of privacy.

       2.  A man-in-the-middle may cause a down-negotiation to the
           weakest cipher suite available. A BXXP peer should be
           configurable to refuse weak cipher suites.

       3.  A man-in-the-middle may modify any protocol exchanges prior
           to a successful negotiation. Upon completing the
           negotiation, a BXXP peer must discard previously cached
           information about the BXXP session.

       As different TLS ciphersuites provide varying levels of
       security, administrators should carefully choose which
       ciphersuites are provisioned.





















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9. IANA Considerations

   The IANA registers "bxxp" as a GSSAPI[12] service name, as specified
   in Section 4.1.

   The IANA maintains a list of BXXP profiles that are defined in any
   standards-track documents.

   The IANA makes the registrations specified in Section 6.3 and
   Section 6.5. It is recommended that the IANA register these profiles
   using the IANA as a URI-prefix, and populate those URIs with the
   respective profile registrations.







































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References

   [1]   Rose, M.T., "On the Design of Application Protocols",
         draft-mrose-beep-design-00 (work in progress), July 2000.

   [2]   Freed, N. and N. Borenstein, "Multipurpose Internet Mail
         Extensions (MIME) Part One: Format of Internet Message
         Bodies", RFC 2045, November 1996.

   [3]   World Wide Web Consortium, "Extensible Markup Language (XML)
         1.0", W3C XML, February 1998,
         <URL:http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-xml-19980210>.

   [4]   Dierks, T., Allen, C., Treese, W., Karlton, P. L., Freier, A.
         O. and P. C. Kocher, "The TLS Protocol Version 1.0", RFC 2246,
         January 1999.

   [5]   Myers, J.G., "Simple Authentication and Security Layer
         (SASL)", RFC 2222, October 1997.

   [6]   Rose, M.T., "Mapping the BXXP Framework onto TCP",
         draft-ietf-beep-tcpmapping-01 (work in progress), September
         2000.

   [7]   Postel, J., "Transmission Control Protocol", RFC 793, STD 7,
         Sep 1981.

   [8]   Alvestrand, H., "Tags for the Identification of Languages",
         RFC 1766, March 1995.

   [9]   Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R.T. and L. Masinter, "Uniform
         Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax", RFC 2396, August
         1998.

   [10]  Newman, C., "The One-Time-Password SASL Mechanism", RFC 2444,
         October 1998.

   [11]  Kent, S. and R. Atkinson, "Security Architecture for the
         Internet Protocol", RFC 2401, November 1998.

   [12]  Linn, J., "Generic Security Service Application Program
         Interface, Version 2", RFC 2078, January 1997.

   [13]  <URL:http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/sasl-mechanis
         ms>

   [14]  <URL:http://www.iana.org/>




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Author's Address

   Marshall T. Rose
   Invisible Worlds, Inc.
   1179 North McDowell Boulevard
   Petaluma, CA  94954-6559
   US

   Phone: +1 707 789 3700
   EMail: mrose@invisible.net
   URI:   http://invisible.net/








































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Appendix A. Changes from draft-ietf-beep-framework-00

   o  The names of messages are renamed:

      *  "REQ" messages are now "MSG" messages; and,

      *  "RSP" messages are now "RPY" (positive), "ANS"/"NULL"
         (one-to-many), and "ERR" (negative).

   o  One-to-many exchanges are supported using the "ANS" message.

   o  Commonly-used paraemters are re-ordered in the header:

      *  channel numbers appear in each frame (and are 31-bits wide);
         and,

      *  serial numbers are now message numbers, and are per-channel.

   o  MIME "entity-headers" are now part of the payload (and there is
      no longer any header-related processing associated with them).

   o  An IANA registration for BXXP error codes is no longer required
      (the error codes are used only within this specification).

   o  The close message (Section 2.3.1.3) is also used to release the
      BXXP session.

























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Appendix B. Changes from draft-mrose-bxxp-framework-01

   o  Channel numbers are now 31-bits wide (instead of 8-bits).

   o  Peers should support at least 257 concurrent channels.

   o  The consistency rules in Section 2.2.1.1 now mandate that any
      MIME entity-headers occur only in the first frame of a message.

   o  Discussion of the role of the entity-headers is moved to Section
      2.2.1.1.

   o  Section 2.2.2 requires that a BXXP peer close a channel when a
      poorly-formed reply is received (unless it's channel zero, in
      which case the BXXP session is terminated).

   o  Section 2.2.2 explains that in an XML-based profile, if something
      other than UTF-8 is sent, then a "Content-Type:" entity-header
      must be present to specify the character set.

   o  The close (Section 2.3.1.3) and ok (Section 2.3.1.4) messages
      were added.

   o  Both Section 2.3.1.3 and Section 2.3.1.5 clarify that diagnostic
      text is not to be interpreted by programs.

   o  Section 5 limits the the size of an initialization element to 4K
      octets.























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Appendix C. Changes from draft-mrose-bxxp-framework-00

   o  The IPR notice is changed to be in full conformance with all
      provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

   o  At the beginning of Section 2.2 (and in the ABNF in Section
      2.2.1) the relationship between messages and frames is clarified.

   o  A typo involving the final CR LF in the ABNF in Section 2.2.1 is
      corrected.

   o  In Section 2.2.1.1, the "contiguous message" rule replaces the
      "transport-specific" assertion (the sixth rule for identifying
      poorly-formed frames).

   o  At the beginning of Section 2.3, an explanation of the
      relstionship between profiles and channels (and the greeting and
      start messages) is added.

   o  In Section 2.3.1, the order of the sections for the greeting and
      start messages is reversed for readability.






























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Appendix D. Acknowledgements

   The author gratefully acknowledges the contributions of: David
   Clark, Dave Crocker, Steve Deering, Marco Gazzetta, Danny Goodman,
   Steve Harris, Robert Herriot, Ken Hirsch, Greg Hudson, Ben Laurie,
   Carl Malamud, Michael Mealling, Keith McCloghrie, Paul Mockapetris,
   RL 'Bob' Morgan, Frank Morton, Darren New, Chris Newman, Joe Touch,
   Paul Vixie, Gabe Wachob, Daniel Woods, and, James Woodyatt. In
   particular, Dave Crocker provided helpful suggestions on the nature
   of segmentation in the framing protocol.









































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Full Copyright Statement

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000). All Rights Reserved.

   This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
   others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
   or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
   and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
   kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
   are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this
   document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
   the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
   Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
   developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
   copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
   followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
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   The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
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   This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
   "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
   TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
   BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
   HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
   MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Acknowledgement

   Funding for the RFC editor function is currently provided by the
   Internet Society.



















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