INTERNET-DRAFT C. Apple <draft-ietf-schema-file-list-01.txt> AT&T Labs Expires: October 21, 1998 21 April 1998 Directory Schema Listing File Names <draft-ietf-schema-file-list-01.txt> Status of this Memo This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as ``work in progress.'' To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the ``1id-abstracts.txt'' listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), nic.nordu.net (Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), or ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast). Abstract This memo specifies a file name syntax for use by the primary listing repository operator of the directory schema listing service. 1.0 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. Apple [Page 1]
INTERNET-DRAFT Directory Schema Listing File Names 21 April 1998 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] Metadata - characteristics that differentiate one schema unit or schema pak from another; used to catalog listing service content; structured using a profile of [MIMEDIR]; 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 [MIMEDIR] 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 Apple [Page 2]
INTERNET-DRAFT Directory Schema Listing File Names 21 April 1998 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) The terms for specifying requirement level defined in [RFC2119] are used in this document. 2.0 File Name Syntax All file names for listing meta data and listing content MUST comply with the following BNF [RFC822] grammar: 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> Apple [Page 3]
INTERNET-DRAFT Directory Schema Listing File Names 21 April 1998 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 [MIMEDIR] profiles other than those defined for containing LDAP [RFC2251], WHOIS++ [RFC1835], and RWHOIS [RFC1714] schema listing content. 3.0 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 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. 4.0 Example File Names Apple [Page 4]
INTERNET-DRAFT Directory Schema Listing File Names 21 April 1998 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): 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 Apple [Page 5]
INTERNET-DRAFT Directory Schema Listing File Names 21 April 1998 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 5.0 Security Considerations There are no known security concerns associated with the file name syntax specified in this document. 6.0 Acknowledgements Leslie Daigle of Bunyip Information Systems reviewed and provided valuable comments on the syntax specification content in this document. The schema listing service engineering team: Chris Apple - AT&T Labs Sanjay Sain - Oracle Michael Mealling - NSI John Strassner - Cisco Sam Sun - CNRI Mark Wahl - Critical Angle Chris Weider - Microsoft Paul Hoffman for review and comment resulting from his effort to develop a platform for the initial release of the listing service. 7.0 References [MIMEDIR] T. Howes, M. Smith, "A MIME Content-Type for Directory Information", INTERNET-DRAFT <draft-ietf-asid-mime-direct-05.txt>, November 1997. [RFC822] D. Crocker, "Standard of the Format of ARPA-Internet Text Messages", STD 11, RFC 822, August 1982. Apple [Page 6]
INTERNET-DRAFT Directory Schema Listing File Names 21 April 1998 [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 [RFC2119] S. Bradner, "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Level", RFC 2119, March 1997. [RFC2251] M. Wahl, T. Howes, S. Kille, "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (Version 3)", RFC 2251, December 1997. 8.0 Author's Address Chris Apple AT&T Labs 600 - 700 Mountain Ave., Room 2F-165 Murray Hill, NJ 07974-0636 USA E-Mail: capple@att.com Phone: +1 908 582 2409 FAX: +1 908 582 3296 This INTERNET-DRAFT expires on October 21, 1998. Apple [Page 7]
