Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Operational Protocols: FTP and HTTP
RFC 2585
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RFC - Proposed Standard
(May 1999; Errata)
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RFC 2585 (Proposed Standard)
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Network Working Group R. Housley
Request for Comments: 2585 SPYRUS
Category: Standards Track P. Hoffman
IMC
May 1999
Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure
Operational Protocols: FTP and HTTP
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
The protocol conventions described in this document satisfy some of
the operational requirements of the Internet Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI). This document specifies the conventions for
using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and the Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) to obtain certificates and certificate revocation
lists (CRLs) from PKI repositories. Additional mechanisms addressing
PKIX operational requirements are specified in separate documents.
1 Introduction
This specification is part of a multi-part standard for the Internet
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) using X.509 certificates and
certificate revocation lists (CRLs). This document specifies the
conventions for using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and the
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to obtain certificates and CRLs
from PKI repositories. Additional mechanisms addressing PKI
repository access are specified in separate documents.
Housley & Hoffman Standards Track [Page 1]
RFC 2585 PKIX Operational Protocols: FTP and HTTP May 1999
1.1. Model
The following is a simplified view of the architectural model assumed
by the Internet PKI specifications.
+---+
| C | +------------+
| e | <-------------------->| End entity |
| r | Operational +------------+
| t | transactions ^
| | and management | Management
| / | transactions | transactions
| | | PKI users
| C | v
| R | -------------------+--+-----------+-----------------
| L | ^ ^
| | | | PKI management
| | v | entities
| R | +------+ |
| e | <---------------------| RA | <---+ |
| p | Publish certificate +------+ | |
| o | | |
| s | | |
| I | v v
| t | +------------+
| o | <------------------------------| CA |
| r | Publish certificate +------------+
| y | Publish CRL ^
| | |
+---+ Management |
transactions |
v
+------+
| CA |
+------+
The components in this model are:
End Entity: user of PKI certificates and/or end user system that is
the subject of a certificate;
CA: certification authority;
RA: registration authority, i.e., an optional system to
which a CA delegates certain management functions;
Housley & Hoffman Standards Track [Page 2]
RFC 2585 PKIX Operational Protocols: FTP and HTTP May 1999
Repository: a system or collection of distributed systems that store
certificates and CRLs and serves as a means of
distributing these certificates and CRLs to end
entities.
1.2. Certificate and CRL Repository
Some CAs mandate the use of on-line validation services, while others
distribute CRLs to allow certificate users to perform certificate
validation themselves. In general, CAs make CRLs available to
certificate users by publishing them in the Directory. The Directory
is also the normal distribution mechanism for certificates. However,
Directory Services are not available in many parts of the Internet
today. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) defined in RFC 959 and the
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