As per Relevance of the word registration, we have this rfc below:
Network Working Group T.
Request for Comments: 2425 M.
Category: Standards Track Netscape Communications Corp
F.
Lotus Development
September 1998
A MIME Content-Type for Directory
Status of this
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited
Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved
1.
This document defines a MIME Content-Type for holding
information. The definition is independent of any
directory service or protocol. The text/directory Content-Type
defined for holding a variety of directory information, for example
name, or email address, or logo. The text/directory Content-Type
also be used as the root body part in a multipart/related Content
Type for handling more complicated situations, especially those
which non-textual information that already has a natural
representation, for example, a photograph or sound, is to
represented
The text/directory Content-Type defines a general framework
format for holding directory information in a simple "type:value
form. We refer to "type" in this context meaning a property
attribute with which the value is associated. Mechanisms are
to specify alternate languages, encodings and other meta-information
This document also defines the procedure by which particular formats
called profiles, for carrying application-specific information
a text/directory Content-Type can be defined and registered, and
conventions such formats must follow. It is expected that
documents will be produced that define such formats for
applications (e.g., white pages).
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 1]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY" and "OPTIONAL" in
document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC-2119].
2. Table of
Status of the Memo................................................ 1
Copyright Notice.................................................. 1
1. Abstract...................................................... 1
2. Table of Contents............................................. 2
3. Need for a MIME Directory Type................................ 3
4. Overview...................................................... 4
5. The text/directory Content-Type............................... 4
5.1. MIME media type name........................................ 4
5.2. MIME subtype name........................................... 5
5.3. Required parameters......................................... 5
5.4. Optional parameters......................................... 5
5.5. Encoding considerations..................................... 5
5.6. Security considerations..................................... 6
5.7. Interoperability considerations............................. 6
5.8. Published specification..................................... 6
5.8.1. Line delimiting and folding............................... 6
5.8.2. ABNF content-type definition.............................. 7
5.8.3. Pre-defined Parameters.................................... 9
5.8.4. Pre-defined Value Types...................................11
5.9. Applications which use this media type......................14
5.10. Additional information.....................................14
5.11. Person & email address to contact for further information..14
5.12. Intended usage.............................................14
5.13. Author/Change controller...................................15
6. Predefined Types..............................................15
6.1. SOURCE Type Definition......................................15
6.2. NAME Type Definition........................................16
6.3. PROFILE Type Definition.....................................16
6.4. BEGIN Type Definition.......................................17
6.5. END Type Definition.........................................17
7. Use of the multipart/related Content-Type.....................18
8. Examples.......................................................18
8.1. Example 1...................................................19
8.2. Example 2...................................................19
8.3. Example 3...................................................20
8.4. Example 4...................................................21
9. Registration of new profiles..................................22
9.1. Define the profile..........................................22
9.2. Post the profile definition.................................23
9.3. Allow a comment period......................................23
9.4. Submit the profile for approval.............................23
10. Profile Change Control.......................................23
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 2]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
11. Registration of new types....................................24
11.1. Define the type............................................24
11.2. Post the type definition...................................25
11.3. Allow a comment period.....................................25
11.4. Submit the type for approval...............................25
12. Type Change Control..........................................25
13. Registration of new parameters...............................26
13.1. Define the parameter.......................................26
13.2. Post the parameter definition..............................27
13.3. Allow a comment period.....................................27
13.4. Submit the parameter for approval..........................27
14. Parameter Change Control.....................................28
15. Registration of new value types..............................28
15.1. Define the value type......................................28
15.2. Post the value type definition.............................29
15.3. Allow a comment period.....................................29
15.4. Submit the value type for approval.........................29
16. Security Considerations......................................30
17. Acknowledgements..............................................30
18. References....................................................30
19. Authors' Addresses...........................................32
20. Full Copyright Statement......................................33
3. Need for a MIME Directory
For purposes of this document, a directory is a special-
database that contains typed information. A directory
supports both read and search of the information it contains, and
support creation and modification of the information as well
Directory information is usually accessed far more often than it
updated. Directories can be local or global in scope. They can
distributed or centralized. The information they contain can
replicated, with weak or strong consistency requirements
There are several situations in which users of Internet mail
wish to exchange directory information: the email analogy of
"business card" exchange; the conveyance of directory information
a user having only email access to the Internet; the provision
machine-parseable address information when purchasing goods
services over the Internet; etc. As MIME [RFC-2045, RFC-2046]
used increasingly by other protocols, most notably HTTP, it can
be useful for these protocols to carry directory information in
format. Such a format, for example, could be used to represent
(uniform resource characteristics) information about resources on
World Wide Web, or to provide a rudimentary directory service
HTTP
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 3]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
4.
The scheme defined here for representing directory information in
MIME Content-Type has two parts. First, the text/directory Content
Type is defined for use in holding directory information within
single body part, for example name, title, or email address. In
simplest form, the format uses a "type:value" approach, which
be easily parseable by existing MIME implementations
understandable by users. More complicated situations can
represented also. This document defines the general form
information in the Content-Type should have, and the procedure
which specific types and values (properties) for
applications can be defined. The framework is general enough
handle information from any number of end directory services
including LDAP [RFC-1777, RFC-1778], WHOIS++ [RFC-1835], and X.500
[X500].
Directory entries can include far more than just textual information
Some such information (e.g., an image or sound) overlaps
predefined MIME Content-Types. In these cases it can be desirable
include the information in its well-known MIME format. This
is handled by using a multipart/related Content-Type as defined
[RFC-2112]. The root component of this type is a text/directory
part specifying any in-line information, and for
contained in other Content-Types, the Content-IDs (in URI form)
those parts
In some applications, it can be useful to include a pointer (e.g,
URI) to some directory information rather than the
itself. This document defines a general mechanism for
this
5. The text/directory Content-
The text/directory Content-Type is used to hold basic
information and URIs referencing other information, including
MIME body parts holding supplementary or non-textual
information, such as an image or sound. It is defined as follows
using the MIME media type registration template from [RFC-2048].
To: ietf-types@uninett.
Subject: Registration of MIME media type text/
5.1. MIME media type
MIME media type name:
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
5.2. MIME subtype
MIME subtype name:
5.3. Required
Required parameters:
The "charset" parameter is as defined in [RFC-2046] for other
parts. It is used to identify the default character set used
the body part
5.4. Optional
Optional parameters:
The "profile" parameter is used to convey the type(s) of entity(ies
to which the directory information pertains and the likely set
information associated with the entity(ies). It is intended only as
guide to applications interpreting the information contained
the body part. It SHOULD NOT be used to exclude or require
pieces of information unless a profile definition specifically
for this behavior. Unless specifically forbidden by a
profile definition, a text/directory content type can
arbitrary attribute/value pairs
The value of the "profile" parameter is defined as follows.
names are case insensitive (i.e., the profile name "vCard" is
same as "VCARD" and "vcard" and "vcArD").
profile = x-name / iana-
x-name = "x-" 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-")
; Names beginning with "x-" or "X-"
; reserved for experimental use not intended for
; products, or for use in bilateral agreements
iana-token = extension token,
with IANA, as specified in Section 9 of
document
5.5. Encoding
The default encoding is 8bit. Otherwise, as specified by
Content-Transfer-Encoding header field
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
5.6. Security
Directory information can be public or it can be protected
unauthorized access by the directory service in which it resides
Once the information leaves its native service, there can be
guarantee that the same care will be taken by all services
the information. Furthermore, this specification defines no
control mechanism by which information can be protected, or by
access control information can be conveyed. Note that the
and privacy of a text/directory body part can be protected
enclosing it within an appropriate MIME-based security mechanism
5.7. Interoperability
In order to make sense of directory information, applications
share a common understanding of the types of information
within the Content-Type (the directory schema). This
information is not defined in this document, but rather in
documents (e.g., [MIME-VCARD]) that follow the requirements
in this document, or in bilateral agreements between
parties
5.8. Published
The text/directory Content-Type contains directory information
typically pertaining to a single directory entity or group
entities. The content consists of one or more lines in the
given below
5.8.1. Line delimiting and
Individual lines within the MIME text/directory Content Type body
delimited by the [RFC-822] line break, which is a CRLF
(ASCII decimal 13, followed by ASCII decimal 10). Long logical
of text can be split into a multiple-physical-line
using the following folding technique
A logical line MAY be continued on the next physical line
between two characters by inserting a CRLF immediately followed by
single white space character (space, ASCII decimal 32, or
tab, ASCII decimal 9). At least one character must be present on
folded line. Any sequence of CRLF followed immediately by a
white space character is ignored (removed) when processing
content type. For example the line
DESCRIPTION:This is a long description that exists on a long line
Can be represented as
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 6]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
DESCRIPTION:This is a long
that exists on a long line
It could also be represented as
DESCRIPTION:This is a long
tion that exists
n a long line
The process of moving from this folded multiple-line
of a type definition to its single line representation is
unfolding. Unfolding is accomplished by regarding CRLF
followed by a white space character (namely HTAB ASCII decimal 9
SPACE ASCII decimal 32) as equivalent to no characters at all (i.e.,
the CRLF and single white space character are removed).
5.8.2. ABNF content-type
The following ABNF uses the notation of RFC 2234, which also
CRLF, WSP, DQUOTE, VCHAR, ALPHA, and DIGIT. After the unfolding
any folded lines as described above, the syntax for a line of
content type is as follows
contentline = [group "."] name *(";" param) ":" value
; When parsing a content line, folded lines MUST
; be unfolded according to the unfolding
; described above
; When generating a content line, lines longer than 75
; characters SHOULD be folded according to the
; procedure described above
group = 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-")
name = x-name / iana-
iana-token = 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-")
; identifier registered with
x-name = "x-" 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-")
; Names that begin with "x-" or "X-"
; reserved for experimental use, not intended for
; products, or for use in bilateral agreements
param = param-name "=" param-value *("," param-value
param-name = x-name / iana-
param-value = ptext / quoted-
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
ptext = *SAFE-
value = *VALUE-
/ valuespec ; valuespec defined in section 5.8.4
quoted-string = DQUOTE *QSAFE-CHAR
NON-ASCII = %x80-
; use restricted by charset
; on outer MIME object (UTF-8 preferred
QSAFE-CHAR = WSP / %x21 / %x23-7E / NON-
; Any character except CTLs,
SAFE-CHAR = WSP / %x21 / %x23-2B / %x2D-39 / %x3C-7E / NON-
; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE, ";", ":", ","
VALUE-CHAR = WSP / VCHAR / NON-
; any textual
A line that begins with a white space character is a continuation
the previous line, as described above. The white space character
immediately preceeding CRLF should be discarded when
the original line. Note that this line-folding convention
from that found in RFC 822, in that the sequence
anywhere in the content indicates a continued line and should
removed
Various type names and the format of the corresponding values
defined as specified in Section 11. Specifications MAY
ordering on the type constructs within a body part, though none
required by default. The various x-name constructs are used
bilaterally-agreed upon type names, parameter names and
values, or for use in experimental settings
Type names and parameter names are case insensitive (e.g., the
name "fn" is the same as "FN" and "Fn"). Parameter values MAY be
sensitive or case insensitive, depending on their definition
The group construct is used to group related attributes together
The group name is a syntactic convention used to indicate that
type names prefaced with the same group name SHOULD be
together when displayed by an application. It has no
significance. Implementations that do not understand or
grouping MAY simply strip off any text before a "." to the left
the type name and present the types and values as normal
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 8]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Each attribute defined in the text/directory body MAY have
values, if allowed in the definition of the profile in which
attribute is used. The general rule for encoding multi-valued
is to simply create a new content line for each value (including
type name). However, it should be noted that some value
support encoding multiple values in a single content line
separating the values with a comma ",". This approach has been
for several of the content types defined below (date, time, integer
float), for space-saving reasons
5.8.3. Pre-defined
The following parameters and value types are defined for general use
predefined-param =
/
/
/
encodingparm = "encoding" "="
encodingtype = "b" ; from RFC 2047
/ iana-token ; registered as described
; section 15 of this
valuetypeparm = "value" "="
valuetype = "uri" ; genericurl from secion 5 of RFC 1738
/ "text
/ "date
/ "time
/ "date-time" ; date
/ "integer
/ "boolean
/ "float
/ x-
/ iana-token ; registered as described
; section 15 of this
languageparm = "language" "=" Language-
; Language-Tag is defined in section 2 of RFC 1766
contextparm = "context" "="
context = x-
/ iana-
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
The "language" type parameter is used to identify data in
languages. There is no concept of "default" language, except
specified by any "Content-Language" MIME header parameter that
present. The value of the "language" type parameter is a
tag as defined in Section 2 of [RFC-1766].
The "context" type parameter is used to identify a context (e.g.,
protocol) used in interpreting the value. This is used, for example
in the "source" type, defined below
The "encoding" type parameter is used to specify an
encoding for a value. If the value contains a CRLF, it must
encoded, since CRLF is used to separate lines in the content-
itself. Currently, only the "b" encoding is supported
The "b" encoding can also be useful for binary values that are
with other text information in the body part (e.g., a certificate).
Using a per-value "b" encoding in this case leaves the
information in a more readable form. The encoded base 64 value can
split across multiple physical lines in the content type by using
line folding technique described above
The Content-Transfer-Encoding header field is used to specify
encoding used for the body part as a whole. The "encoding"
parameter is used to specify an encoding for a particular
(e.g., a certificate). In this case, the Content-Transfer-
header might specify "8bit", while the one certificate value
specify an encoding of "b" via an "encoding=b" type parameter
The Content-Transfer-Encoding and the encodings of individual
given by the "encoding" type parameter are independent of
another. When encoding a text/directory body part for transmission
individual type encodings are performed first, then the entire
part is encoded according to the Content-Transfer-Encoding.
decoding a text/directory body part, the Content-Transfer-Encoding
decoded first, and then any individual types with an "encoding"
parameter are decoded
The "value" parameter is optional, and is used to identify the
type (data type) and format of the value. The use of
predefined formats is encouraged even if the value parameter is
explicity used. By defining a standard set of value types and
formats, existing parsing and processing code can be leveraged
Including the value type explicitly as part of each property
an extra hint to keep parsing simple and support more
applications. For example a search engine would not have to know
particular value types for all of the items for which it
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 10]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
searching. Because the value type is explicit in the definition,
search engine could look for dates in any item type and
results that can still be interpreted
5.8.4. Pre-defined Value
The format for values corresponding to the predefined
specifications given above are defined
valuespec = text-
/ genericurl ; from section 5 of RFC 1738
/ date-
/ time-
/ date-time-
/
/ integer-
/ float-
/ iana-
text-list = *TEXT-LIST-CHAR *("," *TEXT-LIST-CHAR
TEXT-LIST-CHAR = "\\" / "\," / "\n
/
; Backslashes, newlines, and commas must be encoded
; \n or \N can be used to encode a newline
date-list = date *("," date
time-list = time *("," time
date-time-list = date "T" time *("," date "T" time
boolean = "TRUE" / "FALSE
integer-list = integer *("," integer
integer = [sign] 1*
float-list = float *("," float
float = [sign] 1*DIGIT ["." 1*DIGIT
sign = "+" / "-"
date = date-fullyear ["-"] date-month ["-"] date-
date-fullyear = 4
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
date-month = 2 DIGIT ;01-12
date-mday = 2 DIGIT ;01-28, 01-29, 01-30, 01-31
;based on month/
time = time-hour [":"] time-minute [":"] time-second [time-secfrac
[time-zone
time-hour = 2 DIGIT ;00-23
time-minute = 2 DIGIT ;00-59
time-second = 2 DIGIT ;00-60 (leap second
time-secfrac = "," 1*
time-zone = "Z" / time-
time-numzome = sign time-hour [":"] time-
iana-valuespec =
with IANA, as defined in section 15 of
document
Some specific notes on the value types and formats
"text": The "text" value type should be used to identify values
contain human-readable text. The character set and language in
the text is represented is controlled by the charset content-
and the language type parameter and content-header
Examples for "text":
this is a text
this is one value,this is
this is a single value\, with a comma
A formatted text line break in a text value type MUST be
as the character sequence backslash (ASCII decimal 92) followed by
Latin small letter n (ASCII decimal 110) or a Latin capital letter
(ASCII decimal 78), that is "\n" or "\N".
For example a multiple line DESCRIPTION value of
Mythical
Hyjinx Software
BabsCo, Inc
could be represented as
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 12]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
DESCRIPTION:Mythical Manager\nHyjinx Software Division\
BabsCo\, Inc.\
demonstrating the \n literal formatted line break technique,
CRLF-followed-by-space line folding technique, and the
escape technique
"uri": The "uri" value type should be used to identify values
are referenced by a URI (including a Content-ID URI), instead
encoded in-line. These value references might be used if the value
too large, or otherwise undesirable to include directly. The
for the URI is as defined in RFC 1738.
Examples for "uri":
http://www.foobar.com/my/picture.
ldap://ldap.foobar.com/cn=babs%20
"date", "time", and "date-time": Each of these value types is
on a subset of the definitions in ISO 8601 standard. Profiles
place further restrictions on "date" and "time" values.
"date" and "time" values can be specified using the comma-
notation, unless restricted by a profile
Examples for "date":
1985-04-12
1996-08-05,1996-11-11
19850412
Examples for "time":
10:22:00
102200
10:22:00.33
10:22:00.33
10:22:33,11:22:00
10:22:00-08:00
Examples for "date-time":
1996-10-22T14:00:00
1996-08-11T12:34:56
19960811T123456
1996-10-22T14:00:00Z,1996-08-11T12:34:56
"boolean": The "boolean" value type is used to express boolen values
These values are case insensitive
Examples:
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
"integer": The "integer" value type is used to express
integers in decimal format. If sign is not specified, the value
assumed positive "+". Multiple "integer" values can be
using the comma-separated notation, unless restricted by a profile
Examples: 1234567890
-1234556790
+1234556790,432109876
"float": The "float" value type is used to express real numbers.
sign is not specified, the value is assumed positive "+".
"float" values can be specified using the comma-separated notation
unless restricted by a profile
Examples: 20.30
1000000.0000001
1.333,3.14
5.9. Applications which use this media
Applications which use this media type:
5.10. Additional
Additional information:
5.11. Person & email address to contact for further
Tim
Netscape Communications Corp
501 East Middlefield Rd
Mountain View, CA 94041
howes@netscape.
+1 415 937 3419
5.12. Intended
Intended usage:
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
5.13. Author/Change
Tim
Netscape Communications Corp
501 East Middlefield Rd
Mountain View, CA 94041
howes@netscape.
+1 415 937 3419
Mark
Netscape Communications Corp
501 East Middlefield Rd
Mountain View, CA 94041
mcs@netscape.
+1 415 937 3477
Frank
Lotus Development
6544 Battleford
Raleigh, NC 27613-3502
frank_dawson@lotus.
+1-919-676-9515
6. Predefined
The following types are generally useful regardless of the
being carried and are defined below using the text/directory
type registration template defined in Section 11.1 of this document
These types MAY be included in any profile, unless
forbidden in the profile definition
6.1. SOURCE Type
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type
Type name:
Type purpose: To identify the source of directory
contained in the content type
Type encoding: 8
Type valuetype:
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Type special notes: The SOURCE type is used to provide the means
which applications knowledgable in the given directory
protocol can obtain additional or more up-to-date information
the directory service. It contains a URI as defined in [RFC-1738]
and/or other information referencing the directory entity or
to which the information pertains. When directory information
available from more than one source, the sending entity can pick
it considers to be the best source, or multiple SOURCE types can
included. The interpretation of the value for a SOURCE type
depend on the setting of the CONTEXT type parameter. The value of
CONTEXT type parameter MUST be compatible with the value of the
prefix
Type example
SOURCE;CONTEXT=LDAP:ldap://ldap.host/cn=Babs%20Jensen
%20o=Babsco,%20c=
6.2. NAME Type
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type
Type name:
Type purpose: To identify the displayable name of the
entity to which information in the content type pertains
Type encoding: 8
Type valuetype:
Type special notes: The NAME type is used to convey the display
of the entity to which the directory information pertains
Type example
NAME:Babs Jensen's Contact
6.3. PROFILE Type
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type
Type name:
Type purpose: To identify the type of directory entity to
information in the content type pertains
Type encoding: 8
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Type valuetype: A profile name, registered as described in Section 9
of this document or bilaterally agreed upon as described in
5.
Type special notes: The PROFILE type is used to convey the type
the entity to which the directory information in the rest of the
part pertains. It should be the same as the "profile"
parameter, if present
Type example
PROFILE:
6.4. BEGIN Type
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type
Type name:
Type purpose: To denote the beginning of a syntactic entity within
text/directory content-type
Type encoding: 8
Type valuetype: text, containing a profile name, registered
described in Section 9 of this document or bilaterally-agreed upon
described in Section 5.
Type special notes: The BEGIN type is used in conjunction with
END type to delimit a profile containing a related set of
within an text/directory content-type. This construct can be
instead of or in addition to wrapping separate sets of
inside additional MIME headers. It is provided for applications
wish to define content that can contain multiple entities within
same text/directory content-type or to define content that can
identifiable outside of a MIME environment
Type example
BEGIN:
6.5. END Type
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type
Type name:
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RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Type purpose: To denote the end of a syntactic entity within
text/directory content-type
Type encoding: 8
Type valuetype: text, containing a profile name, registered
described in Section 9 of this document or bilaterally-agreed upon
described in Section 5.
Type special notes: The END type is used in conjunction with
BEGIN type to delimit a profile containing a related set
properties within an text/directory content-type. This construct
be used instead of or in addition to wrapping separate sets
information inside additional MIME headers. It is provided
applications that wish to define content that can contain
entities within the same text/directory content-type or to
content that can be identifiable outside of a MIME environment
Type example
END:
7. Use of the multipart/related Content-
The multipart/related Content-Type can be used to hold
information comprised of both text and non-text information
directory information that already has a natural MIME representation
The root body part within the multipart/related body part
specified as defined in [RFC-2112] by a "start" parameter, or it
the first body part in the absence of such a parameter. The
body part must have a Content-Type of "text/directory". This
holds inline information and makes reference to subsequent body
holding additional text or non-text directory information via
Content-ID URIs as explained in Section 5.
The body parts referred to do not have to be in any particular order
except as noted above for the root body part
8.
The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are
part of the definition
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 18]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
8.1. Example 1
The first example illustrates simple use of the text/
Content-Type. Note that no "profile" parameter is given, so
application may not know what kind of directory entity
information applies to. Note also the use of both
official and bilaterally agreed upon types
From: Whomever@wherever.
To: Someone@somewhere.
Subject:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/
Content-ID:
cn:Babs
cn:Barbara J
sn:
email:babs@umich.
phone:+1 313 747-4454
x-id:1234567890
8.2. Example 2
The next example illustrates the use of the Quoted-Printable
encoding defined in [RFC 2045] to include non-ASCII character in
of the information returned, and the use of the optional "name"
"source" types. It also illustrates the use of an "encoding"
parameter to encode a certificate value in "b". A "vCard"
[MIME- VCARD] is used for the example
Content-Type: text/directory
charset="iso-8859-1";
profile="vCard
Content-ID:
Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-
begin:
source:ldap://cn=3Dbjorn%20Jensen, o=3Duniversity%20of%20Michigan, c=3
name:Bjorn
fn:Bj=F8rn
n:Jensen;Bj=F8
email;type=3Dinternet:bjorn@umich.
tel;type=3Dwork,voice,msg:+1 313 747-4454
key;type=3Dx509;encoding=3DB:dGhpcyBjb3VsZCBiZSAKbXkgY2
end:
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 19]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
8.3. Example 3
The next example illustrates the use of multi-valued type parameters
the "language" type parameter, the "value" type parameter, folding
long lines, the \n encoding for formatted lines, attribute grouping
and the inline "b" encoding. A "vCard" profile [MIME-VCARD] is
for the example
Content-Type: text/directory; profile="vcard"; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-ID:
Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-
begin:
source:ldap://cn=3DMeister%20Berger,o=3DUniversitaet%20Goerlitz,c=3
name:Meister
fn:Meister
n:Berger;
bday;value=3Ddate:1963-09-21
o:Universit=E6t G=F6
title:
title;language=3Dde;value=3Dtext:
note:The Mayor of the great city
Goerlitz in the great country of Germany
email;internet:mb@goerlitz.
home.tel;type=3Dfax,voice,msg:+49 3581 123456
home.label:Hufenshlagel 1234\
02828 Goerlitz\
key;type=3DX509;encoding=3Db:
AwdzELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxLDAqBgNVBAoTI05ldHNjYXBlIENvbW11bmljYXRpb25
ENvcnBvcmF0aW9uMRwwGgYDVQQLExNJbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBTeXN0ZW1
ExNyb290Y2EubmV0c2NhcGUuY29tMB4XDTk3MDYwNjE5NDc1OVoXDTk3MTIwMzE5
1OVowgYkxCzAJBgNVBAYTAlVTMSYwJAYDVQQKEx1OZXRzY2FwZSBDb21tdW5pY2F0
9ucyBDb3JwLjEYMBYGA1UEAxMPVGltb3RoeSBBIEhvd2
hJob3dlc0BuZXRzY2FwZS5jb20xFTATBgoJkiaJk/IsZAEBEwVob3dlczBcMA0
SIb3DQEBAQUAA0sAMEgCQQC0JZf6wkg8pLMXHHCUvMfL5H6zjSk4vTTXZpYyrdN2
oX49LKiOmgeJSzoiFKHtLOIboyludF90CgqcxtwKnAgMBAAGjNjA0MBEGCWCGSAGG+
IBAQQEAwIAoDAfBgNVHSMEGDAWgBT84FToB/GV3jr3mcau+hUMbsQukjANBgkqhkiG
w0BAQQFAAOBgQBexv7o7mi3PLXadkmNP9LcIPmx93HGp0Kgyx1jIVMyNgsemeAwBM+
SlhMfcpbTrONwNjZYW8vJDSoi//yrZlVt9bJbs7MNYZVsyF1unsqaln4/vy6Uawfg8
UMk1U7jt8LYpo4YULU7UZHPYVUaSgVttImOHZIKi4hlPXBOhcUQ=3D=3
end:
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 20]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
8.4. Example 4
The final example illustrates the use of the multipart/
Content-Type to include non-textual directory data via the "uri
encoding to refer to other body parts within the same message, or
external values. Note that no "profile" parameter is given, so
application may not know what kind of directory entity
information applies to. Note also the use of both
official and bilaterally agreed upon types
Content-Type: multipart/related
boundary=woof
type="text/directory";
start=""
Content-ID:
--
Content-Type: text/directory; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-ID:
Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-
source:ldap://cn=3DBjorn%20Jensen,o=3DUniversity%20of%20Michigan,c=3
cn:Bj=F8rn
sn:
email:bjorn@umich.
image;value=3Duri:cid:id6@host.
image;value=3Duri;format=3Djpeg:ftp://some.host/some/path.
sound;value=3Duri:cid:id7@host.
phone:+1 313 747-4454
--
Content-Type: image/
Content-ID:
<...image data...>
--
Content-Type: message/external-body
name="myvoice.au";
site="myhost.com";
access-type=ANON-FTP
directory="pub/myname";
mode="image
Content-Type: audio/
Content-ID:
--woof--
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 21]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
9. Registration of new
This section defines procedures by which new profiles are
with the IANA and made available to the Internet community. Note
non-IANA profiles can be used by bilateral agreement, provided
associated profile names follow the "X-" convention defined above
The procedures defined here are designed to allow public comment
review of new profiles, while posing only a small impediment to
definition of new profiles
Registration of a new profile is accomplished by the following steps
9.1. Define the
A profile is defined by completing the following template
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME profile
Profile name
Profile purpose
Profile types
Profile special notes (optional):
Intended usage: (one of COMMON, LIMITED USE or OBSOLETE
The explanation of what goes in each field in the template follows
Profile name: The name of the profile as it will appear in
text/directory MIME Content-Type "profile" header parameter, or
predefined "profile" type name
Profile purpose: The purpose of the profile (e.g., to
information about people, printers, documents, etc.). Give a
but clear description
Profile types: The list of types associated with the profile.
list of types is to be expected but not required in the profile
unless otherwise noted in the profile definition. Other types
mentioned in the profile definition MAY also be present. Note
any new types referenced by the profile MUST be defined separately
described in Section 10.
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 22]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Profile special notes: Any special notes about the profile, how it
to be used, etc. This section of the template can also be used
define an ordering on the types that appear in the Content-Type,
such an ordering is required
9.2. Post the profile
The profile description must be posted to the new profile
list, ietf-mime-direct@imc.
9.3. Allow a comment
Discussion on the new profile must be allowed to take place on
list for a minimum of two weeks. Consensus must be reached on
profile before proceeding to step 4.
9.4. Submit the profile for
Once the two-week comment period has elapsed, and the proposer
convinced consensus has been reached on the profile, the
application should be submitted to the Profile Reviewer for approval
The Profile Reviewer is appointed by the Application Area
and can either accept or reject the profile registration. An
registration is passed on by the Profile Reviewer to the IANA
inclusion in the official IANA profile registry. The registration
be rejected for any of the following reasons. 1) Insufficient
period; 2) Consensus not reached; 3) Technical deficiencies raised
the list or elsewhere have not been addressed. The Profile Reviewer'
decision to reject a profile can be appealed by the proposer to
IESG, or the objections raised can be addressed by the proposer
the profile resubmitted
10. Profile Change
Existing profiles can be changed using the same process by which
were registered
Define the
Post the
Allow a comment
Submit the changed profile for
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 23]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Note that the original author or any other interested party
propose a change to an existing profile, but that such changes
only be proposed when there are serious omissions or errors in
published specification. The Profile Reviewer can object to a
if it is not backwards compatible, but is not required to do so
Profile definitions can never be deleted from the IANA registry,
profiles which are no longer believed to be useful can be
OBSOLETE by a change to their "intended use" field
11. Registration of new
This section defines procedures by which new types are
with the IANA. Note that non-IANA types can be used by
agreement, provided the associated types names follow the "X-"
convention defined above
The procedures defined here are designed to allow public comment
review of new types, while posing only a small impediment to
definition of new types
Registration of a new type is accomplished by the following steps
11.1. Define the
A type is defined by completing the following template
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type
Type name
Type purpose
Type encoding
Type valuetype
Type special notes (optional):
Intended usage: (one of COMMON, LIMITED USE or OBSOLETE
The meaning of each field in the template is as follows
Type name: The name of the type, as it will appear in the body of
text/directory MIME Content-Type "type: value" line to the left
the colon ":".
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 24]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Type purpose: The purpose of the type (e.g., to represent a name
postal address, IP address, etc.). Give a short but
description
Type encoding: The default encoding a value of the type must have
the body of a text/directory MIME Content-Type
Type valuetype: The format a value of the type must have in the
of a text/directory MIME Content-Type. This description must
precise and must not violate the general encoding rules defined
section 5 of this document
Type special notes: Any special notes about the type, how it is to
used, etc
11.2. Post the type
The type description must be posted to the new type discussion list
ietf-mime-direct@imc.
11.3. Allow a comment
Discussion on the new type must be allowed to take place on the
for a minimum of two weeks. Consensus must be reached on the
before proceeding to step 4.
11.4. Submit the type for
Once the two-week comment period has elapsed, and the proposer
convinced consensus has been reached on the type, the
application should be submitted to the Profile Reviewer for approval
The Profile Reviewer is appointed by the Application Area
and can either accept or reject the type registration. An
registration is passed on by the Profile Reviewer to the IANA
inclusion in the official IANA profile registry. The registration
be rejected for any of the following reasons. 1) Insufficient
period; 2) Consensus not reached; 3) Technical deficiencies raised
the list or elsewhere have not been addressed. The
Reviewer's decision to reject a type can be appealed by the
to the IESG, or the objections raised can be addressed by
proposer and the type resubmitted
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 25]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
12. Type Change
Existing types can be changed using the same process by which
were registered
Define the
Post the
Allow a comment
Submit the type for
Note that the original author or any other interested party
propose a change to an existing type, but that such changes
only be proposed when there are serious omissions or errors in
published specification. The Profile Reviewer can object to a
if it is not backwards compatible, but is not required to do so
Type definitions can never be deleted from the IANA registry,
types which are nolonger believed to be useful can be
OBSOLETE by a change to their "intended use" field
13. Registration of new
This section defines procedures by which new parameters
registered with the IANA and made available to the
community. Note that non-IANA parameters can be used by
agreement, provided the associated parameters names follow the "X-"
convention defined above
The procedures defined here are designed to allow public comment
review of new parameters, while posing only a small impediment to
definition of new parameters
Registration of a new parameter is accomplished by the
steps
13.1. Define the
A parameter is defined by completing the following template
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME type parameter
Parameter name
Parameter purpose
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 26]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
Parameter values
Parameter special notes (optional):
Intended usage: (one of COMMON, LIMITED USE or OBSOLETE
The explanation of what goes in each field in the template follows
Parameter name: The name of the parameter as it will appear in
text/directory MIME Content-Type
Parameter purpose: The purpose of the parameter (e.g., to
the format of an image, type of a phone number, etc.). Give a
but clear description. If defining a general paramemter like "format
or "type" keep in mind that other applications might wish to
its use
Parameter values: The list or description of values associated
the parameter
Parameter special notes: Any special notes about the parameter,
it is to be used, etc
13.2. Post the parameter
The parameter description must be posted to the new
discussion list, ietf-mime-direct@imc.
13.3. Allow a comment
Discussion on the new parameter must be allowed to take place on
list for a minimum of two weeks. Consensus must be reached on
parameter before proceeding to step 4.
13.4. Submit the parameter for
Once the two-week comment period has elapsed, and the proposer
convinced consensus has been reached on the parameter,
registration application should be submitted to the Profile
for approval. The Profile Reviewer is appointed by the
Area Directors and can either accept or reject the
registration. An accepted registration is passed on by the
Reviewer to the IANA for inclusion in the official IANA
registry. The registration can be rejected for any of the
reasons. 1) Insufficient comment period; 2) Consensus not reached; 3)
Technical deficiencies raised on the list or elsewhere have not
addressed. The Profile Reviewer's decision to reject a profile can
appealed by the proposer to the IESG, or the objections raised can
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 27]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
addressed by the proposer and the parameter registration resubmitted
14. Parameter Change
Existing parameters can be changed using the same process by
they were registered
Define the
Post the
Allow a comment
Submit the parameter for
Note that the original author or any other interested party
propose a change to an existing parameter, but that such
should only be proposed when there are serious omissions or errors
the published specification. The Profile Reviewer can object to
change if it is not backwards compatible, but is not required to
so
Parameter definitions can never be deleted from the IANA registry
but parameters which are nolonger believed to be useful can
declared OBSOLETE by a change to their "intended use" field
15. Registration of new value
This section defines procedures by which new value types
registered with the IANA and made available to the
community. Note that non-IANA value types can be used by
agreement, provided the associated value types names follow the "X-"
convention defined above
The procedures defined here are designed to allow public comment
review of new value types, while posing only a small impediment
the definition of new value types
Registration of a new value types is accomplished by the
steps
15.1. Define the value
A value type is defined by completing the following template
To: ietf-mime-direct@imc.
Subject: Registration of text/directory MIME value type
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 28]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
value type name
value type purpose
value type format
value type special notes (optional):
Intended usage: (one of COMMON, LIMITED USE or OBSOLETE
The explanation of what goes in each field in the template follows
value type name: The name of the value type as it will appear in
text/directory MIME Content-Type
value type purpose: The purpose of the value type. Give a short
clear description
value type format: The definition of the format for the value
usually using ABNF grammar
value type special notes: Any special notes about the value type,
it is to be used, etc
15.2. Post the value type
The value type description must be posted to the new value
discussion list, ietf-mime-direct@imc.
15.3. Allow a comment
Discussion on the new value type must be allowed to take place on
list for a minimum of two weeks. Consensus must be reached
proceeding to step 4.
15.4. Submit the value type for
Once the two-week comment period has elapsed, and the proposer
convinced consensus has been reached on the value type,
registration application should be submitted to the Profile
for approval. The Profile Reviewer is appointed by the
Area Directors and can either accept or reject the value
registration. An accepted registration should be passed on by
Profile Reviewer to the IANA for inclusion in the official IANA
type registry. The registration can be rejected for any of
following reasons. 1) Insufficient comment period; 2) Consensus
reached; 3) Technical deficiencies raised on the list or
have not been addressed. The Profile Reviewer's decision to reject
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 29]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
profile can be appealed by the proposer to the IESG, or
objections raised can be addressed by the proposer and the value
registration resubmitted
16. Security
Internet mail is subject to many well known security attacks
including monitoring, replay, and forgery. Care should be taken
any directory service in allowing information to leave the scope
the service itself, where any access controls can no longer
guaranteed. Applications should also take care to display
data in a "safe" environment (e.g., PostScript-valued types).
17.
The registration procedures defined here were shamelessly lifted
the MIME registration RFC
The many valuable comments contributed by members of the IETF
working group are gratefully acknowledged, as are the
of the Versit Consortium. Chris Newman was especially helpful
navigating the intricacies of ABNF lore
18.
[RFC-1777] Yeong, W., Howes, T., and S. Kille, "
Directory Access Protocol", RFC 1777, March 1995.
[RFC-1778] Howes, T., Kille, S., Yeong, W., and C. Robbins, "
String Representation of Standard Attribute Syntaxes",
RFC 1778, March 1995.
[RFC-822] Crocker, D., "Standard for the Format of ARPA
Text Messages", STD 11, RFC 822, August 1982.
[RFC-2045] Borenstein, N., and N. Freed, "Multipurpose
Mail Extensions (MIME) Part One: Format of
Message Bodies", RFC 2045, November 1996.
[RFC-2046] Moore, K., "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME
Part Two: Media Types", RFC 2046, November 1996.
[RFC-2048] Freed, N., Klensin, J., and J. Postel, "
Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) Part Four:
Procedures", RFC 2048, November 1996.
[RFC-1766] Alvestrand, H., "Tags for the Identification
Languages", RFC 1766, March 1995.
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 30]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
[RFC-2112] Levinson, E., "The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type",
RFC 2112, March 1997.
[X500] "Information Processing Systems - Open
Interconnection - The Directory: Overview of Concepts
Models and Services", ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC21,
Standard 9594-1, 1988.
[RFC-1835] Deutsch, P., Schoultz, R., Faltstrom, P., and C. Weider
"Architecture of the WHOIS++ service", RFC 1835,
1995.
[RFC-1738] Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., and M. McCahill, "
Resource Locators (URL)", RFC 1738, December 1994.
[MIME-VCARD] Dawson, F., and T. Howes, "VCard MIME
Profile", RFC 2426, September 1998.
[VCARD] Internet Mail Consortium, "vCard - The
Business Card", Version 2.1,
http://www.imc.com/pdi/vcard-21.txt, September, 1996.
[RFC-2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[RFC-2234] Crocker, D., and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for
Specifications: ABNF", RFC 2234, November 1997.
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 31]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
19. Authors'
Tim
Netscape Communications Corp
501 East Middlefield Rd
Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: +1.415.937.3419
EMail: howes@netscape.
Mark
Netscape Communications Corp
501 East Middlefield Rd
Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: +1.415.937.3477
EMail: mcs@netscape.
Frank
Lotus Development
6544 Battleford
Raleigh, NC 27613
Phone: +1-919-676-9515
EMail: frank_dawson@lotus.
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 32]
RFC 2425 MIME Content-Type for Directory Information September 1998
20. Full Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied,
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
included on all such copies and derivative works. However,
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other
English
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns
This document and the information contained herein is provided on
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
Howes, et. al. Standards Track [Page 33]
if you see any problems within the linking, don't worry be happy,
this is version 0.1 of the Relevance System and you gotta expect some crappy subroutines sometimes,
just be content we did not write this in Java, which would have made this "bigger and better" HAHAHHA.
RFC documents can be found at I.E.T.F.
Relevance System Copyright © 2002 Spectrum WorldResearch
other technical nosh by ServerMasters Corporation
collaboration of BobX
