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7Network Working Group S. Legg
8Request for Comments: 4522 eB2Bcom
9Category: Standards Track June 2006
10
11
12 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP):
13 The Binary Encoding Option
14
15Status of This Memo
16
17 This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
18 Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
19 improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
20 Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
21 and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
22
23Copyright Notice
24
25 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).
26
27Abstract
28
29 Each attribute stored in a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
30 (LDAP) directory has a defined syntax (i.e., data type). A syntax
31 definition specifies how attribute values conforming to the syntax
32 are normally represented when transferred in LDAP operations. This
33 representation is referred to as the LDAP-specific encoding to
34 distinguish it from other methods of encoding attribute values. This
35 document defines an attribute option, the binary option, that can be
36 used to specify that the associated attribute values are instead
37 encoded according to the Basic Encoding Rules (BER) used by X.500
38 directories.
39
40Table of Contents
41
42 1. Introduction ....................................................2
43 2. Conventions .....................................................2
44 3. The Binary Option ...............................................2
45 4. Syntaxes Requiring Binary Transfer ..............................3
46 5. Attributes Returned in a Search .................................4
47 6. All User Attributes .............................................4
48 7. Conflicting Requests ............................................5
49 8. Security Considerations .........................................5
50 9. IANA Considerations .............................................5
51 10. References .....................................................5
52 10.1. Normative References ......................................5
53 10.2. Informative References ....................................6
54
55
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58Legg Standards Track [Page 1]
59
60
61RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
62
63
641. Introduction
65
66 Each attribute stored in a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
67 (LDAP) directory [RFC4510] has a defined syntax (i.e., data type)
68 which constrains the structure and format of its values.
69
70 The description of each syntax [RFC4517] specifies how attribute or
71 assertion values [RFC4512] conforming to the syntax are normally
72 represented when transferred in LDAP operations [RFC4511]. This
73 representation is referred to as the LDAP-specific encoding to
74 distinguish it from other methods of encoding attribute values.
75
76 This document defines an attribute option, the binary option, which
77 can be used in an attribute description [RFC4512] in an LDAP
78 operation to specify that the associated attribute values or
79 assertion values are, or are requested to be, encoded according to
80 the Basic Encoding Rules (BER) [BER] as used by X.500 [X.500]
81 directories, instead of the usual LDAP-specific encoding.
82
83 The binary option was originally defined in RFC 2251 [RFC2251]. The
84 LDAP technical specification [RFC4510] has obsoleted the previously
85 defined LDAP technical specification [RFC3377], which included RFC
86 2251. The binary option was not included in the revised LDAP
87 technical specification for a variety of reasons including
88 implementation inconsistencies. No attempt is made here to resolve
89 the known inconsistencies.
90
91 This document reintroduces the binary option for use with certain
92 attribute syntaxes, such as certificate syntax [RFC4523], that
93 specifically require it. No attempt has been made to address use of
94 the binary option with attributes of syntaxes that do not require its
95 use. Unless addressed in a future specification, this use is to be
96 avoided.
97
982. Conventions
99
100 The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
101 "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
102 document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14, RFC 2119
103 [BCP14].
104
1053. The Binary Option
106
107 The binary option is indicated with the attribute option string
108 "binary" in an attribute description. Note that, like all attribute
109 options, the string representing the binary option is case
110 insensitive.
111
112
113
114
115Legg Standards Track [Page 2]
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117
118RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
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120
121 Where the binary option is present in an attribute description, the
122 associated attribute values or assertion values MUST be BER encoded
123 (otherwise the values are encoded according to the LDAP-specific
124 encoding [RFC4517] for the attribute's syntax). Note that it is
125 possible for a syntax to be defined such that its LDAP-specific
126 encoding is exactly the same as its BER encoding.
127
128 In terms of the protocol [RFC4511], the binary option specifies that
129 the contents octets of the associated AttributeValue or
130 AssertionValue OCTET STRING are a complete BER encoding of the
131 relevant value.
132
133 The binary option is not a tagging option [RFC4512], so the presence
134 of the binary option does not specify an attribute subtype. An
135 attribute description containing the binary option references exactly
136 the same attribute as the attribute description without the binary
137 option. The supertype/subtype relationships of attributes with
138 tagging options are not altered in any way by the presence or absence
139 of the binary option.
140
141 An attribute description SHALL be treated as unrecognized if it
142 contains the binary option and the syntax of the attribute does not
143 have an associated ASN.1 type [RFC4517], or the BER encoding of
144 values of that type is not supported.
145
146 The presence or absence of the binary option only affects the
147 transfer of attribute and assertion values in the protocol; servers
148 store any particular attribute value in a format of their choosing.
149
1504. Syntaxes Requiring Binary Transfer
151
152 The attribute values of certain attribute syntaxes are defined
153 without an LDAP-specific encoding and are required to be transferred
154 in the BER-encoded form. For the purposes of this document, these
155 syntaxes are said to have a binary transfer requirement. The
156 certificate, certificate list, certificate pair, and supported
157 algorithm syntaxes [RFC4523] are examples of syntaxes with a binary
158 transfer requirement. These syntaxes also have an additional
159 requirement that the exact BER encoding must be preserved. Note that
160 this is a property of the syntaxes themselves, and not a property of
161 the binary option. In the absence of this requirement, LDAP clients
162 would need to re-encode values using the Distinguished Encoding Rules
163 (DER).
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171
172Legg Standards Track [Page 3]
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174
175RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
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1785. Attributes Returned in a Search
179
180 An LDAP search request [RFC4511] contains a list of the attributes
181 (the requested attributes list) to be returned from each entry
182 matching the search filter. An attribute description in the
183 requested attributes list also implicitly requests all subtypes of
184 the attribute type in the attribute description, whether through
185 attribute subtyping or attribute tagging option subtyping [RFC4512].
186
187 The requested attributes list MAY contain attribute descriptions with
188 the binary option, but MUST NOT contain two attribute descriptions
189 with the same attribute type and the same tagging options (even if
190 only one of them has the binary option). The binary option in an
191 attribute description in the requested attributes list implicitly
192 applies to all the subtypes of the attribute type in the attribute
193 description (however, see Section 7).
194
195 Attributes of a syntax with the binary transfer requirement, if
196 returned, SHALL be returned in the binary form (i.e., with the binary
197 option in the attribute description and the associated attribute
198 values BER encoded) regardless of whether the binary option was
199 present in the request (for the attribute or for one of its
200 supertypes).
201
202 Attributes of a syntax without the binary transfer requirement, if
203 returned, SHOULD be returned in the form explicitly requested. That
204 is, if the attribute description in the requested attributes list
205 contains the binary option, then the corresponding attribute in the
206 result SHOULD be in the binary form. If the attribute description in
207 the request does not contain the binary option, then the
208 corresponding attribute in the result SHOULD NOT be in the binary
209 form. A server MAY omit an attribute from the result if it does not
210 support the requested encoding.
211
212 Regardless of the encoding chosen, a particular attribute value is
213 returned at most once.
214
2156. All User Attributes
216
217 If the list of attributes in a search request is empty or contains
218 the special attribute description string "*", then all user
219 attributes are requested to be returned.
220
221 Attributes of a syntax with the binary transfer requirement, if
222 returned, SHALL be returned in the binary form.
223
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228
229Legg Standards Track [Page 4]
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232RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
233
234
235 Attributes of a syntax without the binary transfer requirement and
236 having a defined LDAP-specific encoding SHOULD NOT be returned in the
237 binary form.
238
239 Attributes of a syntax without the binary transfer requirement and
240 without a defined LDAP-specific encoding may be returned in the
241 binary form or omitted from the result.
242
2437. Conflicting Requests
244
245 A particular attribute could be explicitly requested by an attribute
246 description and/or implicitly requested by the attribute descriptions
247 of one or more of its supertypes, or by the special attribute
248 description string "*". If the binary option is present in at least
249 one, but not all, of these attribute descriptions then the effect of
250 the request with respect to binary transfer is implementation
251 defined.
252
2538. Security Considerations
254
255 When interpreting security-sensitive fields, and in particular fields
256 used to grant or deny access, implementations MUST ensure that any
257 matching rule comparisons are done on the underlying abstract value,
258 regardless of the particular encoding used.
259
2609. IANA Considerations
261
262 The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has updated the LDAP
263 attribute description option registry [BCP64] as indicated by the
264 following template:
265
266 Subject:
267 Request for LDAP Attribute Description Option Registration
268 Option Name: binary
269 Family of Options: NO
270 Person & email address to contact for further information:
271 Steven Legg <steven.legg@eb2bcom.com>
272 Specification: RFC 4522
273 Author/Change Controller: IESG
274
27510. References
276
27710.1. Normative References
278
279 [BCP14] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
280 Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
281
282
283
284
285
286Legg Standards Track [Page 5]
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288
289RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
290
291
292 [BCP64] Zeilenga, K., "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
293 Considerations for the Lightweight Directory Access
294 Protocol (LDAP)", BCP 64, RFC 4520, June 2006.
295
296 [RFC4510] Zeilenga, K., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
297 (LDAP): Technical Specification Road Map", RFC RFC 4510,
298 June 2006.
299
300 [RFC4511] Sermersheim, J., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
301 (LDAP): The Protocol", RFC 4511, June 2006.
302
303 [RFC4512] Zeilenga, K., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
304 (LDAP): Directory Information Models", RFC 4512, June
305 2006.
306
307 [RFC4517] Legg, S., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
308 (LDAP): Syntaxes and Matching Rules", RFC 4517, June
309 2006.
310
311 [RFC4523] Zeilenga, K., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
312 (LDAP) Schema Definitions for X.509 Certificates", RFC
313 4523, June 2006.
314
315 [BER] ITU-T Recommendation X.690 (07/02) | ISO/IEC 8825-1,
316 Information Technology - ASN.1 encoding rules:
317 Specification of Basic Encoding Rules (BER), Canonical
318 Encoding Rules (CER) and Distinguished Encoding Rules
319 (DER).
320
32110.2. Informative References
322
323 [RFC2251] Wahl, M., Howes, T., and S. Kille, "Lightweight Directory
324 Access Protocol (v3)", RFC 2251, December 1997.
325
326 [RFC3377] Hodges, J. and R. Morgan, "Lightweight Directory Access
327 Protocol (v3): Technical Specification", RFC 3377,
328 September 2002.
329
330 [X.500] ITU-T Recommendation X.500 (02/01) | ISO/IEC 9594-1:2001,
331 Information technology - Open Systems Interconnection -
332 The Directory: Overview of concepts, models and services
333
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343Legg Standards Track [Page 6]
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346RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
347
348
349Author's Address
350
351 Dr. Steven Legg
352 eB2Bcom
353 Suite 3, Woodhouse Corporate Centre
354 935 Station Street
355 Box Hill North, Victoria 3129
356 AUSTRALIA
357
358 Phone: +61 3 9896 7830
359 Fax: +61 3 9896 7801
360 EMail: steven.legg@eb2bcom.com
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400Legg Standards Track [Page 7]
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403RFC 4522 LDAP: The Binary Encoding Option June 2006
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405
406Full Copyright Statement
407
408 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).
409
410 This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
411 contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
412 retain all their rights.
413
414 This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
415 "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS
416 OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
417 ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
418 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
419 INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED
420 WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
421
422Intellectual Property
423
424 The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any
425 Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to
426 pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in
427 this document or the extent to which any license under such rights
428 might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has
429 made any independent effort to identify any such rights. Information
430 on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be
431 found in BCP 78 and BCP 79.
432
433 Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any
434 assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an
435 attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of
436 such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this
437 specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository at
438 http://www.ietf.org/ipr.
439
440 The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any
441 copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary
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445
446Acknowledgement
447
448 Funding for the RFC Editor function is provided by the IETF
449 Administrative Support Activity (IASA).
450
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457Legg Standards Track [Page 8]
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