Re: PasswordSafe format 0x0302 description

I have at least 2 problems with this:

1. The "Who performed last save" (0x05) and "Last saved by user" (0x07) +
"Last saved on host" (0x08)

Maintaining consistency between field 5 and fields 7 + 8 is impossible.
Take this scenario:
a. UserA/HostA creates and saves a database using 3.08 and format 0x0301.
Only field 5 is in the header.
b. UserB/HostB opens this database using 3.09 and saves it using format
0x0302.  It writes fields 7 & 8 and could write field 5 should it want -
assume it does.
c. UserA/HostA re-opens and re-saves this database again using 3.08 and
format 0x0301.  It ignores, but re-writes, fields 7 & 8 as being "unknown"
and only updates field 5 is in the header.

Now field 5 = UserA/HostA; field 7 =UserB and field 8 = HostB.

These are inconsistent and will be so when read using format 0x0302.

2. The "Timestamp of last save" (0x04)

It is correct that PWS V3.08 and earlier do not conform to format 0x0301 in
that they store this value as 8 hexadecimal characters rather than time_t (4
bytes).  I hope it will be true that V3.09, and later, using format 0x0302
will process this field correctly - it ,suggested that this is based on the
length field (8 or 4).  My concern is what V3.08 and prior versions will do
when they come across a time_t field which is too short.  Will they be well
behaved?  It needs testing. It may not be a problem.  Also, by using the
length field for the decision on how to process, then this field cannot be
migrated to 64-bit time sometime in the future without introducing 0x0400.

David


-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of ronys
Sent: 09 July 2007 14:32
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Passwordsafe-devel] PasswordSafe format 0x0302 description

Hi,

Please find in
http://passwordsafe.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/passwordsafe/trunk/pwsafe/pws
afe/docs/formatV3.txt?revision=1551&view=markup

(http://tinyurl.com/38pckm)

A new version of the file format description, based on discussions on this
list.

Main changes:

- Introduction rewritten.
- Clarification regarding field order (only constraint is that last field is
of type END).
- Clarification regarding Text representation (UTF-8 unless explicitly
stated otherwise).
- Note regarding misrepresentation of header timestamp as an 8 byte ASCII
string.
- Deprecation of header field "Who performed last save" (0x05), replaced by
"last saved by user" and "last saved on host" (0x07, 0x08).
- Addition of database name and database description header fields
- Added a section on extensibility, (a) recommended handling of unknown
fields, (b) defining application-specific range of type identifiers,
guaranteed to be unassigned by the "official" format description.

I believe I've addressed all the issues that have been discussed on this
list regarding the format. Please let me know if you find any error, or if
you see any major difficulty in implementing the format as specified.

	Cheers,

		Rony


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