RE: WG Last Call on URP I-D

Ryan,

Ryan Moats wrote:
> What I seemed to miss was the discussion of primitive generation
> with respect to attribute types, attribute subtypes and 
> attribute options.
> Specifically there was no clarification
> 
> - whether attribute subtypes and options were or were not 
> supported.  I
>   believe absense of a restriction means they are, but others 
> could read
>   absense of a restriction to mean they are not.

The absence of any clear direction in URP on subtyping issues is an
oversight. I had been assuming that attribute subtyping is basically
ignored by URP, as is the case for updating in general and for X.500
replication updates in particular. I shall add words to the URP
document to the effect that attribute types in a subtype hierarchy
are treated as distinct and unrelated types by URP.

Attribute options are a different matter since RFC 2251 isn't clear
about how this form of subtyping applies to updates. For example,
does a request to delete the cn attribute also delete the cn;foobar
attribute ? If I can assume that the answer is no then I can just
say that attribute types with options are also treated as distinct
and unrelated types by URP. The alternative answer will require more
extensive changes.

Regardless of the answer, the replication primitives have a type
parameter which is described as an attribute type. In the meantime
I will revise this to be an attribute description.

> 
> - whether or not dsaOperation types could be replicated.  Since the
>   requirements draft states this as a MUST NOT (req G10), the lack of
>   a discussion in the primitive generation portion of the document
>   disturbs me.

URP doesn't go into any detail about what is or isn't part of the area
of replication since that is in the scope of another LDUP document and
that document isn't yet ready to go to last call. URP just has a blanket
statement that replication primitives are generated only for directory
contents that are covered by the replication agreement, so it will
automatically conform to whatever the final LDUP model document says.
If the model draft says that dsaOperation types are never part of a
replication agreement then URP will never replicate that kind of
operational attribute and requirement G10 will be satisfied.

Regards,
Steven