RFC2120

Network Working Group D. Chadwick Request for Comments: 2120 University of Salford Category: Experimental March 1997

             Managing the X.500 Root Naming Context

Status of this Memo

This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

The X.500 Standard [X.500 93] has the concept of first level DSAs, whose administrators must collectively manage the root naming context through bi-lateral agreements or other private means which are outside the scope of the X.500 Standard.

The NameFLOW-Paradise X.500 service has an established procedure for managing the root naming context, which currently uses Quipu proprietary replication mechanisms and a root DSA. The benefits that derive from this are twofold:

  - firstly it is much easier to co-ordinate the management of the
  root context information, when there is a central point of
  administration,

  - secondly the performance of one-level Search operations is
  greatly improved because the Quipu distribution and replication
  mechanism does not have a restriction that exists in the 1988 and
  1993 X.500 Standard.

The NameFLOW-Paradise project is moving towards 1993 ISO X.500 Standard replication protocols and wants to standardise the protocol and procedure for managing the root naming context which will be based on 1993 X.500 Standard protocols. Such a protocol and procedure will be useful to private X.500 domains as well as to the Internet X.500 public domain. It is imperative that overall system performance is not degraded by this transition.

This document describes the use of 1993 ISO X.500 Standard protocols for managing the root context. Whilst the ASN.1 is compatible with that of the X.500 Standard, the actual settings of the parameters are supplementary to that of the X.500 Standard.