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Re: [ietf-dkim] ADSP Informative Note on parent domain signing

2009-04-13 00:25:50
Douglas Otis wrote:

Yes, the ADSP specification is complete without this note (it's  
informative, after all).  But the compelling argument that justifies  
it is that it clarifies things in a way that may improve  
interoperability. We should be trying to write specifications that  
promote interoperability, not just ones that are technically complete.

The ADSP compliance issue is limited to a relationship between the  
 From email-address domain and the signing domain.  This relationship  
is not defined in the base draft and is not related to the i= value.

But it is, indirectly.

Consider the possible migration with existing DKIM systems that may 
adopt ADSP when its all said and done.

Currently, the ADSP ignorant DKIM-BASE verifier will do a verification 
and per 4871 should perform DKIM syntax/format tests including the d= 
and i= domain comparison and compliance test.  If it fails d=/i= 
compliance (for whatever reasons), the signature is invalid.

Come ADSP support and the DKIM-BASE implementation MAY update the 
design to focus on optimization by performing an ADSP lookup in call 
cases prior to any heavy message rehashing/crypto processing.

This optimized ADSP implementation design will require it to do the 
DKIM-BASE syntax checking including d=/i= comparison test among the 
other DKIM-BASE checking possible.  If both of the following is TRUE:

    ADSP => DKIM=DISCARDABLE
    DKIM => syntax, formation checking fails

Then there is no need to do any DKIM rehashing, the ADSP/DKIM test 
condition is satisfied and the message is rejected/discarded.

IMV, there will be a minimum of two possible implementations;

  1) Functionality is separate, one feeds the other

     DKIM_BASE_RESULT = DKIM_BASE_VERIFY(payload)
     DKIM_ADSP_RESULT = ADSP(DKIM_BASE_RESULT, payload.from.domain)

  2) Functionality is integrated or updated as one function

     DKIM_ADSP_RESULT = DKIM_ADSP_VERIFY(payload)

Some people in the first group will probably not touch the DKIM-BASE 
mailbots, API or software, and only feed the result to an separate 
POLICY mailbot that only need two parameters - the result of DKIM-BASE 
and the payload from domain.  The ADSP functional specification is 
geared towards this group with the incremental approach to adding 
policy to an existing DKIM-BASE implementation.

But for people who waited and/or more incline to see the whole 
picture, do more integration, do the optimization at the start, not 
later, this group will update their current software, API, etc, and 
perform the steps in a different order.  As long as end result is the 
same - it should not matter.

In this case, the ADSP function might include part of the DKIM-BASE 
checking and for ADSP that means d=/i= checking. The ADSP docs does 
not talk about this approach because it is presumed this DKIM-BASE 
work was already done.

IMV, the ADSP docs should have semantics about what i= means - 
technically:

    From.domain == d.domain == i.domain (or subdomain of d=)

 From what I see here, most agree, it doesn't have to mention i= 
because its implied that it will comply with d= and d must comply with 
from.domain.

But I think it should for better understanding of ADSP as it relates 
to DKIM-BASE.

-- 
Sincerely

Hector Santos
http://www.santronics.com


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