ietf-dkim
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Re: [ietf-dkim] Proposal: Removal of AUID (i= tag/value)

2011-04-01 12:50:54
On 4/1/11 10:01 AM, Hector Santos wrote:
Jim Fenton wrote:

I am formally proposing that the i= tag
and supporting text be removed from 4871bis.

[snip]

In a conversation with Dave Crocker and Murray Kucherawy, they noted 
the use of the local part of i= as an opaque identifier.  Its use as 
such an identifier is not described in any standard, but the 
relaxation of the current restrictions on the use of i= (that the 
domain-part be a subdomain of d=, etc.) would result in an 
incompatibility with RFC 4871-compliant verifiers.  It is, however, 
possible to remove it entirely without creating a compatibility problem.

By remove, does that mean implementators can safely begin to not offer 
it for Domain signers to use or consider?

I should probably have used the term "deprecate" rather than "remove".  
That's correct, an implementation compliant with 4871bis would not 
normally use the i= tag/value in signatures.


Documenting this stuff to layman operators is HARD especially when we 
don't even have a firm grip of its utility or what value it offers. :)

That's part of the reason for deprecating the feature:  if people don't 
understand the utility of it, and it is not being used, then it is only 
adding complexity to the spec.


If its one more useless thing we don't have to ambiguously document 
for customer to understand and use with no real verification payoff, 
then +1 to remove i= from DKIM.

Thanks.

-Jim
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