Folks,
please see below for a strawman proposal for a new OPES charter.
Ted already provided some comments and feedback on it; his main
comment being that the single SMTP milestone seems a bit monolithic. A
suggestion is to maybe split the work up a bit more along the
several roles SMTP elements can have: MSA, MTA, MDA, MUA, and working
out what might be opes related for each. Ted mentioned that for some
it will be easy (not much "callout protocol" work for an MUA), but
that there is no guarantee that the roles are the same for the others.
Please provide your comments and thoughts on the proposed new charter,
but also on the suggestion made with respect to the single SMTP milestone.
Thanks,
Markus
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Open Pluggable Edge Services (opes)
-----------------------------------
Chair(s):
Markus Hofmann <hofmann(_at_)bell-labs(_dot_)com>
Applications Area Director(s):
Ted Hardie <hardie(_at_)qualcomm(_dot_)com>
Scott Hollenbeck <sah(_at_)428cobrajet(_dot_)net>
Applications Area Advisor:
Ted Hardie <hardie(_at_)qualcomm(_dot_)com>
Technical Advisor(s):
Allison Mankin <mankin(_at_)psg(_dot_)com>
Hilarie Orman <ho(_at_)alum(_dot_)mit(_dot_)edu>
Mailing Lists:
General Discussion: ietf-openproxy(_at_)imc(_dot_)org
To Subscribe: ietf-openproxy-request(_at_)imc(_dot_)org
Archive: http://www.imc.org/ietf-openproxy/mail-archive/
Description of Working Group:
The Internet facilitates the development of networked services at the
application level that both offload origin servers and improve the
user experience. Web proxies, for example, are commonly deployed to
provide services such as Web caching, virus scanning, and request
filtering. Lack of standardized mechanisms to trace and to control
such intermediaries causes problems with respect to failure detection,
data integrity, privacy, and security.
The OPES Working Group has previously developed an architectural
framework to authorize, invoke, and trace such application-level
services. The framework follows a one-part consent model, which
requires that each service be authorized explicitly by at least one of
the application-layer endpoints. It further requires that OPES
services are reversible by mutual agreement of the application endpoints.
In particular, the WG has developed a protocol suite for invocation
and tracking of OPES services inside the net. The protocol suite
includes a generic, application-agnostic protocol core (OCP Core) that
is supplemented by profiles specific to the application-layer protocol
used between the endpoints. So far, the WG has specified an OCP
profile for HTTP, which supports OPES services that operate on HTTP
messages.
In a next step, the WG will specify an additional OCP profile that
will support applications operating on SMTP messages. In particular,
the profile to be specified will enable an OPES processor to
encapsulate and forward SMTP messages (or parts thereof) to a callout
server for additional processing.
In addition, the WG will define one or more methods for specifying
rules that enable application endpoints to control the execution of
OPES services. These methods are purely for controlling the invocation
of services. They are not aimed at implementing the actual services.
The working group will have a design goal that the methods be
compatible with existing policy work within the IETF (e.g. IETF Policy
Framework)and be able to interface with systems automating
distribution of policies to multiple endpoints. It will be out of
scope for this WG to develop the policy framework and specify
multiple-endpoint policy distribution.
The group's new work items can be listed as:
- Define a SMTP profile to supplement OCP core.
- Define specification method(s) and rules for controlling
invocation of OPES services operating on HTTP/SMTP
messages.
Each deliverable must follow the previously developed OPES
architecture. As each deliverable is developed, it must address the
IAB considerations specified in RFC 3238.
Goals and Milestones:
Done Submit OPES scenarios document and architecture
document to IESG for Informational.
Done Submit document on protocol (callout and tracing)
requirements to IESG for Informational.
Done Submit document on endpoint authorization and
enforcement requirements to IESG for Informational.
Done Submit document on threat/risk model for OPES
services to IESG for Informational.
Done Initial protocol document for OPES services
including their authorization, invocation,
tracking, and enforcement of authorization.
Done Initial document on rules specification method.
Done Submit protocol document for OPES services
including their authorization, invocation,
tracking, and enforcement of authorization to IESG
for Proposed Standard.
NOV04 Initial document on SMTP protocol profile
JAN05 Initial document on OPES rules language
FEB05 Submit document on SMTP protocol profile to
IESG for Proposed Standard
MAY05 Submit document on OPES rules language to
IESG for Proposed Standard