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RE: FIPS 186 and X9.42: One of these things is not like the other

1999-11-22 12:57:55
Don:

The ASN.1 associated with DSA in X9.57 is completely aligned with PKIX (RFC 2459). The DSA parameters contain p, q, and g.

The ASN.1 associated with Diffie-Hellman in the draft X9.42 is completely aligned with PKIX (RFC 2459) and S/MIME (RFC 2631). The D-H parameters contain p, g, q, j (optional), and validationParms (also optional).

Both of these parameter structures are included in RFC 2459. Concerns about alignment of the two structures should have been raised many months ago.

While it might have been nice to have the two parameter definitions use the same order for p, q, and g, this is not a show stopper. People have implemented with against the current specifications, and I am strongly opposed to changes at this late date.

Russ


At 02:06 PM 11/22/99 -0500, Don Johnson wrote:
Russ,

Yes, the ASN.1 for X9.30 is/was in X9.57 Certificate Management, DSA was the
only public key ANSI X9 had at that time.
Don Johnson





Russ Housley <housley(_at_)spyrus(_dot_)com> on 11/22/99 01:50:56 PM

To:   Don Johnson/Certicom(_at_)Certicom
cc:   "John C. Kennedy" <jkennedy(_at_)trustpoint(_dot_)com>, 
pgut001(_at_)cs(_dot_)aucKland(_dot_)ac(_dot_)nz,
      ietf-pkix(_at_)imc(_dot_)org, ietf-smime(_at_)imc(_dot_)org, 
ipsec(_at_)lists(_dot_)tislabs(_dot_)com,
ekr(_at_)rtfm(_dot_)com, robert(_dot_)zuccherato(_at_)entrust(_dot_)com, wpolk(_at_)nist(_dot_)gov, jis(_at_)mit(_dot_)edu, mleech(_at_)nortelnetworks(_dot_)com, Elaine Barker <elaine(_dot_)barker(_at_)nist(_dot_)gov>, Sharon
      Keller <skeller(_at_)nist(_dot_)gov>, Simon 
Blake-Wilson/Certicom(_at_)Certicom, "Phil
      Griffin" <Phil_Griffin(_at_)certicom(_dot_)com>

Subject:  RE: FIPS 186 and X9.42: One of these things is not like the  other




Don:

At 09:36 AM 11/22/99 -0500, Don Johnson wrote:
>2. The order of the parameters in the domain parameters should be made
>consistent with X9.30 DSA, I think.  If this is not the way it is, it
>should be
>changed in X9.42.

I find no ASN.1 in X9.30 part 1.

Russ