Jim,
Author: galvin(_at_)tis(_dot_)com@INTERNET
Is there anyone else out there tracking this thread?
Yes.
Does anyone else see the problem or the lack of one?
Yes, there are problems with the MIME-PEM specification.
I think Jeff and I could both really use some alternative insight.
This is not a problem of mechanisms, but of requirements. It is true that many
interesting mechanisms can be defined to distribute public keys. Not all of
these mechanisms are necessary. As a working group we need to focus on what
requirements MIME-PEM should address.
Changes have been made in MIME-PEM that add requirements to existing
implementations of RFC1421 PEM beyond the basic MIME encapsulation formats.
Rather than spending too much time rationalizing how a data base can be
changed, as a group we need to focus on the mechanisms that these
As a start, on documenting the requirements:
Why does MIME-PEM need 5 identifiers and 3 name forms?
What problems (requirements) are these mechanisms attempting to solve?
Paul