spf-discuss
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Re: Re: change of version string

2004-08-05 13:58:00
On Aug 5, 2004, at 6:38 AM, John Glube wrote:
* Will the Marid protocol be changed to say ... senders
must publish using v=marid1?
It will say that to be compliant with the draft, the record must start "v=marid1". It doesn't compel any senders to be compliant. Nor does put any restrictions on what other records clients may publish.

Please note: "v=marid1" is only used by example. The new version string hasn't been picked yet.

* Will those who have already published records be obliged
to change from v=spf1 to v=marid1?
No. And I would encourage them to add a "v=marid1" record, not change their existing one for now.

* Will the existing libraries and plug-ins have to be
amended?
If they want to be compliant with the protocol and core drafts, yes. They'll need to use the PRA identity and query for "v=marid1" records to check against. Of course there is nothing stopping them from continuing to use the MAIL-FROM identity and querying for "v=spf1" records to check that against.

Frank writes,
"Okay, if the result is now v=spf1 => test only
SPF/MAILFROM, and v=marid1 => select the SPF tests you like
today, then I can live with this strange solution."
Not quite: Records that start "v=spf1" are used only when checking the MAIL-FROM identity. Records that start "v=marid1" are used only when checking the PRA identity. There is nothing stopping a domain from publishing both, nor a library from checking both.

If a library were to check both, it would have to proceed thus:

        1) extract the MAIL-FROM domain, call it <mf-dom>
        2) query TXT records for <mf-dom>,
           keep only that which starts "v=spf1",
           call it <mf-rec>
        3) compute <mf-rec>.check_host(<ip>, <mf-identity>)

        4) extract the PRA domain, call it <pra-dom>
        5) query new RR type records for <pra-dom>
           keep only that which starts "v=marid1",
           call it <pra-rec>
        6) if <pra-rec> is empty,
           query TXT records for <pra-dom>
           keep only that which starts "v=marid1",
           call it <pra-rec>
        7) compute <pra-rec>.check_host(<ip>, <pra-identity>)

Steps 2 and 6 could, of course, use the same query if <mf-dom> and <pra-dom> are the same. Many of these steps could be done in parallel (such as 5 & 6).

        - Mark "protocol-draft-guy" Lentczner

Mark Lentczner
http://www.ozonehouse.com/mark/
markl(_at_)glyphic(_dot_)com