Subject: LDAP schema BOF

From: John Beck <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 18:14:14 -0800

Hopefully this is of general interest to this group...

We will be holding a BOF in Orlando next Tuesday (2:15 - 3:15) on LDAP Schema
for E-mail Routing (LASER).  Below is the BOF description, a skeleton agenda,
and a short introduction by Hans Lachman of Netscape, the author of the first
draft mentioned.  A discussion list <[email-masked]> has been set
up as well.

Description
-----------
The use of LDAP is becoming increasingly popular, and the demand for
mail transfer agents (MTAs) to be able to extract relevant information is
increasing along with it.  Of particular interest is settling upon a common
schema for local email routing.  LDAP will *not* be contacted for routing
e-mail until the MTA first determines that it is listed as an MX or A record
for the host named on the right hand side of the email address.  The goal
is to define which schema to use in requesting local routing information
(a.k.a. aliasing) from an LDAP directory service.

There are currently no such standards-track specifications under review
in the IETF.  There is draft-lachman-ldap-mail-routing-03.txt, which is on
track to become an Informational RFC; parts of this may be a good start at a
standards-track specification (the focus here is narrower than in that draft).
But other proposals exist (e.g., draft-srivastava-ldap-mail-00.txt) with
similar goals but using different schema, so the time seems right for a BOF
to discuss whether an existing proposal is ready to move forward or if a
working group is merited.

Agenda
------
* Background (see above)
* Overview of existing proposals (I-Ds, Info RFCs, ...)
* Discussion of future direction
* Determination of interest for a WG, or lack thereof

Hans' Introduction
------------------
There is currently an I-D from Netscape describing their implementation
of LDAP-based mail routing, using an object class called 'mailRecipient'.
This I-D has been submitted to the RFC Editor and is being considered for
publication as an Informational RFC.  The IESG has requested that we bring
this up at the LASER BOF, so interested parties are invited to comment.
Netscape also has an I-D that describes their LDAP attributes for mail groups
processing.  Please see <http://arc.la.ca.us/laser/> for more information on
both drafts.

-- John Beck

---

From: Jack De Winter <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 11:12:23 -0500

>draft mentioned.  A discussion list <[email-masked]> has been set

I will not be able to make the Orlando IETF meeting, and was wondering
two things:

1) Would it be possible to get the minutes for the BOF posted here
	afterwards?
2) The document makes use of "local routing" through LDAP.  I wanted to
	double check this assumption.  That is that this is a local option
	and not an option that would be used over the internet itself to
	bypass/augment the MX records.

regards,
Jack
-------------------------------------------------
Jack De Winter - Wildbear Consulting, Inc.
(519) 884-4498		http://www.wildbear.on.ca/homepages/jack/

---

From: John Beck <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 11:28:53 -0800

John> We will be holding a BOF in Orlando next Tuesday (2:15 - 3:15) on LDAP
John> Schema for E-mail Routing (LASER).  Below is the BOF description ...
John> A discussion list <[email-masked]> has been set up as well.

Jack> I will not be able to make the Orlando IETF meeting, and was wondering
Jack> two things:

Jack> 1) Would it be possible to get the minutes for the BOF posted here
Jack>    afterwards?

Possible; I'll check with the others.  It *will* be posted to the laser list
(address above), and included in the proceedings.

Jack> 2) The document makes use of "local routing" through LDAP.  I wanted to
Jack>    double check this assumption.  That is that this is a local option
Jack>    and not an option that would be used over the internet itself to
Jack>    bypass/augment the MX records.

Yes; quoting from the description:

	Of particular interest is settling upon a common schema for local
	email routing.  LDAP will *not* be contacted for routing e-mail
	until the MTA first determines that it is listed as an MX or A record
	for the host named on the right hand side of the email address.  The
	goal is to define which schema to use in requesting local routing
	information (a.k.a. aliasing) from an LDAP directory service.

-- John

---

From: John Beck <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 11:28:53 -0800

-- John