Subject: [Acme] [Errata Held for Document Update] RFC8555 (5979)

From: RFC Errata System <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 09:45:20 -0800 (PST)

The following errata report has been held for document update 
for RFC8555, "Automatic Certificate Management Environment (ACME)". 

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You may review the report below and at:
https://www.rfc-editor.org/errata/eid5979

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Status: Held for Document Update
Type: Technical

Reported by: jonathan vanasco <[email-masked]>
Date Reported: 2020-02-11
Held by: Benjamin Kaduk (IESG)

Section: 7.4

Original Text
-------------
 If the server is willing to issue the requested certificate, it
   responds with a 201 (Created) response.  The body of this response is
   an order object reflecting the client's request and any
   authorizations the client must complete before the certificate will
   be issued.

Corrected Text
--------------
 If the server is willing to issue the requested certificate, it
   responds with a 201 (Created) response.  The body of this response is
   an order object reflecting the client's request and any
   authorizations the client must complete before the certificate will
   be issued. The server returns an order URL in a Location header field.

Notes
-----
The RFC does not specify/require where the "order URL" is presented.  The RFC is very explicit about where other URLs are obtained, and the common understanding is that the URL appears in a Location header after a new-order. 

For example: 

In 7.3; 7.3.1; 7.3.5, the RFC explicitly declares the account URL is in the Location header field.

In 7.4.1 the RFC is explicit that authorization URLs in pre-authorization appear in the Location header field.

But the order URL is only mentioned by example:

In 7.4, the RFC illustrates the order URL appearing in the Location header field (All clients seem to implement this).  In 7.1, the RFC shows a table with "a typical sequence of requests" that note the "account" and "order" URLs appear in the location header field.

The specification should state something to the effect of "The server returns an order URL in a Location header field." making this functionality explicit.

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RFC8555 (draft-ietf-acme-acme-18)
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Title               : Automatic Certificate Management Environment (ACME)
Publication Date    : March 2019
Author(s)           : R. Barnes, J. Hoffman-Andrews, D. McCarney, J. Kasten
Category            : PROPOSED STANDARD
Source              : Automated Certificate Management Environment
Area                : Security
Stream              : IETF
Verifying Party     : IESG