Subject: Issue: Extended Attributes Dependency

From: Bernard Aboba <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:44:05 -0800

Issue: Extended Attributes Dependency

Submitter name:  Bernard Aboba

Submitter email address: [email-masked]

Date first submitted: December 30, 2008  

Reference: 

Document:  GUIDELINES

Comment type: Technical

Priority:  S

Section:  Appendix A.1.2

Rationale/Explanation of issue:

Section A.1.2 reads:
   Where possible, the data types defined above in Section A.1.1 SHOULD
   be used.  The extended data types defined in [EXTEN] SHOULD be used
   only where there is no clear method of expressing the data using
   existing types.

   Does the data fit within the extended RADIUS data model, as outlined
   below?  If so, it SHOULD be encapsulated in a [EXTEN] format RADIUS
   VSA.

      * Attributes grouped into a logical container.
        This does not include nested groups.
      * Attributes requiring the transport of more than 247 octets of
        Text or String data.  This includes the opaque encapsulation
        of data structures defined outside of RADIUS.  See also Section
        A.1.3, below.

This text includes normative statements relating to the Extended
Attributes document, and yet [EXTEN] is only listed as an
Informative reference.  Either a normative reference needs to be
added, or this section needs to be removed.