Re: I-D ACTION:draft-ietf-pkix-rfc3770bis-01.txt

[Steven Legg <steven.legg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Russ,

Russ Housley wrote:
> Peter:
>
> Some more remaks:
>
> > 1 ***
> >
> > text says:
> >
> > 1.3. Abstract Syntax Notation
> >
> >    All X.509 certificate [X.509] extensions are defined using ASN.1
> >    [X.660].
> >
> > and:
> >
> >    [X.660]     ITU-T Recommendation X.660 Information Technology - ASN.1
> >                encoding rules: Specification of Basic Encoding Rules
> >                (BER), Canonical Encoding Rules (CER) and Distinguished
> >                Encoding Rules (DER), 1997.
> >
> > this looks strange to me. The encoding rules are not the asn1 syntax.
> >
> > Suggestion:
> >
> > remove 1.3 and the reference.
>
>
> I have heard from Peter Sylvester and Peter Gutmann on this point.  
> Anyone else have an opinion?

Firstly, the reference is incorrect. BER/CER/DER are defined in X.690,
not X.660. X.660 is about registration procedures for OIDs.

Secondly, the reference is inappropriate. ASN.1's basic notation is
defined in X.680.

    ITU-T Recommendation X.680 (07/02) | ISO/IEC 8824-1:2002,
    Information technology - Abstract Syntax Notation One
    (ASN.1): Specification of basic notation

Since knowledge of ASN.1 is required to interpret the specification,
a normative reference to X.680 is obligatory.

Regards,
Steven