RFC 7114 PROPOSED STANDARD EMAIL · REGISTRY

Creation of a Registry for smime-type Parameter Values

Creates an IANA registry for S/MIME smime-type parameter values.

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
January 2014
AUTHORS
B. Leiba
STREAM
IETF
DOI
10.17487/RFC7114

RFC text

Contents
Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                          B. Leiba
Request for Comments: 7114                           Huawei Technologies
Category: Standards Track                                   January 2014
ISSN: 2070-1721


         Creation of a Registry for smime-type Parameter Values

Abstract

   Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) defined the
   Content-Type parameter "smime-type".  As the list of defined values
   for that parameter has increased, it has become clear that a registry
   is needed to document these values.  This document creates the
   registry, registers the current values, and specifies the policies
   for registration of new values.

Status of This Memo

   This is an Internet Standards Track document.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
   Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7114.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2014 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4

1.  Introduction

   Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) defined the
   Content-Type "application/pkcs7-mime" and the parameter "smime-type",
   along with four valid values for the parameter [RFC3851].
   Certificate Management over CMS (CMC) added two new parameter values
   [RFC5273].  [RFC5751] replaced RFC 3851 and registered the
   application/pkcs7-mime media type, but did not create a registry for
   the smime-type values.

   Enhanced Security Services for S/MIME [RFC2634] and Securing X.400
   Content with S/MIME [RFC3854] also add smime-type values.

   When Enrollment over Secure Transport [RFC7030] added another
   parameter value, it became clear that a registry for smime-type
   parameter values is necessary.  Section 2 creates this registry,
   registers the current values that are defined in previously published
   documents, and specifies the policies for registration of new values.

2.  IANA Considerations

   IANA has changed the reference field for the media type application/
   pkcs7-mime to refer to [RFC5751] and this document.  This document
   replaces the references to RFC 5273 and RFC 7030, which are no longer
   needed.

   IANA has created a new sub-registry under the "MIME Media Type Sub-
   Parameter Registries" top-level registry.  The new registry is
   "Parameter Values for the smime-type Parameter", and it references
   this document and [RFC5751].  The initial values for the registry are
   as follows:

      +----------------------+-----------------------------------+
      |  smime-type value    |  Reference                        |
      +----------------------+-----------------------------------+
      | certs-only           | [RFC5751], Section 3.2.2          |
      | CMC-Request          | [RFC5273], Section 3              |
      | CMC-Response         | [RFC5273], Section 3              |
      | compressed-data      | [RFC5751], Section 3.2.2          |
      | enveloped-data       | [RFC5751], Section 3.2.2          |
      | enveloped-x400       | [RFC3854], Section 3.3.1          |
      | server-generated-key | [RFC7030], Section 4.4.2          |
      | signed-data          | [RFC5751], Section 3.2.2          |
      | signed-receipt       | [RFC2634], Section 2.4, bullet 10 |
      | signed-x400          | [RFC3854], Section 3.2.1          |
      +----------------------+-----------------------------------+

   New values can be registered using the Specification Required policy,
   as defined in [RFC5226].  The S/MIME Message Specification [RFC5751],
   Section 3.2.2, specifies guidelines for assigning new smime-type
   parameter values, and those guidelines apply to the assignment of
   values in this registry.

3.  Security Considerations

   This document is purely administrative and presents no security
   issues.

4.  References

4.1.  Normative References

   [RFC5226]  Narten, T. and H. Alvestrand, "Guidelines for Writing an
              IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26, RFC 5226,
              May 2008.

   [RFC5751]  Ramsdell, B. and S. Turner, "Secure/Multipurpose Internet
              Mail Extensions (S/MIME) Version 3.2 Message
              Specification", RFC 5751, January 2010.

4.2.  Informative References

   [RFC2634]  Hoffman, P., "Enhanced Security Services for S/MIME", RFC
              2634, June 1999.

   [RFC3851]  Ramsdell, B., "Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail
              Extensions (S/MIME) Version 3.1 Message Specification",
              RFC 3851, July 2004.

   [RFC3854]  Hoffman, P., Bonatti, C., and A. Eggen, "Securing X.400
              Content with Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
              (S/MIME)", RFC 3854, July 2004.

   [RFC5273]  Schaad, J. and M. Myers, "Certificate Management over CMS
              (CMC): Transport Protocols", RFC 5273, June 2008.

   [RFC7030]  Pritikin, M., Yee, P., and D. Harkins, "Enrollment over
              Secure Transport", RFC 7030, October 2013.

Author's Address

   Barry Leiba
   Huawei Technologies

   Phone: +1 646 827 0648
   EMail: barryleiba@computer.org
   URI:   http://internetmessagingtechnology.org/

ISO Plain Language

On this page
PROBLEMS/MIME smime-type values had been defined in several documents without a central registry.
MECHANISMIANA creates a subregistry, records the existing values, and uses Specification Required for new registrations.
REGISTRY GUIDANCERFC 7114 establishes a common registry and documents the current parameter values.

§1Why a Registry Was Needed

S/MIME defines the smime-type parameter for the application/pkcs7-mime media type. New parameter values had been added by several documents, but RFC 5751 did not create a registry for them. RFC 7114 establishes a registry and registers the values already defined in published documents.

Different documents had added values for the same S/MIME parameter. This RFC creates a central list for those values.

§2The smime-type Registry

IANA created the Parameter Values for the smime-type Parameter subregistry under MIME Media Type Sub-Parameter Registries. The initial registry contains ten values, each with a reference to its defining document. Examples include certs-only, enveloped-data, and signed-data.

The registry starts with ten values and points to the document that defines each one. This makes the existing options easier to identify.

§2Adding Future Values

New values may be registered using the Specification Required policy defined in RFC 5226. The S/MIME Message Specification in RFC 5751 gives guidance for assigning new smime-type parameter values, and that guidance applies to this registry.

A new value needs a specification under the stated registration policy. RFC 5751's guidelines apply to assigning it.