Subject: [idn] LDAPv3 and IDN

From: "Kurt D. Zeilenga" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 08:54:56 -0800

Abstract:
  This document explores how the Lightweight Directory
  Access Protocol (LDAP) can be extended to support
  International Domain Names [based upon IDNA guidelines].

Bottom line for non-LDAP'ers is, IDNA appears to work for
LDAP (and likely similar protocols).  [BTW, my I-D was
written against IDNA -04, but I don't think -05 impacts
the bottom line.]

I'm next going to look into IDN issues in SASL...

Kurt

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From: "Eric A. Hall" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:32:31 -0600

> written against IDNA -04, but I don't think -05 impacts

I think IDNA-05 added the notion of allowing protocol data to use the
native encoding, which means that the unencoded domain names can be passed
directly in an LDAPv3 data stream as UTF-8 encoded UCS, rather than as
encoded data that has to be be encoded and decoded by the end-points.

| 6.2 Applications and resolver libraries

| In protocols and document formats that define how to handle
| specification or negotiation of charsets, IDN host name labels can be
| encoded in any charset allowed by the protocol or document format. If a
| protocol or document format only allows one charset, IDN host name
| labels MUST be given in that charset. In any place where a protocol or
| document format allows transmission of the characters in IDN host name
| labels, IDN host name labels SHOULD be transmitted using whatever
| character encoding and escape mechanism that the protocol or document
| format uses at that place.

I wouldn't advise either approach at the moment, since its unclear what
format the source domain names will be in or how the TBD format options
will affect LDAP or anything else. There is way too much in flux,
including the scope of the WG itself, to define anything at the moment.

-- 
Eric A. Hall                                        http://www.ehsco.com/
Internet Core Protocols          http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/coreprot/

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From: "Kurt D. Zeilenga" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:53:36 -0800

>  International Domain Names [based upon IDNA guidelines].

Forgot to provide the I-D name: draft-zeilenga-ldap-idn-04.txt

  http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-zeilenga-ldap-idn-04.txt

Also, I suggest comments specific to my application of IDNA to
LDAP be directed to me personally so not to unnecessarily clutter
on this list.

Kurt