Subject: PIC terminology

From: Robert Moskowitz <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 13:39:33 -0700

I have always been bothered by the PIC terminology:

    Authentication server (AS): a server at the organization which can relay
           the user's authentication request to the legacy system.
    Legacy authentication server (LAS): a RADIUS server, LDAP server and the
           like, which the AS uses to authenticate the user.

My recent work in WLAN has shown me a different usage that might be of 
value here.

I know that changing wording late in the game is hard, but perhaps it might 
give greater flexiblity.

****************************

I have long time been bothered by the term:  Legacy authentication server

These things are NOT Legacy.

I am going to recommend we use terms like 802.1x does.  I fully realize the 
topological differences between PIC and 802.1x, but functionally they do 
very similar things.

802.1x has the terms:  Authenticator and Authentication Server.  The 
mapping is:

PICS		802.1x

AS		Authenticator
LAS		Authentication Server

Robert Moskowitz
TruSecure Corporation
Security Interest EMail: [email-masked]