Subject: RE: AttributeTypeValue and binary

From: "Ramsay, Ron" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 11:51:26 +1100

Or if the attribute syntax is binary. (Binary syntaxes are encoded as if the
binary option were present.)

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Smith [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Thursday, 25 January 2001 10:02
To: Jim Sermersheim
Cc: [email-masked]; [email-masked]
Subject: Re: AttributeTypeValue and binary

Jim Sermersheim wrote:
> 
> I believe there is consensus regarding the first part of this message.
> That being that the first paragraph of section 4.1.6 is confusing, and
> leaves the reader unsure as to whether or not all binary encodings require
> an extra OCTET STRING wrapper.
> 
> Unless there are objections, I will make the following change to the
protocol > document:
> 
> 4.1.6
> <A field of type AttributeValue takes on as its value either a string
encoding of a AttributeValue data type, or an OCTET STRING containing an
encoded binary value, depending on whether the "binary" option is present in
the companion AttributeDescription to this AttributeValue.
> >A field of type AttributeValue is an OCTET STRING containing either a
string encoding, or an encoded binary value of an AttributeValue data type,
depending on whether the "binary" option is present in the companion
AttributeDescription to this AttributeValue.

I think the revised text is better but still a little confusing and
awkward (although the OCTET STRING wrapper issue has been addressed). 
At the risk of being "wordy" I suggest:

 If the companion AttributeDescription to an AttributeValue does not
 contain the "binary" option, then the AttributeValue field is an
 OCTET STRING that contains a string encoded value.

 If the companion AttributeDescription to an AttributeValue contains the
 "binary" option, then the AttributeValue field is an OCTET STRING
 that contains an encoded binary value of the AttributeValue data type.

-Mark

---

From: "Kurt D. Zeilenga" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001 17:04:41 -0800

>binary option were present.)

There is not any mention of the binary attribute type syntax
in RFC 2251.  This is appropriate as, in regards to the protocol,
the binary attribute type syntax is just another syntax with
a defined string encoding.