Subject: RE: Global unique identifier

From: "Heimberg, Jim" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 07:41:34 -0400

No, they would not choose different CAs, but the Registration Authority
would be required to add a suffix in order to make the DN different such as
Jim Jones1, Jim Jones2, etc.

Subject: Re: Global unique identifier

Denis Pinkas wrote:

> > Denis,
> >         I am not sure I understand why the DN would not be globally
unique.
>
> This was the ISO dream in the 90's.  :- )
>
> A CA can nominate the Delta Company from country FR, but another CA
> can nominate another Delta Company from the same country. There
> cannot be an ambiguity on the country name, because the way country
> names are used is well described. For any other level, the
> interpretation is free. Thus there is no way to make sure that the
> two Delta companies are the same, since there is no naming authority
> telling how "Delta Company" should be interpreted or undertsood.

Yes, and according to X.509, it may not even be unique within
*the same* CA.  Or, would the Jim Jones have all to choose different CAs?

More on this  in http://www.mcg.org.br/certover.pdf

Cheers,

Ed Gerck

---

From: Ed Gerck <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 10:08:00 -0700

> Jim Jones1, Jim Jones2, etc.

This does not work for several reasons. First, the CA usually doubles as
a RA.  Second, who gets #1? Third, the Jim Joneses can ask,  why should
I accept and live with a protocol that forces a name change in order to
cope with what the protocol intends to *represent*? Further, of course,
it would not match their driver's license, for example -- which is at least
less demanding on how people's names are given.  Not last and not
least, someone can be rightully called "Jim Jones1" in many countries
and that someone would then conflict with the first Jim Jones in line
at that CA.  Finally,  then all CAs should name *everyone* with a
an appended "1" -- just in case someone else comes in with that
same name and we don't have to change the first one's DN ;-)

Cheers,

Ed Gerck