Subject: Re: WG Last Call:draft-ietf-smime-cms-07.txt

From: [email-masked] (Peter Gutmann)
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 15:25:01 (NZDT)

>CMS is now read for Working Group Last Call.  The X9.42 draft is not complete,
>but it should be posted near the end of the week.  Last Call will close two
>weeks after the X9.42 draft is posted.
 
One minor request, would it be possible to include a short example of data
wrapped up with each CMS content-type at the end of the draft (data,
encryptedData, etc)?  This would help solve some of the "we thought you were
supposed to interpret the text this way" problems which have come up, and
provide useful test vectors for implementors.
 
Peter.

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From: Paul Hoffman / IMC <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 03 Nov 1998 10:03:12 -0800

>provide useful test vectors for implementors.

I would second this request, even if it delays the drafts a bit. From Jim's
previous message, it is clear that the few people implementing right now
are not 100% on track on this.

Russ, can you add these? Or, if anyone else can provide them quicker, that
would be wonderful.

--Paul Hoffman, Director
--Internet Mail Consortium

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From: Russ Housley <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 10:07:46 -0500

Peter:

I agree that example data would be highly desirable.  However, I do not
think that we should keep progression to proposed standard.  This can more
easily be accomodated when we progress to draft standard.

Russ

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From: Russ Housley <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 10:17:20 -0500

Experince with PKIX Part 1 tells me that such test data is very useful to
implementors, but that it is quite difficult to get correct.  Concensus of
the example data is very important.

Here is how I want to proceed:
1.  Move forward with CMS without examples.
2.  Start a companion document that contains example.
3.  If appropriate, merge CMS and the examples at Draft Standard.

Russ