Subject: Questions on Issuing Distribution Point CRL extension

From: "Anil R. Gangolli" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 05 Jan 1999 11:53:52 -0800

I have a couple of questions in reference to section 
5.2.5 of draft 11.  I think the draft could use a bit
of clarification on these points.

1. Are the indications onlyContainsUserCerts and onlyContainsCACerts
   applicable to the CRL in which they appear, or to the CRL obtained at
   the distribution point, or both.  My current reading is that
   they apply to both.  One needs some indication within the CRL if
   it only contains some classes of certs, and I don't see another mechanism
   defined for that.

2. What does the indirectCRL indication mean?  A description seems to be
   missing from the spec, (and might partly be a source of my confusion).

3. I have seen a test CRL issued with multiple distribution points bearing
   distinct indications of classes of certs "covered".  Is this allowed? 
   This might be appropriate for  indicating where to get CRLs for other classes
   of certs in the case of partitioned CRLs, but then there is then a need to define 
   some separate mechanism to indicate which indications apply directly to the CRL
   in which the extension appears.  (Read item 1 above as well).  I don't see one;  
   my current interpretation is that the Issuing Distribution Point extension in a 
   given CRL indicate only where to get updates for that one CRL, and that the 
   indications that specify classes of certs "covered" by the CRL apply to that 
   CRL and any update obtained at that distribution point.  Is this correct?

Could someone (maybe one of the draft 11 authors) suggest some revisions
to 5.2.5 that clarify these points?

--a.
-- 
Anil R. Gangolli
Structured Arts Computing Corporation
mailto:[email-masked]
http://www.structuredarts.com