Subject: MUST X.500

From: "Kurt D. Zeilenga" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:51:15 -0700

RFC 2251 contains the requirement:
   An LDAP server MUST act in accordance with the
   X.500(1993) series of ITU recommendations when providing the service.

This statement imples that LDAP servers must act in accordance
with X.500(1993).  However, it is clear that most servers do not
act in accordance with X.500(1993).  Some act in accordance with
various LDAP specifications which are counter to X.500(1993),
some act in accordance with other revisions of X.500, some use
LDAP to access non-X.500 directories, etc.

I would like to change the above requirement (before LDAPv3
is progressed to draft standard) to:
   An LDAP server SHOULD act in accordance with the X.500(1993)
   [or later revisions] series of ITU recommendations unless
   such specifications are conflict with LDAP specifications.
   An LDAP server MAY provide access to non-X.500 directories
   as long as operations behave as defined by this document.

Besides allowing the LDAP community to "revise and extend" the
information model, this allows LDAP to be used to access
directories which do not act in accordance with the X.500
series of ITU recommendations.

It may also be useful to define a Root DSE attribute type which
describes the directory model in use.  Ie: "X.500(1993)"
or "X.500(2020)" or "LDAP(v3)" or "X-other".

	Kurt