Subject: [spfbis] ISSUE: Section 9.2 is badly broken

From: Dave Crocker <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:33:15 -0700

Section 9 declares that it is non-normative.  Also it bases its 
discussion on RFC 5598.

1.  Section 9.2.1 Mailing Lists

    It contains normative language.  It attempts to specify host 
activities about mailing lists.

    All of the content of 9.2.1 is entirely out of scope for SPF. So the 
entire section should be removed from the document.

2.  Section 9.2.2 Forwarding Services and Aliases

    The term "forwarding service" is equated with "alias".  It is 
explained as:

         "Forwarding services take mail that is received at a mailbox and
    direct it to some external mailbox."

That describes many types of mechanisms, not just aliasing mechanisms.

In fact, the term "forwarding service" does not exist in RFC 5598. 
Further, the term "forwarding" is used in multiple contexts in RFC 5598. 
  The most relevant use is in the section discussing mailing lists and 
aliases:

         "A Mediator forwards a message..."

    That is, the usage is for the broader concept of /all/ mediators, 
not just aliasing mechanisms (which are an instance of mediators.)

    I suggest the term "forwarding service" be dropped.

3.  Section 9.2.2 Forwarding Services and Aliases

    The introductory paragraph summarizes the concept and cites RFC1123 
and RFC5321.

    With respect to mailing lists and aliases, RFC 5321 updates RFC 
1123.  The reference to RFC 1123 should therefore be dropped.

    However the general RFC5321 Section 3.9, Mailing Lists and Aliases, 
  is also rather problematic, with normative requirements that do not 
match industry practice and some terminology that also differs from 
common usage.  So reference to RFC5321 concerning mailing lists and 
aliases unfortunately invites confusion.

    Since the draft's discussion is non-normative and since the draft is 
already liberally drawing from RFC 5598, I suggest that all reference 
and background to Mailing Lists and Aliases be based on RFC 5598 (which 
is also considerably more detailed on these topics than RFC 5321...)

    In contrast, the draft's discussion of SPF issues in the presence of 
mediators:

         "[RFC1123] and [RFC5321] describe this action as an "alias"
    rather than a "mail list"."

appears useful, although it appears to cover both mailing list and 
aliasing issues, not just aliasing, as constrained by the section 
containing the discussion.

d/
-- 
  Dave Crocker
  Brandenburg InternetWorking
  bbiw.net