On Sep 24, 2012, at 7:32 PM, Tony Finch wrote:

> * Would sharing an RRtype lead to useful code sharing between S/MIME and
> TLS implementations?
> 
>> Reuse of TLSA RR by a protocol means subscribing to supporting new
>> entries in the above registries and even allowing new entries in there
>> that only make sense in one context.
> 
> TLS is about authenticating peers. S/MIME is about encryption as well as
> verifying signatures. So I would expect TLS records to be more about
> digests of certificates (for brevity) whereas S/MIME records to contain
> public keys or entire certs.


As I've been reading this whole conversation I've been struggling with this 
last kind of point in my brain, mostly because I think of this not in terms of 
"Using DANE with S/MIME" but rather in terms of "Using DANE with $foo" where 
S/MIME is merely one of hopefully many different protocols that could work with 
DANE. (My own personal interest, coming from the VoIP space, is in seeing how 
it might someday work with SIP.)

I keep coming to three questions:

1. What is the easiest option for developers creating applications?
2. What is the easiest option for infrastructure operators who may be barriers 
to having those applications work?
3. What is the easiest option for DNS hosting providers where DNS records may 
be entered?

My worry with #2 is that if we have a proliferation of RRtypes for each value 
of $foo, we'll wind up with a situation where some infrastructure components 
(ex. aggressive firewalls) may need to be changed to allow each RRtype to be 
allowed through.  Similarly for #3, a graphical user interface where people 
enter records would need to be changed to support each new RRtype.  Some DNS 
hosting providers might do this quickly, some wouldn't. Either way it's work 
they have to do.

Sticking with a single RRtype for any "DANE" usage would make these parts far 
simpler.  Get them to support the "TLSA" record and they're done.

Likewise, for application developers, the use of a single RRtype would 
potentially allow sharing of code between different $foo implementations.

BUT... to Tony's last point, are we in fact making it *harder* for developers 
by overloading the TLSA RRtype with different types of content?  Or is that 
adequately addressed by having the second left-most label in the domain name 
(ex. "_smimecert") be the way that a developer would know what is in the TLSA 
RR and therefore how it should be processed?

Still pondering all this,
Dan

-- 
Dan York  [email protected]
http://www.danyork.me/   skype:danyork
Phone: +1-802-735-1624
Twitter - http://twitter.com/danyork

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