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rfc:rfc1529

Network Working Group C. Malamud Request for Comments: 1529 Internet Multicasting Service Obsoletes: 1486 M. Rose Category: Informational Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.

                                                          October 1993
         Principles of Operation for the TPC.INT Subdomain:
             Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies

Status of this Memo

 This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
 not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
 unlimited.

Introduction

 This document defines the administrative policies for the operation
 of remote printer facilities within the context of the tpc.int
 subdomain.  The document describes different approaches to resource
 recovery for remote printer server sites and includes discussions of
 issues pertaining to auditing, security, and denial of access.
 The technical procedures for remote printing are defined in [1]. The
 general principles of operation for the tpc.int subdomain are defined
 in [2].  An overview of the remote printing facility is returned when
 electronic mail is sent to tpc-faq@town.hall.org.

Overview of Remote Printing in the TPC.INT Subdomain

 The remote printing facility allows a user to image documents on a
 remote printer, defined as a G3-compatible facsimile device connected
 to the public telephone network.  The user sends electronic mail to
 an address which includes the phone number associated with the target
 G3-compatible facsimile device.  Using the Domain Name System, the
 Internet message-handling infrastructure routes the message to a
 remote printer server, which provides access to devices within a
 specified range of the telephone system numbering plan.  The message
 is imaged on the target remote printer and an acknowledgement is sent
 back to the initiator of the message.
 The remote printing facility is concerned with outreach, integrating
 the e-mail and G3-compatible facsimile communities into a common
 communications environment. By providing easy access to remote
 printing recipients, enterprise-wide access is enhanced, regardless
 of the kind of institution (e.g., commercial, educational, or
 government), or the size of institution (e.g., global, regional, or

Malamud & Rose [Page 1] RFC 1529 Remote Printing – Administrative Policies October 1993

 local).  Remote printing allows an organization to make it easier for
 electronic mail users to communicate with the personnel in the
 organization who are users of G3-compatible facsimile but not e-mail,
 providing a valuable bridge between the two types of technology.

Models of Operation for Remote Printing Servers

 Remote printer servers in the tpc.int subdomain consume resources
 that are typically recovered from neither the initiator nor the
 recipient of the remote printing service.  Owing to a lack of
 widespread authentication facilities in the Internet and connected
 message handling domains, it is not currently possible to identify
 the initiator with certainty.  Since the request was not initiated by
 the recipient, it is inappropriate for a remote printer gateway to
 accept a request and then attempt to charge the receiver of the
 message before imaging the document on the remote printer.
 Several models of resource recovery for remote printer operation are
 possible in the tpc.int subdomain:
    Community Library Model
    Neighborhood Grocery Model
    Local Newspaper Model
 In the Community Library model, an organization would register a
 remote printer gateway willing to place calls to all devices located
 within the organization's telephone system.  Other operators may
 determine that the costs of servicing the immediate vicinity (or even
 a larger area) are minimal and register to serve a portion of the
 telephone address space as a community service.
 The Community Library model can apply to a neighborhood, or to an
 organization such as a government R&D Center, a university, or a
 corporation.  The library model does not recover costs from the
 particpants, but runs the remote printer as a community service.
 In the Neighborhood Grocery model, a commercial organization
 contracts with specific end users, offering to register their
 individual fax numbers in the namespace.  This service bureau model
 could be conducted with or without cost recovery from the owner of
 the remote printer device.
 The Local Newspaper model recovers the resources needed to operate
 the remote printer service from a third party not directly connected
 with the message exchange. When a document is successfully imaged on
 a remote printer, there are two actions that result.  First, a cover
 sheet is constructed and prepended to the document imaged on the
 remote printer.  Second, a notification is sent back to the

Malamud & Rose [Page 2] RFC 1529 Remote Printing – Administrative Policies October 1993

 initiator.  An Internet site running a remote printer server
 registered in the tpc.int subdomain is permitted to acknowledge a
 sponsor in both cases.
 Specifically, up to one-third of the area of the cover sheet may be
 used for acknowledgement of the sponsor, and up to 250 bytes of ASCII
 text acknowledging the sponsor may be appended to the notification
 returned to the initiator.   Any such sponsor acknowledgement is
 subject to applicable regulations governing the content and form of
 such acknowledgements.
 The words "paid advertisement" should be prominently displayed in the
 area containing the message if money has changed hands for the
 transaction.  If an organization uses the local newspaper model
 simply to transmit community service messages, then the words "paid
 advertisement" need not be displayed.

Auditing and Security

 A remote printer server should maintain a log for auditing and
 security.  This log may contain at most the following information:
    1) the date the message was received;
    2) the "From" and "Message-ID" fields;
    3) the size of the body;
    4) the identity (telephone number) of the printer;
    5) any telephony-related information, such as call
       duration;
    6) any G3-related information, such recipient ID.
 This information is the most that can be kept and may be further
 limited by legal authority with jurisdiction at the site.
 The purpose of the log is to maintain accountability and security.
 It is considered a violation of the privacy of the initiator and the
 recipient of the remote printer services to divulge such logs unless
 required by legal authority with jurisdiction at the site.  In
 particular, it is a violation of privacy to divulge, either directly
 or indirectly, such information for the compilation of lists for
 marketing purposes.
 It is permissible, however, to furnish interested parties with
 summary reports that indicate the number of calls, average length,
 and other summary information provided that such summary information
 could not be used to identify individual initiators or recipients or
 their calling patterns.  For example, a remote printer gateway might
 furnish an interested party with a report of the number of calls per
 day and hours logged to a specific local area exchange.

Malamud & Rose [Page 3] RFC 1529 Remote Printing – Administrative Policies October 1993

 Remote printer servers operate in a public service capacity and must
 strictly respect the privacy of the contents of messages. Unless
 required by technical or legal considerations, the content of
 messages shall not be monitored or disclosed.

Denial of Access

 Internet sites registered in the tpc.int subdomain may deny access
 based on the source but not the destination of the message.  If an
 Internet site feels that it is inappropriate to provide access to a
 particular destination, then it should re-register itself
 accordingly.
 Denial of access based on source should be made only if required by
 legal authority with jurisdiction at the site or because of abuse.
 In all cases, denial of access should result in a notification
 returned to the initiator indicating the policy that was violated.
 However, if repeated attempts continue to be made by the source,
 repeated notifications are not necessary.  Denial of access should be
 distinguished from the inability to provide access.  For example,
 improperly formatted messages will prevent access.
 Denial of access can occur due to problems in a single message or set
 of messages or because of consistent patterns of abuse. Examples of
 denial on a single message might include an attempt to transmit an
 extremely long document, such as a 100-page memo. Such a document
 might violate local policies limiting the number of pages or
 transmission time.
 A more serious problem is long-term abuse of facilities.  A remote
 printer server might choose to impose a usage limit on a daily or
 monthly basis.  Such limits should be chosen to balance the desire to
 encourage legitimate users with the need to prevent consistent abuse.
 At present, it is the responsibility for each Internet site running a
 remote printer server to define a local policy for denial of access.
 This policy should be based on objective criteria, and those criteria
 should be registered with the tpc.int subdomain secretariat at the
 e-mail address tpc-admin@town.hall.org.

Security Considerations

 Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

Malamud & Rose [Page 4] RFC 1529 Remote Printing – Administrative Policies October 1993

References

 [1] Malamud, C., and M. Rose, "Principles of Operation for the
     TPC.INT Subdomain: Remote Printing -- Technical Procedures", RFC
     1528, Dover Beach Consulting, Inc., Internet Multicasting
     Service, October 1993.
 [2] Malamud, C., and M. Rose, "Principles of Operation for the
     TPC.INT Subdomain: General Principles and Policy", RFC 1530,
     Internet Multicasting Service, Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.,
     October 1993.

Authors' Addresses

 Carl Malamud
 Internet Multicasting Service
 Suite 1155, The National Press Building
 Washington, DC 20045
 US
 Phone: +1 202 628 2044
 Fax:   +1 202 628 2042
 Email: carl@malamud.com
 Marshall T. Rose
 Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.
 420 Whisman Court
 Mountain View, CA  94043-2186
 US
 Phone: +1 415 968 1052
 Fax:   +1 415 968 2510
 Email: mrose@dbc.mtview.ca.us

Malamud & Rose [Page 5]

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