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rfc:rfc1685

Network Working Group H. Alvestrand Request for Comments: 1685 UNINETT RARE Technical Report: 12 August 1994 Category: Informational

                      Writing X.400 O/R Names

Status of this Memo

 This memo provides information for the Internet Community.  It does
 not specify an Internet Standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
 memo is unlimited.

1. Introduction

 There is a need for human beings who use X.400 systems to be able to
 write down O/R names in a uniform way.
 There has been a preexisting recommendation on how to write O/R names
 for human consumption in the RARE community. Now that the ISO/ITU has
 adopted a recommendation on how to do this [1], RARE needs to update
 its recommendation on writing O/R names to take this standard into
 account.

2. Recommendations on writing O/R names

 RARE recommends that the ISO standard be followed when writing O/R
 names. The ISO/ITU standard contains a number of options. RARE makes
 the following recommendations:
  1. The "main" abbreviations, G, I, S, O, OU1, OU2, P, A and C

are used. They should be written using UPPER CASE.

  1. The separation character should be semicolon (;).
  1. The ADMD value "blank" is expressed by omitting the

attribute. No other interpretation of a missing ADMD

         attribute is allowed.
  1. The recommended sequence is G=;I=;S=;O=;OU1=;OU2=;P=;A=;C=;
 This means that the O, OU1 and so on will be in opposite order to the
 fields of an Internet domain name; the reason for choosing the
 ISO/ITU order is that this will be more common among users of X.400
 services.

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 1] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

3. Copy of the recommmendation

 This is a COPY of a DRAFT of the relevant appendix. For the
 authoritative text, consult the ITU standard itself.
 Final text for AMENDMENT, 7 February 1993
 Annex to CCITT Rec. F.401 and ISO/IEC 10021-2/Am.1
 Annex F
    Representation of O/R addresses for human usage (This annex does
    not form an integral part of this Recommendation|International
    Standard)
 F.1 Purpose
    An O/R address (specified in clause 18) consists of a set of
    values of attributes taken from the list shown in Table F.1. In
    order to represent visually an address to a human user, and to
    enable the user to enter the address into a user interface, each
    attribute value needs to be associated with the correct attribute
    type. Many of the names of the attribute types shown in Table F.1
    are too long for convenient usage on paper or a screen. There is a
    need for a format which allows attributes to be represented
    concisely, e.g., on a business card.
    This annex specifies how addresses can be expressed concisely
    using labels to represent the attribute types. There are three
    categories of attributes: those standard mnemonic attributes which
    are most likely to be found in O/R addresses represented for human
    usage (e.g., on business cards), those used in physical delivery
    addresses, and other specialised attributes (including domain
    defined attributes). In order to provide a format which is as
    concise as possible, many of the labels are single characters.
    This also makes them less language dependent.
    Clause F.3 specifies the format for the representation of
    addresses, and clause F.4 specifies the characteristics necessary
    for user interfaces which are intended to be used in conjunction
    with this format.
 F.2 Scope
    A labelled format for the communication of O/R addresses to human
    users is specified. The format consists of a set of pairs of
    labels and attribute-values. The characteristics of a user
    interface which are necessary to accept addresses given in this

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 2] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

    format are also specified.
    In addition a self-explanatory format suitable for use where there
    is more space, e.g., in printed material and in the user
    interface, is specified.
 F.3 Format
 F.3.1 General
    The objective of the labelled format is to enable O/R addresses to
    be represented in a format which is concise and which can be
    accurately transcribed by human users. This can be facilitated by
    careful consideration of which attributes and values are used to
    form an O/R address.
    If the attributes of an O/R address include characters from an
    extended character set, human users who do not normally use the
    same extended character set may have difficulty representing the
    O/R address or entering it into their messaging system. In this
    situation, an alias of the O/R address should be provided which is
    composed entirely of printable string characters.
 NOTES
    1.   The policy for structuring O/R addresses needs to be
         carefully considered. Individual O/R addresses should be
         allocated within an appropriate division of the address
         space to reduce to an acceptable level the probability that
         2 users might expect to have the same O/R address. Use of
         given name or initials is usually sufficient to distinguish
         between users. It may be inappropriate to reflect too much
         granularity in OUs particularly if the organizational
         structure is subject to frequent change, or users move
         between OUs.
    2.   There may be a conflict between the benefits of using long
         values for attributes which are self explanatory (such as
         the full name of an organisation) and the benefits of
         shorter values (e.g., to concisely fit on a business card).
         One solution to this problem is to provide an alternative
         short attribute value (such as the initials of the
         organisation) as an alias for the long value.
    3.   If a human user might be uncertain about the existence of a
         space in an attribute value (particularly when it is
         typeset), aliases could be provided with and without the
         space (e.g., "SNOMAIL400" as an alias for "SNOMAIL 400" and

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 3] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

         "Mac Donald" as an alias for MacDonald).
    4.   If an alias is provided for an O/R address, it is desirable
         that this is implemented in such a way that a consistent
         (preferred) form of O/R address is generated for all
         messages originated by the user.
    Where national usage permits a single space value for the ADMD in
    an address, this is represented in the address either by omitting
    the ADMD attribute, or showing the ADMD attribute with no value or
    the value of a space.
 F.3.2 Labelled format
 F.3.2.1 Syntax
    O/R addresses in labelled format consist of delimited pairs of
    labels and values in the syntax <label>"="<value>. The labels for
    each attribute are specified in Tables F.1, F.2 and F.3. (The
    physical delivery attributes in Table F.2 are included for
    completeness.) The label and its value are either separated by the
    character "=", or by the space between two columns in a table.
    Labels may be represented in upper or lower case, but the use of
    uppercase is recommended as it is likely to be more visually
    distinctive.
    If label/value pairs appear in sequence on a line, they are
    separated by delimiters. Delimiters may optionally be followed by
    one or more spaces. The delimiter character may be either ";" or
    "/", but only one of these can be used in one O/R address. When
    the delimiter is "/" the first label is prefixed by "/". The use
    of a delimiter at the end of a line is optional. If the value of
    any attribute contains the delimiter character, this is
    represented by a pair of delimiter characters.
    If an identifier is required to preface a labelled address, it is
    recommended that "X.400" is used.
    If an address is entirely composed of attributes contained in
    Table F.1, it is recommended that the sequence of attributes in
    the address is that given in Table F.1. If this sequence is
    incompatible with normal cultural conventions, an alternative
    sequence may be adopted for representations of addresses which are
    primarily intended for use within that culture.

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 4] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

 EXAMPLE
  X.400: G=john; S=smith; O=a bank ltd; P=abl; A=snomail; C=aq
  This address may also be layed out as a table:
  G     John
  S     Smith
  O     A Bank Ltd
  P     ABL
  A     Snomail
  C     AQ
  Table F.1. Standard Attributes of the Mnemonic Address Form
  Attribute Type                         Abbreviation      Label
                                         (where necessary)
  Given Name                             Given name        G
  Initial                                Initials          I
  Surname                                Surname           S
  Generation Qualifier                   Generation        Q
  Common Name                            Common Name       CN
  Organization                           Organization      O
  Organizational Unit 1                  Org.Unit.1        OU1
  Organizational Unit 2                  Org.Unit.2        OU2
  Organizational Unit 3                  Org.Unit.3        OU3
  Organizational Unit 4                  Org.Unit.4        OU4
  Private Management Domain Name         PRMD              P
  Administration Management Domain Name  ADMD              A
  Country                                Country           C

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 5] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

  Table F.2. Physical Delivery Attributes
  Physical Delivery Personal Name        PD-person         PD-PN
  Extension of Postal O/R Address
  Components                             PD-ext.address    PD-EA
  Extension of Physical Delivery Address
  Components                             PD-ext.delivery   PD-ED
  Physical Delivery Office Number        PD-office number  PD-OFN
  Physical Delivery Office Name          PD-office         PD-OF
  Physical Delivery Organization Name    PD-organization   PD-O
  Street Address                         PD-street         PD-S
  Unformatted Postal Address             PD-address        PD-A1
                                                           PD-A2
  (there are individual labels for                         PD-A3
  each line of the address)                                PD-A4
                                                           PD-A5
                                                           PD-A6
  Unique Postal Name                     PD-unique         PD-U
  Local Postal Attributes                PD-local          PD-L
  Postal Restante Address                PD-restante       PD-R
  Post Office Box Address                PD-box            PD-B
  Postal Code                            PD-code           PD-PC
  Physical Delivery Service Name         PD-service        PD-SN
  Physical Delivery Country Name         PD-country        PD-C
  Table F.3. Other Attributes
  X.121 Network Address                  X.121             X.121
  E.163/E.164 Network Address            ISDN              ISDN
  PSAP Network Address                   PSAP              PSAP
  User Agent Numeric ID                  N-ID              N-ID
  Terminal Identifier                    T-ID              T-ID
  Terminal Type                          T-TY              T-TY
  Domain Defined Attribute               DDA:<type>
  DDA:<type>
  where the notation <type> identifies the type of domain defined
  attribute.
 F.3.2.2 Terminal Type
    There are currently six terminal types, and if international
    consistency is required the following specific abbreviations
    should be used to represent the values for these types: tlx, ttx,
    g3fax, g4fax, ia5 and vtx.

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 6] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

 F.3.2.3 Domain Defined Attribute
    The label for a DDA consists of "DDA:" followed by the DDA type.
    If an address includes more than one DDA of the same type, it is
    assumed that the DDAs are intended to be processed in the sequence
    in which they are represented.
    EXAMPLE - DDA:RFC-822=fred(a)widget.co.uk; O=gateway; P=abc; C=gb
    If the <type> of a DDA type includes the character "=", it is
    represented by "==".
 F.3.3 Self-explanatory format
    The self-explanatory format may be used when space is available.
    It consists of a list of the attribute types, either in full or
    abbreviated. The attribute types or abbreviations may be in any
    language, but each attribute type or abbreviation in Table F.1 is
    followed by the specified label. If English language abbreviations
    are used, they should be those given in Tables F.1, F.2 and F.3.
    If an address is entirely composed of attributes contained in
    Table F.1, it is recommended that the sequence of attributes in
    the address is that given in Table F.1. If this sequence is
    incompatible with normal cultural conventions, an alternative
    sequence may be adopted for representations of addresses which are
    primarily intended for use within that culture.
  EXAMPLE 1 - Using attribute types in the Norwegian language
  Fornavn (G)                            Per
  Etternavn (S)                          Hansen
  Organisasjon (O)                       Teledir
  Organisasjonsenhet (OU1)               Forskning
  Privat domene (P)                      Tele
  Administrasjonsdomene (A)              Telemax
  Land (C)                               NO

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 7] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

  EXAMPLE 2 - Using attribute types and abbreviations in the English
              language
  Given name (G)                         John
  Surname (S)                            Smith
  Organization (O)                       A Bank Ltd
  Org. Unit (OU1)                        IT Dept
  Org. Unit (OU2)                        MSG Group
  PRMD (P)                               ABL
  ADMD (A)                               Snomail
  Country (C)                            AQ
 F.4 User interface
    This clause specifies the characteristics of a user interface
    which are necessary to enable a user to input O/R addresses
    represented in either of the formats specified in clause F.3.
    It is necessary for the user interface to be able to accept any
    valid combination of attributes from Tables F.1, F.2 and F.3.
    If the user interface lists the attributes given in Table F.1, it
    is recommended that either the sequence used in Table F.1 should
    be used, or if this sequence is incompatible with normal cultural
    conventions, the alternative sequence adopted within a particular
    culture.
    If the user supplies a value for the PRMD attribute but omits the
    ADMD attribute, or omits the value for the ADMD attribute, the
    ADMD value to be used is a single space.
    Where an interface accepts an O/R address as a single string
    (e.g., in a command line interface), it is necessary to accept any
    valid labelled format address allowing the user to enter either
    delimiter. The interface should not require the attributes to be
    specified in any particular order. The interface should accept
    labels in upper or lower case.
    NOTE - For some existing command line interfaces it may be
    necessary to enclose the whole labelled format address in quotes.
    If any other type of interface is provided (e.g., a prompting or
    form-fill interface), it is necessary to provide a means which
    enables the user to easily associate the identity of each
    attribute with the labels specified in Tables F.1, F.2 and F.3.

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 8] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

 NOTES
    1.   One way to associate the identity of each attribute with the
         labels is to follow the attribute type (or abbreviation) for
         each attribute with the label in brackets, for example:
         Given name (G)
         Initials (I)
         Surname (S)
         Generation Qualifier (Q)
         Common Name (CN)
         Organization (O)
         Organizational Unit 1 (OU1)
         Organizational Unit 2 (OU2)
         Organizational Unit 3 (OU3)
         Organizational Unit 4 (OU4)
         Private Management Domain Name (P)
         Administration Management Domain Name (A)
         Country (C)
    2.   Many users may have difficulty copying an address presented
         as a table (either in labelled or self-explanatory format)
         into a command line interface which uses delimiters.
    3.   For form-fill style interfaces, user performance will be
         optimised when the interface most closely resembles the
         format of the supplied address with the same sequence of
         attributes using the same attribute types or labels.
  Examples of application
    1.   The Norwegian user of a command line interface receives a
         business card containing the following O/R address:
         G=john; S=smith; O=a bank ltd; P=abl; A=snomail; C=aq
         The command line interface enables the user to type in the
         address exactly as presented on the card.
    2.   The Norwegian user of a form fill interface receives the
         same business card. The form on the screen includes the
         following field names:

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 9] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

         Fornavn (G)
         Etternavn (S)
         Organisasjon (O)
         Privat domene (P)
         Administrasjonsdomene (A)
         Land (C)
         The user is able to fill in the form by associating the
         single letter labels on the business card with the same
         labels in brackets after the Norwegian names of the
         attributes on the screen. (For form fill input the
         delimiters are not used.)
    3.   The English speaking user of a command line interface
         receives a document quoting the following O/R address:
         Fornavn (G)               Per
         Etternavn (S)             Hansen
         Organisasjon (O)          Teledir
         Organisasjonsenhet (OU1)  Forskning
         Privat domene (P)         Tele
         Administrasjonsdomene (A) Telemax
         Land (C)                  NO
         The user knows how to transform the address from self-
         explanatory to labelled format. The user can choose to enter
         the address with either delimiter, e.g.,:
        g=per;s=hansen;o=teledir;ou1=forskning;p=tele;a=telemax;c=no
         or:
       /g=per/s=hansen/o=teledir/ou1=forskning/p=tele/a=telemax/c=no

4. References

 [1]  F.401 - CCITT Message Handling Services - Operations
      and Definitions of Service - Naming and Addressing
      for Public Message Handling Services, Annex B
      (08/92).
      Available (at the time of writing) as the GOPHER URL:
      gopher://info.itu.ch/9/.1/ITUdoc/.dirtree/.1/.itu-
      t/.rec/.f/.23068/.7724.zip

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 10] RFC 1685 Writing X.400 O/R Names August 1994

5. Security Considerations

 Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

6. Author's Address

 Harald Tveit Alvestrand
 UNINETT A/S
 P.O.Box 6883
 ELGESETER
 N-7002 TRONDHEIM
 NORWAY
 RFC822: Harald.Alvestrand@uninett.no
 X.400:  C=no; ADMD=; PRMD=uninett; O=uninett; S=alvestrand;
 G=harald

RARE Working Group on Mail and Messaging (WG-MSG) [Page 11]

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