Re: FW: ISSUE: definition of RADIUS IPv6 "data types" arbitrary and unjustified

[Alan DeKok <aland@deployingradius.com>]

Glen Zorn wrote:
> However, simply examining the references shows that none of the RFCs cited
> define _any_ "data types".

  Unfortunately, I know how to use "grep".

$ grep "data type" rfc2865.txt
...
      The format of the value field is one of five data types.  Note
                standard Attributes do not use this data type but it is
...

  That was difficult.  Now let's read the document in more detail to see
what it says.  From RFC 2865 Section 5, Page 25:


      The format of the value field is one of five data types.  Note
      that type "text" is a subset of type "string".


  It goes on to name the five data types, and give definitions for each
one.  These data types are then used in the attribute definitions in RFC
2865, and in other RADIUS RFCs.

  In addition, this text is taken from RFC 2058, which was written over
a decade ago, and says:


	The format of the value field is one of four data types.


  Of course, that isn't the whole story.  To highlight the irony (or
hypocrisy), these data types are used by you in RFCs that you either
authored or co-authored:

	RFC 2548
	RFC 2867
	RFC 2868
	RFC 3162

> Requested change:
> Either delete the entire section or modify it to be a more reasonable and
> justified _description_ of formats that have been previously used in RADIUS
> to carry quantities related to IPv6, rather than using irrelevant references
> to attempt to justify the  _prescription_ of future behavior.  

  This issue should be rejected out of hand.  The concept of "data
types" goes back to the beginning of RADIUS, and was part of the
original protocol specification.

  Alan DeKok.

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