This Working Group did not meet
NOTE: This charter is a snapshot of the 59th IETF Meeting in Seoul, Korea. It may now be out-of-date.
Last Modified: 2004-01-29
The Open Pluggable Edge Services (OPES) working group is chartered to define a framework and protocols to both authorize and invoke distributed application services while maintaining the network's robustness and end-to-end data integrity. These services may be server-centric (i.e., an administrative domain that includes the origin server) and they may be client-centric (i.e., an administrative domain that includes the user agent).
Services provided in the OPES framework should be traceable by the application endpoints of an OPES-involved transaction, thus helping both service providers and end-users detect and respond to inappropriate behavior by OPES components. In particular, services provided in the OPES framework should be reversible by mutual agreement of the application endpoints. Furthermore, the OPES protocol must include authorization as one if its steps, and this must be by at least one of the of the application-layer endpoints (i.e. either the content provider or the content consumer).
In a first step, this working group will investigate and propose to the Area Directors whether the architecture to be developed must be compatible with the use of end-to-end integrity and encryption. Based on this decision, it will examine the requirements for both authorization and invocation of application services inside the network. The group will create an architecture for OPES services applied to application messages, and specify the protocol for HTTP and RTP/RTSP. The working group will define one or more methods for specification of policies, as well as the rules that enable application endpoints to control execution of such services.
The working group will have a design goal that policies affecting the control and authorization rules be compatible with existing policy work within the IETF (e.g. IETF Policy Framework) and be able to interface with systems automating distribution of policies to multiple endpoints, but it will be out of scope for this work to develop the policy framework and specify multiple-endpoint policy distribution.
With the requirements, the working group will specify a protocol or suite of protocols for invocation and tracking of OPES services inside the net, including the authorization and enforcement elements for one endpoint.
The working group will consider the ICAP protocol drafts as an OPES precursor and will will support development of an analysis that explains the limitations of ICAP, to accompany informational publication of that protocol. The working group will coordinate with other groups such as AVT and MMUSIC (in regard to RTP/RTSP) and WEBI (in regard to HTTP).
The group's work items can be listed as:
- Develop scenarios and use case document.
- Draft high-level, overall example OPES architecture.
- Define requirements for service invocation and tracing (callout).
- Define policy specification method(s) and rules for controlling execution of OPES services.
- Define callout and tracing protocol(s).
- Develop a vulnerability assessment and use this to guide each type of security service to be included in the protocols developed.
As each deliverable is developed, it must address the IAB considerations specified in RFC 3238.
Deliverables:
- OPES scenarios and use case document.
- General OPES architecture/framework.
- Requirements for authorization and enforcement of OPES services.
- Requirements for invocation and tracking of OPES services.
- Vulnerability assessment document for OPES services.
- Mechanisms and protocols for service invocation and service tracking.
| Done | Submit OPES scenarios document and architecture document to IESG for Informational. | |
| Done | Submit document on protocol (callout and tracing) requirements to IESG for Informational. | |
| Done | Submit document on endpoint authorization and enforcement requirements to IESG for Informational. | |
| Done | Submit document on threat/risk model for OPES services to IESG for Informational. | |
| Done | Initial protocol document for OPES services including their authorization, invocation, tracking, and enforcement of authorization. | |
| Done | Initial document on rules specification method. | |
| Done | Submit protocol document for OPES services including their authorization, invocation, tracking, and enforcement of authorization to IESG for Proposed Standard. | |
| Oct 03 | Submit document on rules specification method to IESG for Proposed Standard. | |
| Oct 03 | Consider additional OPES work such as extension to traffic beyond HTTP and RTSP and present new charter to IESG, or conclude working group. |