Independent Submission                                   K. Meadors, Ed.
Request for Comments: 6017                           Drummond Group Inc.
Category: Informational                                   September 2010
ISSN: 2070-1721


      Electronic Data Interchange - Internet Integration (EDIINT)
                         Features Header Field

Abstract

   With the maturity of the Electronic Data Interchange - Internet
   Integration (EDIINT) standards of AS1, AS2, and AS3, applications and
   additional features are being built upon the basic secure transport
   functionality.  These features are not necessarily supported by all
   EDIINT applications and could cause potential problems with
   implementations.  The EDIINT-Features header field provides a means
   to resolve these problems and support new functionality.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This is a contribution to the RFC Series, independently of any other
   RFC stream.  The RFC Editor has chosen to publish this document at
   its discretion and makes no statement about its value for
   implementation or deployment.  Documents approved for publication by
   the RFC Editor are not a candidate for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6017.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2010 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
       1.1.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
   2.  EDIINT-Features Header Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
   3.  Implementation and Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   4.  EDIINT Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   5.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   7.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.  Introduction

   EDIINT applications provide for a secure means of payload document
   transport.  The original intent was for transport of a single EDI or
   XML document.  However, as AS1 [RFC3335], AS2 [RFC4130], and AS3
   [RFC4823] matured, other features and application logic were
   implemented upon EDIINT standards.  Since these features go beyond
   (but do not violate) the basic premise of EDIINT, a means is needed
   to communicate to trading partners features that are supported by the
   originating user agent.  The EDIINT-Features header indicates the
   capability of the user agent to support the listed feature with its
   trading partner without out-of-band communication and agreement.

1.1.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

2.  EDIINT-Features Header Syntax

   The EDIINT-Features header can appear in the header section of an
   AS1, AS2, and AS3 message.  Its ABNF [RFC5234] syntax is listed
   below.

   Feature       = "EDIINT-Features:" [WSP] Feature-Name *([WSP] ","
                   [WSP] Feature-Name)

   Feature-Name  = 1*Feature-Token

   Feature-Token = %d48-57 / ; 0-9
                   %d65-90 / ; A-Z
                   %d97-122 / ; a-z
                   "-" ; hyphen is allowed
                   ; blank space " " is not allowed

   The Feature-Token allows for feature names to be specified and can
   only contain alphanumeric characters along with the hyphen.  Feature
   names are case insensitive.

3.  Implementation and Processing

   The EDIINT-Features header field indicates the originating user agent
   is capable of supporting the features listed.  The EDIINT-Features
   header field MUST be present in all messages transmitted by the user
   agent and not just messages that utilize the feature.  Upon
   examination of the EDIINT-Features header field, the trading partner
   SHOULD assume the user agent is capable of receiving messages
   utilizing any of the features listed.

   Features that utilize the EDIINT-Features header field MUST be
   specified in RFCs.  These RFCs MUST describe the feature name that is
   listed in the header and the means by which it should be used.

4.  EDIINT Applications

   AS2 and AS3 applications currently use a version header, AS2-Version
   and AS3-Version, respectively, to indicate functional support.  The
   EDIINT-Features header field tremendously improves the purpose and
   function of the old version header.  However, to provide a connection
   from the old version header and the EDIINT-Features header field, AS2
   and AS3 applications that implement the EDIINT-Features header field
   MUST use the version value of "1.2" to indicate the support of the
   EDIINT-Features header field.  Also, since version "1.1" indicates
   the implementation supports compression [RFC5402] and "1.2" builds
   upon "1.1", AS2-Version or AS3-Version of "1.2" MUST support
   compression regardless of whether it is mentioned as a feature in the
   EDIINT-Features header field.

   AS1 does not use a version header and one is not required for
   including the EDIINT-Features header field.

   The EDIINT-Features header field is informational, and AS1, AS2, or
   AS3 trading partners who have not implemented it can safely ignore
   this header.

5.  IANA Considerations

   IANA has registered the following provisional header.

   Header field name: EDIINT-Features

   Applicable protocol: http and mail

   Status: provisional

   Author/Change controller: Kyle Meadors of Drummond Group
   (kyle@drummondgroup.com)

   Specification document(s): this document

   Related information: This header will be used in conjunction with the
   EDIINT WG specifications RFC 4130 (AS2), RFC 3335 (AS1) and RFC 4823
   (AS3).

6.  Security Considerations

   Because headers are often un-encrypted, it may be possible for the
   EDIINT-Features header field to be altered.  Trading partners MAY
   consult out-of-band to confirm feature support.

7.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC3335]  Harding, T., Drummond, R., and C. Shih, "MIME-based Secure
              Peer-to-Peer Business Data Interchange over the Internet",
              RFC 3335, September 2002.

   [RFC4130]  Moberg, D. and R. Drummond, "MIME-Based Secure Peer-to-
              Peer Business Data Interchange Using HTTP, Applicability
              Statement 2 (AS2)", RFC 4130, July 2005.

   [RFC4823]  Harding, T. and R. Scott, "FTP Transport for Secure Peer-
              to-Peer Business Data Interchange over the Internet", RFC
              4823, April 2007.

   [RFC5234]  Crocker, D. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax
              Specifications: ABNF", STD 68, RFC 5234, January 2008.

   [RFC5402]  Harding, T., Ed., "Compressed Data within an Internet
              Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Message", RFC 5402,
              February 2010.

Author's Address

   Kyle Meadors (editor)
   Drummond Group Inc.
   Nashville, Tennessee  37221
   US

   Phone: +1 (817) 709-1627
   EMail: kyle@drummondgroup.com