A Uniform Resource Name (URN) Namespace for IANA RegistriesCisco Systems, Inc.1899 Wynkoop Street, Suite 600DenverCO80202USA+1-303-308-3282psaintan@cisco.comInternet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers12025 Waterfront Drive, Suite 300Los AngelesCA90094-2536USA+1-310-823-9358michelle.cotton@icann.orgIANAInternet Assigned Numbers AuthorityUniform Resource NameURNNIDThis document defines a Uniform Resource Name (URN) namespace for uniquely identifying information contained in registries maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) allocates and maintains unique codes and numbering systems that are used in the context of Internet protocols. Most of the constants and other well-known values maintained by the IANA are contained in registries that are accessible over the Internet, where each registry is hosted at iana.org and identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) whose resources are retrieved using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) .Some Internet protocols need persistent identifiers for the entries contained in IANA registries. However, currently such identifiers do not exist, for several reasons:Each IANA registry is located at an HTTP URI (e.g., "http://www.iana.org/assignments/sdp-security-descriptions/sdp-security-descriptions.xml"), but there are no "pointers" to specific entries in each registry (e.g., the "AES_256_CM_HMAC_SHA1_80" entry in the SRTP Crypto Suite registry located at that URI).From time to time, the IANA might change the URIs for its registries (as was done not long ago when the IANA changed all of its registries to use Extensible Markup Language files instead of plain text files).It is desirable that names for the entries in IANA registries can be persistent and location-independent, which is not necessarily the case with names that are also HTTP URIs. However, Uniform Resource Names (URNs) are designed to be both persistent and location-independent. For example, a URN for the foregoing registry entry might be:Therefore, in accordance with the process defined in , this document defines a formal namespace identifier (NID) that could be used to assign URNs representing the information contained in IANA registries.The IANA is one of the Internet's oldest institutions, with its activities dating back to the 1970s. The use of Uniform Resource Names with an appropriate Namespace ID will enable the IANA to assign cleaner, more general, more permanent, more reliable, and more controllable names for the parameters used by Internet protocols and applications.The Internet community will benefit from this namespace by having more permanent and reliable names for parameters used in the context of Internet protocols and applications.The registries maintained by the IANA are open to contributions from any interested individual or organization. See the IANA website and documentation of its registration procedures for detailed descriptions of the registration procedures.This document introduces no additional security considerations beyond those associated with the use and resolution of URNs in general.This document defines a URN NID registration of "iana" and thus opens the possibility that the IANA can use that namespace if desired. However, this document does not stipulate that the IANA is to create names for every entry in every registry that it maintains. The IANA's use of the namespace is a matter for IANA policy, which is outside the scope of this document.Uniform Resource Names (URN) Namespace Definition Mechanisms<p>This document lays out general definitions of and mechanisms for establishing Uniform Resource Names (URN) "namespaces". The URN WG has defined a syntax for URNs in RFC 2141, as well as some proposed mechanisms for their resolution and use in Internet applications in RFC 3401 and RFC 3405. The whole rests on the concept of individual "namespaces" within the URN structure. Apart from proof-of-concept namespaces, the use of existing identifiers in URNs has been discussed in RFC 2288. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. </p>URN SyntaxAT&T15621 Drexel CircleOmahaNE 68135-2358USA+1 402 894-9456jayhawk@ds.internic.net
Applications
URNuniform resource
Uniform Resource Names (URNs) are intended to serve as persistent,
location-independent, resource identifiers. This document sets
forward the canonical syntax for URNs. A discussion of both existing
legacy and new namespaces and requirements for URN presentation and
transmission are presented. Finally, there is a discussion of URN
equivalence and how to determine it.
Guidelines for Writing an IANA Considerations Section in RFCsMany protocols make use of identifiers consisting of constants and other well-known values. Even after a protocol has been defined and deployment has begun, new values may need to be assigned (e.g., for a new option type in DHCP, or a new encryption or authentication transform for IPsec). To ensure that such quantities have consistent values and interpretations across all implementations, their assignment must be administered by a central authority. For IETF protocols, that role is provided by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).</t><t> In order for IANA to manage a given namespace prudently, it needs guidelines describing the conditions under which new values can be assigned or when modifications to existing values can be made. If IANA is expected to play a role in the management of a namespace, IANA must be given clear and concise instructions describing that role. This document discusses issues that should be considered in formulating a policy for assigning values to a namespace and provides guidelines for authors on the specific text that must be included in documents that place demands on IANA.</t><t> This document obsoletes RFC 2434. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1Department of Information and Computer ScienceUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCA92697-3425+1(949)824-1715fielding@ics.uci.eduWorld Wide Web ConsortiumMIT Laboratory for Computer Science, NE43-356545 Technology SquareCambridgeMA02139+1(617)258-8682jg@w3.orgCompaq Computer CorporationWestern Research Laboratory250 University AvenuePalo AltoCA94305mogul@wrl.dec.comWorld Wide Web ConsortiumMIT Laboratory for Computer Science, NE43-356545 Technology SquareCambridgeMA02139+1(617)258-8682frystyk@w3.orgXerox CorporationMIT Laboratory for Computer Science, NE43-3563333 Coyote Hill RoadPalo AltoCA94034masinter@parc.xerox.comMicrosoft Corporation1 Microsoft WayRedmondWA98052paulle@microsoft.comWorld Wide Web ConsortiumMIT Laboratory for Computer Science, NE43-356545 Technology SquareCambridgeMA02139+1(617)258-8682timbl@w3.org
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application-level
protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information
systems. It is a generic, stateless, protocol which can be used for
many tasks beyond its use for hypertext, such as name servers and
distributed object management systems, through extension of its
request methods, error codes and headers . A feature of HTTP is
the typing and negotiation of data representation, allowing systems
to be built independently of the data being transferred.
HTTP has been in use by the World-Wide Web global information
initiative since 1990. This specification defines the protocol
referred to as "HTTP/1.1", and is an update to RFC 2068 .
Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic SyntaxWorld Wide Web ConsortiumMassachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts AvenueCambridgeMA02139USA+1-617-253-5702+1-617-258-5999timbl@w3.orghttp://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/Day Software5251 California Ave., Suite 110IrvineCA92617USA+1-949-679-2960+1-949-679-2972fielding@gbiv.comhttp://roy.gbiv.com/Adobe Systems Incorporated345 Park AveSan JoseCA95110USA+1-408-536-3024LMM@acm.orghttp://larry.masinter.net/
Applications
uniform resource identifierURIURLURNWWWresource
A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of characters
that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This specification
defines the generic URI syntax and a process for resolving URI references
that might be in relative form, along with guidelines and security
considerations for the use of URIs on the Internet.
The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all valid URIs,
allowing an implementation to parse the common components of a URI
reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements of every
possible identifier. This specification does not define a generative
grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual
specifications of each URI scheme.
Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 (Fifth Edition)Thanks to Martin Duerst for his feedback.