RFC 2218 (rfc2218) - Page 1 of 8

A Common Schema for the Internet White Pages Service

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Network Working Group                                       T. Genovese
Request for Comments: 2218                                    Microsoft
Category: Standards Track                                   B. Jennings
                                             Sandia National Laboratory
                                                           October 1997


          A Common Schema for the Internet White Pages Service


Status of this Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   This work is the result of the IETF Integrated Directory Services
   (IDS) Working Group.  The IDS Working Group proposes a standard
   specification for a simple Internet White Pages service by defining a
   common schema for use by the various White Pages servers.  This
   schema is independent of specific implementations of the White Pages
   service.

   This document specifies the minimum set of core attributes of a White
   Pages entry for an individual and describes how new objects with
   those attributes can be defined and published.  It does not describe
   how to represent other objects in the White Pages service.  Further,
   it does not address the search sort expectations within a particular
   service.

1.0     Introduction to IWPS

   The Internet community has stated a need for the development and
   deployment of a White Pages service for use in locating information
   about people in the Internet [PA94].  To facilitate interoperability
   and to provide a common user experience, the Internet White Pages
   Service (IWPS) must have a common set of information about each
   person.

   A common user object would allow a user to go between implementations
   of the service and to expect consistency in the types of information
   provided.  A common user object would also provide developers with an
   unambigious method of representing the information managed by the
   service.



Genovese & Jennings        Standards Track
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