RFC 2160 PROPOSED STANDARD EMAIL · X.400 · POSTSCRIPT

Carrying PostScript in X.400 and MIME

Two X.400 carriers for PostScript and their mapping to MIME application/postscript.

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
January 1998
AUTHORS
H. Alvestrand
STREAM
IETF
EXTENDED BODY PART IDENTIFIER
{ mixer-bp-data 2 }
FTAM BODY PART IDENTIFIER
{ mixer-bp-data 6 }
MIME TYPE
application/postscript
DOI
10.17487/RFC2160

RFC text

Contents
Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗
Network Working Group                                    H. Alvestrand
Request for Comments: 2160                                     UNINETT
Category: Standards Track                                 January 1998


                 Carrying PostScript in X.400 and MIME

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.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents

   1 Introduction ............................................    1
   2 The PostScript body part ................................    1
   3 The PostScript FTBP .....................................    2
   4 The Application/PostScript content-type .................    2
   5 MIXER conversion ........................................    2
   6 MIXER conversion ........................................    2
   7 OID Assignments .........................................    3
   8 Security Issues .........................................    3
   9 Trademark Issues ........................................    3
   10 References .............................................    3
   11 Author's Address .......................................    4
   12 Full Copyright Statement ...............................    5

1.  Introduction

   This document describes methods for carrying PostScript information
   in the two standard mail systems MIME and X.400, and the conversion
   between them. It uses the notational conventions of [BODYMAP], and
   the conversion is further described in [MIXER].

   Two ways of carrying PostScript in X.400 are described.  One is using
   the FTAM Body Part, and one uses the Extended Body Part originally
   described in RFC 1494.

   The FTAM method is recommended.

2.  The PostScript body part

   Carrying PostScript in X.400 as an Extended Body Part was originally
   defined in RFC 1494.  This specification carries that work forward
   now that RFC 1494 is obsoleted by [BODYMAP].

   The following Extended Body Part is defined for PostScript data
   streams.  It has no parameters.


      postscript-body-part EXTENDED-BODY-PART-TYPE
        DATA             OCTET STRING
        ::= mime-postscript-body

      mime-postscript-body OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=
                { mixer-bp-data 2 }

3.  The PostScript FTBP

   The PostScript FTBP is identified by having the
   FileTransferParameters.environment.application-reference set to id-
   mime-ftbp-postscript.

   The definition is:

    id-mime-ftbp-postscript OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=
                       { mixer-bp-data 6 }

4.  The Application/PostScript content-type

   In MIME, PostScript is carried in the body part
   "application/PostScript", which is defined in RFC 1521.

5.  MIXER conversion

   X.400 Body Part: Extended Body Part, OID mime-postscript-body MIME
   Content-Type: application/postscript Conversion Type: No conversion

   The two representations of PostScript both contain a single stream of
   octets. This stream of octets can be copied with no problems between
   the representations. No other data needs to be converted.

6.  MIXER conversion

   X.400 Body Part: FTBP, OID mime-ftbp-postscript-body MIME Content-
   Type: application/postscript Conversion Type: No conversion
   The two representations of PostScript both contain a single stream of
   octets. This stream of octets can be copied with no problems between
   the representations. No other data needs to be converted.

7.  OID Assignments

   The first OID is also defined in [BODYMAP].

    POSTSCRIPT-MAPPINGS DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN
    EXPORTS -- everything --;

    IMPORTS
       mixer-bp-data
           FROM MIXER-MAPPINGS

    id-mime-postscript-body OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=
            { mixer-bp-data 2 };
    id-mime-ftbp-postscript OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=
            { mixer-bp-data 6 };

    END

8.  Security Issues

   The issues concerning PostScript and security are well discussed in
   RFC 2046.  No additional security issues are identified by this memo.

9.  Trademark Issues

   PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.

10.  References

[MIXER]
     Kille, S., "MIXER: Mapping between X.400
     and RFC 822/MIME", RFC 2156, January 1998.

[BODYMAP]
     Alvestrand, H., "Mapping between X.400 and RFC 822/MIME
     Message Bodies", RFC 2157, January 1998.

11.  Author's Address

   Harald Tveit Alvestrand
   UNINETT
   Postboks 6883 Elgeseter
   N-7002 TRONDHEIM

   Phone: +47 73 59 70 94
   EMail: Harald.T.Alvestrand@uninett.no

12.  Full Copyright Statement

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.

   This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
   others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
   or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
   and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
   kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
   included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this
   document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
   the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
   Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
   developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
   copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
   followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
   English.

   The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
   revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

   This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
   "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
   TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
   BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
   HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
   MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

ISO Plain Language

On this page
PROBLEMMail systems need defined ways to carry PostScript in X.400 and map it to MIME.
MECHANISMThe RFC describes an Extended Body Part and an FTAM Body Part, each mapped to application/postscript without conversion.
WHY IT MATTERSThe RFC recommends the FTAM method; both representations carry a single octet stream.

§1PostScript in Two Mail Systems

The document describes methods for carrying PostScript in MIME and X.400, and for converting between the two mail systems. It describes an X.400 Extended Body Part and an FTAM Body Part.

The RFC recommends the FTAM method.

The document gives two ways to carry PostScript through X.400. It recommends the FTAM body part.

§2The X.400 Body-Part Forms

The Extended Body Part postscript-body-part has no parameters and carries an OCTET STRING. Its identifier is { mixer-bp-data 2 }. The PostScript FTAM Body Part is identified by an application-reference whose identifier is { mixer-bp-data 6 }.

The Extended Body Part carries forward work originally defined in RFC 1494.

Each X.400 form has a different identifier. Both carry the PostScript content as a stream of bytes.

§3MIME Mapping and Security

MIME carries PostScript as application/PostScript. The RFC maps both X.400 forms to application/postscript with no conversion because both contain a single stream of octets.

The RFC says PostScript security issues are discussed in RFC 2046 and adds no new security issues. It also notes that PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.

The same byte stream is used on both sides, so the gateway copies it without changing it. The memo adds no new security rules.

§4References