DSA Metrics (OSI-DS 34 (v3))
RFC 1564
Network Working Group P. Barker
Request for Comments: 1564 University College London
Category: Informational R. Hedberg
Technical University Delft
January 1994
DSA Metrics
(OSI-DS 34 (v3))
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
This document defines a set of criteria by which a DSA implementation
may be judged. Particular issues covered include conformance to
standards; performance; demonstrated interoperability. The intention
is that the replies to the questions posed provide a fairly full
description of a DSA. Some of the questions will yield answers which
are purely descriptive; others, however, are intended to elicit
answers which give some measure of the utility of the DSA. The marks
awarded for a DSA in each particular area should give a good
indication of the DSA's capabilities, and its suitability for
particular uses.
Please send comments to the authors or to the discussion group
<osi-ds@CS.UCL.AC.UK>.
Table of Contents
1. Overview 2
2. General Information 3
3. Conformance to OSI Standards 4
3.1 Directory protocols............................. 4
3.2 Implementors' agreements and profiles ......... 6
3.3 Protocol stacks................................. 6
3.4 DIT structure ................................. 7
4. Other protocols 7
5. Extensions to the 1988 Standard 7
5.1 Schema ......................................... 7
5.2 Support for replication......................... 8
5.3 Support for access control ..................... 8
5.4 Miscellaneous ................................. 9
6. Miscellaneous characteristics 10
Barker & Hedberg [Page 1]
RFC 1564 DSA Metrics January 1994
7. Management tools 11
7.1 Dynamic system management ..................... 11
7.2 Static system management ...................... 12
7.3 Data management................................. 12
8. Operational Use 12
9. Interoperability 12
10. Performance 13
10.1 Speed for various operations .................. 14
10.1.1 Bind ..................................... 14
10.1.2 List ..................................... 15
10.1.3 Search .................................. 15
10.1.4 Read ..................................... 16
10.1.5 Add entry................................. 16
10.1.6 Modify entry ............................. 16
10.1.7 Modify RDN .............................. 16
10.1.8 Query rate .............................. 17
10.2 The results..................................... 17
10.3 Environment used for benchmarking ............. 17
11. Security Considerations 21
12. Authors' Addresses 21
1. Overview
The purpose of this document is to define some metrics by which DSA
products can be measured. Such metrics are valuable as whilst an
X.500 DSA must conform to the specification in the standard - this is
a sine qua non - protocol conformance is not in itself the hallmark
of a usable implementation. A DSA must perform operations within a
reasonable time; a DSA must offer good throughput of queries; a DSA
must be able to handle a reasonable volume of data; if modification
operations are provided, some sort of access control must be
provided; a DSA and its data must be manageable.
In many respects, it is almost impossible to say that one DSA is
better than other from looking at the responses to questions in this
document. For some, the cost or level of support will be the key
criterion. For another user, the flexibility of the schema
management facilities, or the feasibility of running the DSA over an
existing relational database, will be of prime importance. In many
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