----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank
Siebenlist" <franks@mcs.anl.gov>
> * Blair
mentioned it already, but just to clarify that the embedding of
> key-info
in the EPR allows one to use normal user-certs for ssl/tls
> servers and
to enforce an equivalent authorization on the to-be-expected
> server's
subject(-alt)-name. Section 2.1.i seems to hint at the same in
> the
BSP-core discussion.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>
From: "Blair Dillaway" <blaird@microsoft.com>
>> 1. I have discussed the motivating use cases for
OGSA-BSP Core with
>> Frank Siebenlist. This was developed to support
validation of the desired
>> TLS/SSL server where the server cert
doesn't contain info corresponding
>> to the service location. I
happen to think standardizing on such a
>> mechanism may be more
important when using message-level security,
>> but that may require
some additional work as you mention.
Very interesting. I had no idea that the
OGSA BSP-Core was specifically motivated for SSL/TLS transport level
security. I had just assumed that the profile was primarily addressing an
intuitive approach for communicating key/certificate information to clients for
use in SOAP message-level secure commmunication. (The words "SSL" or "TLS"
never appear in the document, and "transport" appears once in line 107 in a
manner that would appear to be descriptive of the OGSA BSP-SC profile, rather
than the Core profile.)
In fact, it seems that the OGSA HPC Basic Profile
document made the same initial assumption that I did, as it reads:
Note: The OGSA Basic Security Profile 1.0 -
Core specification is not used as that addresses the binding of key
information to an endpoint reference [in WS-Addressing], which is not relevant
when using transport layer security.
This further evidences the need for more
specificity in the BSP-Core profile for the intent-of-use of the embedded key
(cert) information. (For example, a client may want to see
two certificates within the
endpoint references that it consumes: one to verify the SSL/TLS endpoint, and
the other to authenticate the individual, possibly-mobile, remote
resource.) We would suggest that the OGSA BSP-SC be updated to explicitly
reflect this interaction with the (proposed updates to the) BSP-Core;
specifically that there must be agreement between any such server
subject-(alt-)names in embedded EPR key/cert information that is specified for
transport endpoint verification. By doing this, the application of these
two profiles would explicitly address your original tranport security
motivations.
-Duane