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Subject: RE: [security-services] the "NotOnOrAfter" issue


If I remember correctly, the "NotOnOrAfter" semantics were chosen to
specifically address a problem with the X.509 way of doing validity time
intervals. I think it was Phill Hallam-Baker that proposed it, but I could
be wrong.

The problem with the X.509 restrictions is that you can't create two
non-overlapping certificates without leaving a time gap between them. For
example:

cert 1: notBefore 5:00
        notAfter  6:00
cert 2: notBefore 6:00
        notAfter  7:00

Both cert 1 and cert 2 are valid at exactly 6:00. You could try to make them
non-overlapping by making cert 2 notBefore 6:01, but now there might be a
time interval where neither cert is valid, depending on how fine the
granularity is on your clock.

By using notBefore/notOnOrAfter semantics, you can create two assertions
that don't overlap and don't have a gap between them no matter what the
clock granularity is.


That's the reasoning. I don't have a strong opinion either way about whether
it is better to maintain compatibility with existing systems, or correct
this particular "flaw" in the existing systems.

 - irving - 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mishra, Prateek [mailto:pmishra@netegrity.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 12:49 PM
> To: 'RL 'Bob' Morgan'; OASIS Security Services TC; 
> 'pbaker@verisign.com'
> Subject: RE: [security-services] the "NotOnOrAfter" issue
> 
> 
> Agreed, this usage of "NotOnOrAfter" is quite puzzling. I 
> had been agitating for its removal some time ago, but I guess
> we have never worked thru it on the list. I would propose 
> that if there
> is no good reason given by Tuesday, Jan 29, we should switch 
> to NotAfter.
> 
> - prateek
> >>On Tue, 22 Jan 2002, Stephen Farrell wrote:
> >>
> >>  - NotOnOrAfter. This is different from most end-date 
> types specified
> >>  elsewhere, in particular the notAfter field in many ASN.1 
> >>structures.
> >>  There is no justification given for this semantic change 
> which will
> >>  cause new boundary conditions and hence new (probably 
> >>broken) code. For
> >>  example, if an issuer has an X.509 certificate with a notAfter of
> >>  20021231235959Z then what is the latest NotOnOrAfter value 
> >>that should
> >>  result in a valid assertion? What is the first NotOnOrAfter 
> >>value that
> >>  should result in an assertion being invalidated for this 
> >>reason? I don't
> >>  know the answers. Gratuitous changes are bad things. This 
> >>is one such.


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