Registering AuthN Identifiers with IANA

[Hal Lockhart <hal.lockhart@entegrity.com>]

> JeffH noted that there IS an existing registry of what are effectively
> "authentication types". This is the IANA-based registry of 
> SASL mechanisms
> located here..
> 
>   http://www.iana.org/assignments/sasl-mechanisms

Well, not exactly.

This certainly proves that IANA can register this kind of thing. (Was there
any doubt?)

Also we could use these names to "inspire" the names we choose, for the
relatively short list of registered methods, but the SASL registry, as it
stands is not suitable for our needs.

1. In order to use this registry, a SASL profile must be defined for each
method to be registered. All we want to do is a register some identifiers.

2. The list leaves a lot to be desired. HTTP basic auth is not defined.
(PLAIN is conceptually similar, but not the same.) Kerberos 5 is missing
along with its cousins DCE and MS-Kerberos. In fact, there is only one
mechanism defined (NTLM) for the 4 or 5 Microsoft AuthN protocols in common
use. There is no kind of PKI, nor biometrics.

In summary, IANA may very well be the way to go, but we will have to do more
than wave at the SASL list.

(As a final note, I noticed that the URL given in RFC2222 is no longer
valid. The one given above is correct.)

Hal