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authorThomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100
committerThomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100
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+Network Working Group J. Postel
+Request for Comments: 1590 ISI
+Updates: 1521 March 1994
+Category: Informational
+
+
+ Media Type Registration Procedure
+
+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
+
+ Several protocols allow the use of data representing different
+ "media" such as text, images, audio, and video, and within such media
+ different encoding styles, such as (in video) jpeg, gif, ief, and
+ tiff. The Multimedia Internet Message Extensions (MIME) protocol [1]
+ defined several initial types of multimedia data objects, and a
+ procedure for registering additional types with the Internet Assigned
+ Numbers Authority (IANA). Several questions have been raised about
+ the requirements and administrative procedure for registering MIME
+ content-type and subtypes, and the use of these Media Types for other
+ applications. This document addresses these issues and specifies a
+ procedure for the registration of new Media Types (content-
+ type/subtypes). It also generalizes the scope of use of these Media
+ Types to make it appropriate to use the same registrations and
+ specifications with other applications.
+
+1. Introduction
+
+ RFC 1521 [1] defines a procedure for the registration of new data
+ types for use with the Multimedia Internet Message Extensions (MIME).
+ This registration mechanism was designed to make the identifiers for
+ a given data type available for use and to prevent naming conflicts.
+ With the growth of new multi-media protocols and access mechanisms,
+ this process has the promise of forming a unified general
+ registration service for Internet Protocols. These types, previously
+ called "MIME Types", are now called "Media Types".
+
+ The registration process for Media Types (content-type/subtypes) was
+ initially defined in the context of the asynchronous mail
+ environments. In this mail environment, there is a need to limit the
+ number of possible Media Types to increase the likelihood of
+ interoperability when the capabilities of the remote mail system are
+ not known. As Media Types are used in new environments, where the
+
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+IANA [Page 1]
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+RFC 1590 Media Type Registration Procedure March 1994
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+ proliferation of Media Types is not a hindrance to interoperability,
+ the original procedure is excessively restrictive and needs to be
+ generalized.
+
+ This document addresses the specific questions raised and provides an
+ administrative procedure for the registration of Media Types. This
+ procedure also address the registration requirements needed for the
+ mapping of Object Identifiers (OIDs) for X.400 MHS use to Media
+ Types.
+
+2. Media Type Registration Procedure
+
+ The following procedure has been implemented by the IANA for review
+ and approval of new Media Types. This is not a formal standards
+ process, but rather an administrative procedure intended to allow
+ community comment and sanity checking without excessive time delay.
+
+2.1 Present the Request for Registration to the Community
+
+ Send a proposed Media Type (content-type/subtype) to the "ietf-
+ types@cs.utk.edu" mailing list. This mailing list has been
+ established for the sole purpose of reviewing proposed Media Types.
+ Proposed content-types are not formally registered and must use the
+ "x-" notation for the subtype name.
+
+ The intent of the public posting is to solicit comments and feedback
+ on the choice of content-type/subtype name, the unambiguity of the
+ references with respect to versions and external profiling
+ information, the choice of which OIDs to use, and a review of the
+ security considerations section. It should be noted that the
+ proposed Media Type does not need to make sense for every possible
+ application. If the Media Type is intended for a limited or specific
+ use, this should be noted in the submission.
+
+2.2 Submit the Content Type to the IANA for Registration
+
+ After two weeks, submit the proposed Media Type to the IANA for
+ registration. The request and supporting documentation should be
+ sent to "iana@isi.edu". Provided a reasonable review period has
+ elapsed, the IANA will register the Media Type, assign an OID under
+ the IANA branch, and make the Media Type registration available to
+ the community.
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+IANA [Page 2]
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+RFC 1590 Media Type Registration Procedure March 1994
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+ The Media Type registrations will be posted in the anonymous FTP
+ directory "ftp.isi.edu:in-notes/media-types" and the Media Type will
+ be listed in the periodically issued "Assigned Numbers" RFC [2]. The
+ Media Type description may be published as an Informational RFC by
+ sending it to "rfc-editor@isi.edu" (please follow the instructions to
+ RFC authors [3]).
+
+3. Clarifications On Specific Issues
+
+3.1 MIME Requirements for a Limited Number of Content-Types
+
+ Issue: In the asynchronous mail environment, where information on
+ the capabilities of the remote mail agent is not available to the
+ sender, maximum interoperability is attained by restricting the
+ number of content-types used to those "common" content-types expected
+ to be widely implemented. This was asserted as a reason to limit the
+ number of possible content-types and resulted in a registration
+ process with a significant hurdle and delay for those registering
+ content-types.
+
+ Comment: The need for "common" content-types formats does not
+ require limiting the registration of new content-types. This
+ restriction may, in fact, hinder interoperability by causing separate
+ registration authorities for specific applications which may register
+ values in conflict with or otherwise incompatible with each other.
+ If a limited set of content-types recommended for a particular
+ application, that should be asserted by a separate applicability
+ statement specific for the application and/or environment.
+
+3.2 Requirements for a Published Specification
+
+ Issue: Content-Type registration requires an RFC specifying the data
+ format or a reference to a published specification of the data
+ stream. This requirement may be overly restrictive for the use of
+ content-type registration for file attachments and distribution
+ because a public specification may not be available for a number of
+ widely used and exchanged objects.
+
+ Comment: MIME required the documentation of a specific content-type
+ to allow the unambiguous identification of a defined type. This
+ intent is met by the identification of a particular software package
+ and version when registering the content-type and is allowed for
+ registration. The appropriateness of using a Media Type with an
+ unavailable specification should not be an issue in the registration.
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+IANA [Page 3]
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+RFC 1590 Media Type Registration Procedure March 1994
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+3.3 Identification of Security Considerations
+
+ Issue: The registration process requires the identification of any
+ known security problems with the content-type.
+
+ Comment: It is not required that the content-type be secure or that
+ it be free from risks, but that the known risks be identified.
+ Publication of a content-type does not require an exhaustive security
+ review, and the security considerations section is subject to
+ continuing evaluation. Additional security considerations should be
+ periodically published in an RFC by IANA.
+
+3.4. Recommendations and Standards Status
+
+ Issue: The registration of a data type does not imply endorsement,
+ approval, or recommendation by IANA or IETF or even certification
+ that the specification is adequate.
+
+ Comment: To become Internet Standards, protocol, data objects, or
+ whatever must go through the IETF standards process. This is too
+ difficult and to lengthly a process for the convenient and practical
+ need to register Media Types. It is expected that applicability
+ statements for particular applications will be published from time to
+ time that recommend implementation of, and support for, data types
+ that have proven particularly useful in those contexts.
+
+4. Security Considerations
+
+ This memo does not address specific security issues but outlines a
+ security review process for Media Types.
+
+5. Acknowledgements
+
+ Most of the words in this RFC were written by other people --
+ primarily John Klensin and Greg Vaudreuil -- and my contribution has
+ been to slightly modify some sentences, delete some phrases, and to
+ rearrange some paragraphs. This means that i am responsible for all
+ the bad ideas and mangled English, and they deserve the credit (and
+ rightly) all the good ideas.
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+IANA [Page 4]
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+RFC 1590 Media Type Registration Procedure March 1994
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+6. Author's Address
+
+ Jon Postel
+ USC/Information Sciences Institute
+ 4676 Admiralty Way
+ Marina del Rey, CA 90292
+
+ Phone: 310-822-1511
+ Fax: 310-823-6714
+ EMail: Postel@ISI.EDU
+
+7. References
+
+ [1] Borenstein N., and N. Freed, "MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail
+ Extensions) Part One: Mechanisms for Specifying and Describing
+ the Format of Internet Message Bodies", RFC 1521, Bellcore,
+ Innosoft, September 1993.
+
+ [2] Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC 1340,
+ USC/Information Sciences Institute, July 1992.
+
+ [3] Postel,J., "Instructions to RFC Authors", RFC 1543,
+ USC/Information Sciences Institute, October 1993.
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+IANA [Page 5]
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+RFC 1590 Media Type Registration Procedure March 1994
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+Appendix A -- IANA Registration Procedures for Media Types
+
+ MIME has been carefully designed to have extensible mechanisms, and
+ it is expected that the set of content-type/subtype pairs and their
+ associated parameters will grow significantly with time. Several
+ other MIME fields, notably character set names, access-type
+ parameters for the message/external-body type, and possibly even
+ Content-Transfer-Encoding values, are likely to have new values
+ defined over time.
+
+ In general, parameters in the content-type header field are used to
+ convey supplemental information for various content types, and their
+ use is defined when the content-type and subtype are defined. New
+ parameters should not be defined as a way to introduce new
+ functionality.
+
+ In order to ensure that the content-type and subtype (that is Media
+ Type) values are developed in an orderly, well-specified, and public
+ manner, MIME and other applications use the registration process for
+ Media Types defined in this RFC which uses the Internet Assigned
+ Numbers Authority (IANA) as a central registry for such values.
+
+ In order to simplify and standardize this Media Type registration
+ process, this appendix gives templates for the registration of new
+ values with IANA. Each of these is given in the form of an email
+ message template, to be filled in by the registering party.
+
+ Registration of New Content-type/subtype Values:
+
+ Note that MIME is generally expected to be extended by subtypes. If
+ a new fundamental top-level type is needed, its specification must be
+ published as an RFC or submitted in a form suitable to become an RFC,
+ and be subject to the Internet standards process.
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+IANA [Page 6]
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+RFC 1590 Media Type Registration Procedure March 1994
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+ ==================================================================
+
+ To: IANA@isi.edu
+ Subject: Registration of new Media Type content-type/subtype
+
+ Media Type name:
+
+ (If the above is not an existing top-level Media Type, please
+ explain why an existing type cannot be used.)
+
+ Media subtype name:
+
+ Required parameters:
+
+ Optional parameters:
+
+ Encoding considerations:
+
+ Security considerations:
+
+ Published specification:
+
+ (The published specification must be an Internet RFC or RFC-to-be
+ if a new top-level type is being defined, and must be a publicly
+ available specification in any case.)
+
+ Person & email address to contact for further information:
+
+ ==================================================================
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