IPP Mail Archive: Re: IPP> Re: PRO - Issue 32: Use of Basic & Digest Authentication

Re: IPP> Re: PRO - Issue 32: Use of Basic & Digest Authentication

don@lexmark.com
Thu, 22 Apr 1999 15:43:25 -0400

Not every printer in every environment is going to need digest or TLS security.
By mandating a specific security requirement, you are attempting to create a
SINGLE design point for printers ranging from a couple hundred dollars to 10's
of thousands of dollars. Not a single shoe size fits all. Standards that fail
to meet the needs of a market (by being either too function rich, too function
poor or totally missing the mark) will wither and die. Ignoring that reality in
the name of altruism is a dead-end path.

**********************************************
* Don Wright don@lexmark.com *
* Director, Strategic & Technical Alliances *
* Lexmark International *
* 740 New Circle Rd *
* Lexington, Ky 40550 *
* 606-232-4808 (phone) 606-232-6740 (fax) *
**********************************************

moore%cs.utk.edu@interlock.lexmark.com on 04/22/99 03:24:29 PM

To: Don Wright@LEXMARK
cc: moore%cs.utk.edu@interlock.lexmark.com,
paulmo%microsoft.com@interlock.lexmark.com,
ipp%pwg.org@interlock.lexmark.com
Subject: Re: IPP> Re: PRO - Issue 32: Use of Basic & Digest Authentication

> except most of the configuration is done from the op panel and things like ip
> address, dns gateway, net mask are all NUMBERS.

depends on the printer...but there's no reason that the initial password
cannot be all numbers also, and also keyed in from the op panel.
then you can use that password to authenticate to the printer's web server.
or if you prefer, you can restrict usernames and passwords to all digits.
(though you would want to allow for long passwords - say 20 digits - so
that they would have enough entropy to thwart brute force search attacks)