Network Working Group                                         C. Malamud
Request for Comments: 1529                 Internet Multicasting Service
Obsoletes: 1486                                                  M. Rose
Category: Informational                     Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.
                                                           October 1993


          Principles of Operation for the TPC.INT Subdomain:
              Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies

Status of this Memo

  This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
  not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
  unlimited.

Introduction

  This document defines the administrative policies for the operation
  of remote printer facilities within the context of the tpc.int
  subdomain.  The document describes different approaches to resource
  recovery for remote printer server sites and includes discussions of
  issues pertaining to auditing, security, and denial of access.

  The technical procedures for remote printing are defined in [1]. The
  general principles of operation for the tpc.int subdomain are defined
  in [2].  An overview of the remote printing facility is returned when
  electronic mail is sent to [email protected].

Overview of Remote Printing in the TPC.INT Subdomain

  The remote printing facility allows a user to image documents on a
  remote printer, defined as a G3-compatible facsimile device connected
  to the public telephone network.  The user sends electronic mail to
  an address which includes the phone number associated with the target
  G3-compatible facsimile device.  Using the Domain Name System, the
  Internet message-handling infrastructure routes the message to a
  remote printer server, which provides access to devices within a
  specified range of the telephone system numbering plan.  The message
  is imaged on the target remote printer and an acknowledgement is sent
  back to the initiator of the message.

  The remote printing facility is concerned with outreach, integrating
  the e-mail and G3-compatible facsimile communities into a common
  communications environment. By providing easy access to remote
  printing recipients, enterprise-wide access is enhanced, regardless
  of the kind of institution (e.g., commercial, educational, or
  government), or the size of institution (e.g., global, regional, or



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RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993


  local).  Remote printing allows an organization to make it easier for
  electronic mail users to communicate with the personnel in the
  organization who are users of G3-compatible facsimile but not e-mail,
  providing a valuable bridge between the two types of technology.

Models of Operation for Remote Printing Servers

  Remote printer servers in the tpc.int subdomain consume resources
  that are typically recovered from neither the initiator nor the
  recipient of the remote printing service.  Owing to a lack of
  widespread authentication facilities in the Internet and connected
  message handling domains, it is not currently possible to identify
  the initiator with certainty.  Since the request was not initiated by
  the recipient, it is inappropriate for a remote printer gateway to
  accept a request and then attempt to charge the receiver of the
  message before imaging the document on the remote printer.

  Several models of resource recovery for remote printer operation are
  possible in the tpc.int subdomain:

     Community Library Model
     Neighborhood Grocery Model
     Local Newspaper Model

  In the Community Library model, an organization would register a
  remote printer gateway willing to place calls to all devices located
  within the organization's telephone system.  Other operators may
  determine that the costs of servicing the immediate vicinity (or even
  a larger area) are minimal and register to serve a portion of the
  telephone address space as a community service.

  The Community Library model can apply to a neighborhood, or to an
  organization such as a government R&D Center, a university, or a
  corporation.  The library model does not recover costs from the
  particpants, but runs the remote printer as a community service.

  In the Neighborhood Grocery model, a commercial organization
  contracts with specific end users, offering to register their
  individual fax numbers in the namespace.  This service bureau model
  could be conducted with or without cost recovery from the owner of
  the remote printer device.

  The Local Newspaper model recovers the resources needed to operate
  the remote printer service from a third party not directly connected
  with the message exchange. When a document is successfully imaged on
  a remote printer, there are two actions that result.  First, a cover
  sheet is constructed and prepended to the document imaged on the
  remote printer.  Second, a notification is sent back to the



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RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993


  initiator.  An Internet site running a remote printer server
  registered in the tpc.int subdomain is permitted to acknowledge a
  sponsor in both cases.

  Specifically, up to one-third of the area of the cover sheet may be
  used for acknowledgement of the sponsor, and up to 250 bytes of ASCII
  text acknowledging the sponsor may be appended to the notification
  returned to the initiator.   Any such sponsor acknowledgement is
  subject to applicable regulations governing the content and form of
  such acknowledgements.

  The words "paid advertisement" should be prominently displayed in the
  area containing the message if money has changed hands for the
  transaction.  If an organization uses the local newspaper model
  simply to transmit community service messages, then the words "paid
  advertisement" need not be displayed.

Auditing and Security

  A remote printer server should maintain a log for auditing and
  security.  This log may contain at most the following information:

     1) the date the message was received;
     2) the "From" and "Message-ID" fields;
     3) the size of the body;
     4) the identity (telephone number) of the printer;
     5) any telephony-related information, such as call
        duration;
     6) any G3-related information, such recipient ID.

  This information is the most that can be kept and may be further
  limited by legal authority with jurisdiction at the site.

  The purpose of the log is to maintain accountability and security.
  It is considered a violation of the privacy of the initiator and the
  recipient of the remote printer services to divulge such logs unless
  required by legal authority with jurisdiction at the site.  In
  particular, it is a violation of privacy to divulge, either directly
  or indirectly, such information for the compilation of lists for
  marketing purposes.

  It is permissible, however, to furnish interested parties with
  summary reports that indicate the number of calls, average length,
  and other summary information provided that such summary information
  could not be used to identify individual initiators or recipients or
  their calling patterns.  For example, a remote printer gateway might
  furnish an interested party with a report of the number of calls per
  day and hours logged to a specific local area exchange.



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RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993


  Remote printer servers operate in a public service capacity and must
  strictly respect the privacy of the contents of messages. Unless
  required by technical or legal considerations, the content of
  messages shall not be monitored or disclosed.

Denial of Access

  Internet sites registered in the tpc.int subdomain may deny access
  based on the source but not the destination of the message.  If an
  Internet site feels that it is inappropriate to provide access to a
  particular destination, then it should re-register itself
  accordingly.

  Denial of access based on source should be made only if required by
  legal authority with jurisdiction at the site or because of abuse.
  In all cases, denial of access should result in a notification
  returned to the initiator indicating the policy that was violated.
  However, if repeated attempts continue to be made by the source,
  repeated notifications are not necessary.  Denial of access should be
  distinguished from the inability to provide access.  For example,
  improperly formatted messages will prevent access.

  Denial of access can occur due to problems in a single message or set
  of messages or because of consistent patterns of abuse. Examples of
  denial on a single message might include an attempt to transmit an
  extremely long document, such as a 100-page memo. Such a document
  might violate local policies limiting the number of pages or
  transmission time.

  A more serious problem is long-term abuse of facilities.  A remote
  printer server might choose to impose a usage limit on a daily or
  monthly basis.  Such limits should be chosen to balance the desire to
  encourage legitimate users with the need to prevent consistent abuse.

  At present, it is the responsibility for each Internet site running a
  remote printer server to define a local policy for denial of access.
  This policy should be based on objective criteria, and those criteria
  should be registered with the tpc.int subdomain secretariat at the
  e-mail address [email protected].

Security Considerations

  Security issues are not discussed in this memo.








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References

  [1] Malamud, C., and M. Rose, "Principles of Operation for the
      TPC.INT Subdomain: Remote Printing -- Technical Procedures", RFC
      1528, Dover Beach Consulting, Inc., Internet Multicasting
      Service, October 1993.

  [2] Malamud, C., and M. Rose, "Principles of Operation for the
      TPC.INT Subdomain: General Principles and Policy", RFC 1530,
      Internet Multicasting Service, Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.,
      October 1993.

Authors' Addresses

  Carl Malamud
  Internet Multicasting Service
  Suite 1155, The National Press Building
  Washington, DC 20045
  US

  Phone: +1 202 628 2044
  Fax:   +1 202 628 2042
  Email: [email protected]


  Marshall T. Rose
  Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.
  420 Whisman Court
  Mountain View, CA  94043-2186
  US

  Phone: +1 415 968 1052
  Fax:   +1 415 968 2510
  Email: [email protected]

















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