Subj : Re: Re^2:  Re^4:  Directly include binary data in messages
To   : James Coyle
From : Rob Swindell
Date : Mon Feb 28 2022 07:54 pm

  Re: Re: Re^2:  Re^4:  Directly include binary data in messages
  By: James Coyle to Rob Swindell on Mon Feb 28 2022 05:05 pm

 >  RS> FYI, a few years ago, I applied for an IANA sanctioned TCP port number
 >  RS> assignment for BINKPS (BINKP over implicit TLS, e.t port 24553). After
 >  RS> a few back-and-forths, this was their final answer:
 >
 > Well the answer sucks, but your foresight in this issue was awesome :)

It was worth a try. :-)

 >  RS> So it looks like explicit/opportunistic TLS (e.g. STARTTLS) is the
 >  RS> future for BINKP if it's going to become any kind of Internet standard.
 >
 > I hadn't considered the IANA aspect of this.  I have no experience with that
 > stuff so naturally I yield to those who do.  Is it a dead end to try again?

Yeah, I think so. Their protecting the assigned port numbers like they're Fort Knox and their ammunition is RFCs 6335 and 7605. :-)

 > I can see BINKPS not having a large enough use-case to warrant a port. But
 > if they did give us BINKP port then I feel there is a case to be made that
 > they must also support the secure version of it.

That's the case I was trying to make (along with all the other "prior art" of insecure Internet protocols that have an alternate/secure port for implicit TLS connections, e.g. telnets) - but they weren't buying it.

 > If you are still willing to support a STARTTLS BINKP I am down to pick that
 > up again and work on something together (and with whoever else wants to join
 > in). I can look for a backup of the code that did it (this weekend) and send
 > something your way, or we can start from scratch... Whatever works for you.

Yeah, we should do that. :-) I have a number of STARTTLS implementations in Synchronet already (e.g. SMTPS, FTPS), so I don't expect it'd be much different, thought I suppose this would be the first one I'd do in JavaScript (since BinkIT is written in JS).
-- 
                                            digital man (rob)

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