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diff --git a/imap/docs/rfc/rfc3348.txt b/imap/docs/rfc/rfc3348.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000..500871cc --- /dev/null +++ b/imap/docs/rfc/rfc3348.txt @@ -0,0 +1,339 @@ + + + + + + +Network Working Group M. Gahrns +Request for Comments: 3348 R. Cheng +Category: Informational Microsoft + July 2002 + + + The Internet Message Action Protocol (IMAP4) + Child Mailbox Extension + +Status of this Memo + + This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does + not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this + memo is unlimited. + +Copyright Notice + + Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2002). All Rights Reserved. + +Abstract + + The Internet Message Action Protocol (IMAP4) CHILDREN extension + provides a mechanism for a client to efficiently determine if a + particular mailbox has children, without issuing a LIST "" * or a + LIST "" % for each mailbox. + +1. Conventions used in this document + + In examples, "C:" and "S:" indicate lines sent by the client and + server respectively. If such lines are wrapped without a new "C:" or + "S:" label, then the wrapping is for editorial clarity and is not + part of the command. + + The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", + "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this + document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC-2119]. + +2. Introduction and Overview + + Many IMAP4 [RFC-2060] clients present to the user a hierarchical view + of the mailboxes that a user has access to. Rather than initially + presenting to the user the entire mailbox hierarchy, it is often + preferable to show to the user a collapsed outline list of the + mailbox hierarchy (particularly if there is a large number of + mailboxes). The user can then expand the collapsed outline hierarchy + as needed. It is common to include within the collapsed hierarchy a + + + + + +Gahrns, et al. Informational [Page 1] + +RFC 3348 IMAP4 Child Mailbox Extension July 2002 + + + visual clue (such as a "+") to indicate that there are child + mailboxes under a particular mailbox. When the visual clue is + clicked the hierarchy list is expanded to show the child mailboxes. + + Several IMAP vendors implemented this proposal, and it is proposed to + document this behavior and functionality as an Informational RFC. + + There is interest in addressing the general extensibility of the IMAP + LIST command through an IMAP LIST Extension draft. Similar + functionality to the \HasChildren and \HasNoChildren flags could be + incorporated into this new LIST Extension. It is proposed that the + more general LIST Extension draft proceed on the standards track with + this proposal being relegated to informational status only. + + If the functionality of the \HasChildren and \HasNoChildren flags + were incorporated into a more general LIST extension, this would have + the advantage that a client could then have the opportunity to + request whether or not the server should return this information. + This would be an advantage over the current draft for servers where + this information is expensive to compute, since the server would only + need to compute the information when it knew that the client + requesting the information was able to consume it. + +3. Requirements + + IMAP4 servers that support this extension MUST list the keyword + CHILDREN in their CAPABILITY response. + + The CHILDREN extension defines two new attributes that MAY be + returned within a LIST response. + + \HasChildren - The presence of this attribute indicates that the + mailbox has child mailboxes. + + Servers SHOULD NOT return \HasChildren if child mailboxes exist, but + none will be displayed to the current user in a LIST response (as + should be the case where child mailboxes exist, but a client does not + have permissions to access them.) In this case, \HasNoChildren + SHOULD be used. + + In many cases, however, a server may not be able to efficiently + compute whether a user has access to all child mailboxes, or multiple + users may be accessing the same account and simultaneously changing + the mailbox hierarchy. As such a client MUST be prepared to accept + the \HasChildren attribute as a hint. That is, a mailbox MAY be + flagged with the \HasChildren attribute, but no child mailboxes will + appear in a subsequent LIST response. + + + + +Gahrns, et al. Informational [Page 2] + +RFC 3348 IMAP4 Child Mailbox Extension July 2002 + + + Example 3.1: + ============ + + /*** Consider a server that has the following mailbox hierarchy: + + INBOX + ITEM_1 + ITEM_1A + ITEM_2 + TOP_SECRET + + Where INBOX, ITEM_1 and ITEM_2 are top level mailboxes. ITEM_1A is a + child mailbox of ITEM_1 and TOP_SECRET is a child mailbox of ITEM_2 + that the currently logged on user does NOT have access to. + + Note that in this case, the server is not able to efficiently compute + access rights to child mailboxes and responds with a \HasChildren + attribute for mailbox ITEM_2, even though ITEM_2/TOP_SECRET does not + appear in the list response. ***/ + + C: A001 LIST "" * + S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" INBOX + S: * LIST (\HasChildren) "/" ITEM_1 + S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" ITEM_1/ITEM_1A + S: * LIST (\HasChildren) "/" ITEM_2 + S: A001 OK LIST Completed + + \HasNoChildren - The presence of this attribute indicates that the + mailbox has NO child mailboxes that are accessible to the currently + authenticated user. If a mailbox has the \Noinferiors attribute, the + \HasNoChildren attribute is redundant and SHOULD be omitted in the + LIST response. + + In some instances a server that supports the CHILDREN extension MAY + NOT be able to determine whether a mailbox has children. For example + it may have difficulty determining whether there are child mailboxes + when LISTing mailboxes while operating in a particular namespace. + + In these cases, a server MAY exclude both the \HasChildren and + \HasNoChildren attributes in the LIST response. As such, a client + can not make any assumptions about whether a mailbox has children + based upon the absence of a single attribute. + + It is an error for the server to return both a \HasChildren and a + \HasNoChildren attribute in a LIST response. + + + + + + +Gahrns, et al. Informational [Page 3] + +RFC 3348 IMAP4 Child Mailbox Extension July 2002 + + + It is an error for the server to return both a \HasChildren and a + \NoInferiors attribute in a LIST response. + + Note: the \HasNoChildren attribute should not be confused with the + IMAP4 [RFC-2060] defined attribute \Noinferiors which indicates that + no child mailboxes exist now and none can be created in the future. + + The \HasChildren and \HasNoChildren attributes might not be returned + in response to a LSUB response. Many servers maintain a simple + mailbox subscription list that is not updated when the underlying + mailbox structure is changed. A client MUST NOT assume that + hierarchy information will be maintained in the subscription list. + + RLIST is a command defined in [RFC-2193] that includes in a LIST + response mailboxes that are accessible only via referral. That is, a + client must explicitly issue an RLIST command to see a list of these + mailboxes. Thus in the case where a mailbox has child mailboxes that + are available only via referral, the mailboxes would appear as + \HasNoChildren in response to the LIST command, and \HasChildren in + response to the RLIST command. + +5. Formal Syntax + + The following syntax specification uses the augmented Backus-Naur + Form (BNF) as described in [ABNF]. + + Two new mailbox attributes are defined as flag_extensions to the + IMAP4 mailbox_list response: + + HasChildren = "\HasChildren" + + HasNoChildren = "\HasNoChildren" + +6. Security Considerations + + This extension provides a client a more efficient means of + determining whether a particular mailbox has children. If a mailbox + has children, but the currently authenticated user does not have + access to any of them, the server SHOULD respond with a + \HasNoChildren attribute. In many cases, however, a server may not + be able to efficiently compute whether a user has access to all child + mailboxes. If such a server responds with a \HasChildren attribute, + when in fact the currently authenticated user does not have access to + any child mailboxes, potentially more information is conveyed about + the mailbox than intended. A server designed with such levels of + security in mind SHOULD NOT attach the \HasChildren attribute to a + mailbox unless the server is certain that the user has access to at + least one of the child mailboxes. + + + +Gahrns, et al. Informational [Page 4] + +RFC 3348 IMAP4 Child Mailbox Extension July 2002 + + +7. References + + [RFC-2060] Crispin, M., "Internet Message Access Protocol - Version + 4rev1", RFC 2060, December 1996. + + [RFC-2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate + Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997. + + [RFC-2234] Crocker, D. and P. Overell, Editors, "Augmented BNF for + Syntax Specifications: ABNF", RFC 2234, November 1997. + + [RFC-2193] Gahrns, M., "IMAP4 Mailbox Referrals", RFC 2193, September + 1997. + +8. Acknowledgments + + The authors would like to thank the participants of several IMC Mail + Connect events for their input when this idea was originally + presented and refined. + +9. Author's Address + + Mike Gahrns + Microsoft + One Microsoft Way + Redmond, WA, 98052 + Phone: (425) 936-9833 + EMail: mikega@microsoft.com + + Raymond Cheng + Microsoft + One Microsoft Way + Redmond, WA, 98052 + Phone: (425) 703-4913 + EMail: raych@microsoft.com + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Gahrns, et al. Informational [Page 5] + +RFC 3348 IMAP4 Child Mailbox Extension July 2002 + + +10. Full Copyright Statement + + Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2002). All Rights Reserved. + + This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to + others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it + or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published + and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any + kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are + included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this + document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing + the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other + Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of + developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for + copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be + followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than + English. + + The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be + revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns. + + This document and the information contained herein is provided on an + "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING + TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING + BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION + HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF + MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. + +Acknowledgement + + Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the + Internet Society. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Gahrns, et al. Informational [Page 6] + |