WebSVN – oidinfo_new_design – Blame – /trunk/faq.htm

Rev	Author	Line No.	Line
2	daniel-mar	1	<!DOCTYPE html>
		2	<html lang="en">
		3	<head>
		4	<title>OID repository - FAQ</title>
		5	<meta charset="UTF-8"><!-- <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv="content-type"> -->
		6	<meta name="google-translate-customization" content="ae799a386ca63905-075d0f84d2caa8b0-g8dbf29cdfe9cdbeb-c">
		7	<link rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css" href="style.css">
		8	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
		9	<meta name="DESCRIPTION" content="This OID repository gathers information about Object Identifiers (OIDs), and provides tools to display and search for this information.">
		10	<meta name="keywords" content="object identifier oid OID repository registration authority ISO ITU">
		11	<link rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="/images/favicon.ico">
		12	<script src="scripts.js"></script>
		13	</head>
		14	<body id="body" onload="_onload()">
		15	<div id="global_container">
		16	<div id="header">
		17	<a href="index.htm">
		18	<img src="images/treewall.jpg" width="130" height="110">
		19	</a>
		20	<h1 style="color: rgb(226, 137, 34);font-size: 35px; font-weight:bold;">OID Repository</h1><br><br><br><br>
		21	<div id="header_url_and_menu">
		22	<div id="header_url">
		23	<span style="color: rgb(226, 137, 34);font-size: 15px; font-weight:bold; margin-left:10px; display:inline-block;">www.oid-info.com</span>
		24	</div>
		25	<div id="header_url_right">
		26	<ul id="header_menu">
		27	<li><a href="index.htm">Home</a></li>
		28	<li><a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=">Tree display</a></li>
		29	<li><a href="basic-search.htm">Search</a></li>
		30	<li><a href="faq.htm">FAQ</a></li>
		31	<li><a href="/helper">Helper</a></li>
		32	</ul>
		33	</div>
		34	</div>
		35	<div style="top: 11px; left: 694px; margin-left:-120px;" id="search">
		36	<span style="color: rgb(226, 137, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Display OID:</span> <br>
		37	<form name="form_go" method="get" action="/cgi-bin/display" enctype="multipart/form-data">
		38	<input type="hidden" name="action" value="display">
		39	<input name="oid" size="20" value="" onfocus="empty();" placeholder="-- OID --" type="text"> <input value="Go" type="submit">
		40	</form>
		41	</div>
		42	<div id="google_translate">
		43	<script>
		44	function googleTranslateElementInit() {
		45	new google.translate.TranslateElement({ pageLanguage: 'en', layout: google.translate.TranslateElement.InlineLayout.SIMPLE, gaTrack: true, gaId: 'UA-33779649-1' }, 'google_translate_element');
		46	}
		47	</script>
		48	<!--<script src="//translate.google.com/translate_a/element.js?cb=googleTranslateElementInit">
		49	</script>-->
		50	</div>
		51	</div>
		52	</div>
		53	<div id="mobile_version">
		54	<aside class="sidebar">
		55	<nav id="navigation" role="navigation">
		56	<form name="form_go" method="get" action="/cgi-bin/display" enctype="multipart/form-data">
		57	<a><input name="oid" id="searchbox_mobile" size="35" value="" onfocus="empty();" placeholder="-- Display OID --" type="search"></a>
		58	</form>
		59	<a href="index.htm">Home</a>
		60	<a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=">Tree display</a>
		61	<a href="basic-search.htm">Search</a>
		62	<a href="faq.htm">FAQ</a>
		63	<a href="/helper">Chatbot helper</a>
		64	</nav>
		65	</aside>
		66	</div>
		67	<div class="wrapper">
		68	<table width="100%" id="header_mobile">
		69	<tr>
		70	<td width="20%">
		71	<a href="#body" class="nav-button-open" aria-label="open navigation"></a>
		72	<a href="#" class="nav-button-close" aria-label="close navigation"></a>
		73	</td>
		74	<td width="60%" valign="middle">
		75	<h1 style="color: rgb(226, 137, 34);font-size: 18px; font-weight:bold; text-align:right;">OID Repository</h1>
		76	<div id="header_url">
		77	<span style="color: rgb(226, 137, 34);font-size: 15px; font-weight:bold; margin-left:10px; display:inline-block;">www.oid-info.com</span>
		78	</div>
		79	</td>
		80	<td width="20%"><a href="index.htm"><img src="images/treewall.jpg" style="height:10vh;width:auto"></a></td>
		81	</tr>
		82	</table>
		83
		84	<div id="global_content">
		85	<div id="table_faq">
		86	<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%">
		87	<tr>
		88	<!--<td width="2%" valign="top"></td>-->
		89	<td valign="top" colspan="3">
		90	<span class="page_title">Frequently Asked Questions</span>
		91	<table>
		92	<tr>
		93	<td rowspan="2"><a href="/helper"><img src="images/helper.png" height="55" width="55" border="0" alt="OID helper" align="middle"></a></td>
		94	<td>Please check the Q&A below or ask your question directly to <a href="/helper">OID helper</a>.</td>
		95	</tr>
		96	<tr><td>To search for a particular OID, please use the <a href="basic-search.htm">search feature</a>.</td></tr>
		97	</table>
		98	<br><span class="page_subtitle">Questions</span>
		99	<ol>
		100	<li><a href="#1">What are the standards that define OIDs and the OID tree?</a></li>
		101	<li><a href="#2">Which kind of objects can be referenced by OIDs?</a></li>
		102	<li><a href="#3">Where can I learn more about OIDs and their registration?</a></li>
		103	<li><a href="#4">How to add information to the OID repository?</a></li>
		104	<li><a href="#modify">How to modify the description of an OID?</a></li>
		105	<li><a href="#6">How to delete an OID (or move it elsewhere in the OID tree)?</a></li>
		106	<li><a href="#7">How does the OID repository provided on this website compare with Harald Alvestrand's repository?</a></li>
		107	<li><a href="#8">How to reference an OID description from this repository?</a></li>
		108	<li><a href="#9">How many OIDs are currently described in this repository?</a></li>
		109	<li><a href="#10">How to get an OID assigned?</a></li>
		110	<li><a href="#national-RA">What decision needs be taken if a country wants a national Registration Authority for OIDs?</a></li>
		111	<li><a href="#12">Are there guidelines or standards regarding subsequent arcs of a country arc?</a></li>
		112	<li><a href="#13">What is the Internet OID?</a></li>
		113	<li><a href="#14">Where does the dot notation for OIDs come from?</a></li>
		114	<li><a href="#15">Why are top-level arcs restricted to three arcs numbered <tt>0</tt> to <tt>2</tt>, and why are arcs beneath top-level arcs <tt>0</tt> and <tt>1</tt> restricted to fourty arcs numbered <tt>0</tt> to <tt>39</tt>?</a></li>
		115	<li><a href="#16">What do we call a registration tree (or object identifier tree)?</a></li>
		116	<li><a href="#17">What is the ASN.1 notation of an OID?</a></li>
		117	<li><a href="#management">How is the entire registration tree managed?</a></li>
		118	<li><a href="#features">Which features are offered by this repository?</a></li>
		119	<li><a href="#syntax-rules">What are the syntax rules to enter information about OIDs through the web interface?</a></li>
		120	<li><a href="#oid-info">Which information is necessary to apply for an OID?</a></li>
		121	<li><a href="#example">Is there a particular OID that can be used for documenting examples of object identifiers?</a></li>
		122	<li><a href="#registration-authorities">What is the difference between the first and current Registration Authorities that appear in the description of some OIDs? What is their duty?</a></li>
		123	<li><a href="#mib">What constraints are imposed to OIDs used in SNMP MIBs (Management Information Bases)?</a></li>
		124	<li><a href="#lookup">Is there a way to look up an OID in the OID repository from my web browser?</a></li>
		125	<li><a href="#leaf">What is a leaf OID? What is a frozen OID?</a></li>
		126	<li><a href="#orphan">What is an orphan OID?</a></li>
		127	<li><a href="#iri">What is an OID-IRI (Internationalized Resource Identifier)?</a></li>
		128	<li><a href="#29">What are the duties of a Registration Authority?</a></li>
		129	<li><a href="#size-limitations">Are there size limitations for OID encoding?</a></li>
		130	<li><a href="#31">Are there binary encoders/decoders for OIDs?</a></li>
		131	<li><a href="#cookies">Does this web site use cookies?</a></li>
		132	<li><a href="#33">How does this web site protect users' privacy?</a></li>
		133	</ol><br></td>
		134	</tr>
		135	</table>
		136	</div>
		137	<div id="table_answers_in_faq">
		138	<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%">
		139	<tr>
		140	<!--<td width="2%" valign="top"></td>-->
		141	<td valign="top" colspan="3">
		142	<span class="page_subtitle">Answers</span>
		143
		144	<ol>
		145	<li>
		146	<div class="question">
		147	What are the standards that define OIDs and the OID tree?<a name="1"></a>
		148	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		149	</div>
		150	<div class="answer">
		151	They are defined in the <a href="standards.htm">Recommendation ITU-T
		152	X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834 series</a>, and in particular in <a href="http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/X.660">Rec.
		153	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834-1</a>.<br>Binary encodings of OIDs are specified in <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.690/en">Rec.
		154	ITU-T X.690 \| ISO/IEC 8825-1</a> for the Binary (BER) and Distinguished
		155	(DER) Encoding rules, in <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.691/en">Rec.
		156	ITU-T X.691 \| ISO/IEC 8825-2</a> for the Packed Encoding rules (PER).
		157	An XML encoding of OIDs is specified in <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.693/en">Rec.
		158	ITU-T X.693 \| ISO/IEC 8825-3</a>. (See also <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.691/en">question
		159	31</a> about binary encoders/decoders for OIDs.)<br><br></div>
		160	</li>
		161	<li>
		162	<div class="question">
		163	Which kind of objects can be referenced by OIDs?<a name="2"></a>
		164	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		165	</div>
		166	<div class="answer">
		167	Objects that can typically be identified by an object identifier are
		168	(non exhaustively):
		169	<ul>
		170	<li>
		171	an <a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=0.0">ITU-T Recommendation</a>,
		172	an <a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=1.0&see=all">ISO International
		173	Standard</a>;
		174	</li>
		175	<li>
		176	a <a href="country_oids.htm">country</a>, a company, a
		177	project;
		178	</li>
		179	<li>
		180	a certificate policy specified according to <a href="http://itu.int/ITU-T/X.500">Rec.
		181	ITU-T X.500</a>;
		182	</li>
		183	<li>an encryption algorithm (for example <a href="/get/1.3.14.3.2.26">SHA-1</a>);</li>
		184	<li>
		185	<a href="/get/2.27">identification schemes</a> for tag-based
		186	applications (see <a href="http://itu.int/ITU-T/X.668">Recommendation
		187	ITU-T X.668 \| ISO/IEC 9834-9</a>);
		188	</li>
		189	<li>
		190	e-health data (for example, data from the <a href="/get/2.16.840.1.113883">HL7
		191	Consortium</a>);
		192	</li>
		193	<li>
		194	Common Alerting Protocol (<a href="/get/0.0.24.1303">CAP</a>)
		195	emergency messages;
		196	</li>
		197	<li>
		198	an attribute of an ITU-T X.500- or LDAP-based directory to make
		199	up a <code>DistinguishedName</code>;
		200	</li>
		201	<li>
		202	an ASN.1 module (for example, for the <a href="/get/2.41.0.1">BioAPI
		203	Interworking Protocol</a>), an ASN.1 type (or abstract syntax);
		204	</li>
		205	<li>
		206	a <a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=2.1(1,2,3,4,5">set of ASN.1
		207	encoding rules</a>;
		208	</li>
		209	<li>a MIB for SNMP network management;</li>
		210	<li>
		211	a managed object class, one of its attributes, a notification
		212	or even other templates used in the area of network management
		213	and the GDMO standard (see <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.722/en">Recommendation
		214	ITU-T X.722 \| ISO/IEC 10165-4</a>);
		215	</li>
		216	<li>
		217	an information object (see <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.681/en">Recommendation
		218	ITU-T X.681 \| ISO/IEC 8824-2</a>);
		219	</li>
		220	<li>the type of some part of an ITU-T X.400 electronic message body;</li>
		221	<li>a file format;</li>
		222	<li>etc.</li>
		223	</ul>
		224	Examples of OID uses are also listed on the <a href="http://www.itu.int/oth/T0B04000048/en">ITU-T flyer</a>.<br><br></div>
		225	</li>
		226	<li>
		227	<div class="question">
		228	Where can I learn more about OIDs and their registration?<a name="3"></a>
		229	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		230	</div>
		231	<div class="answer">
		232	Apart from the <a href="standards.htm">official standards</a> (see
		233	<a href="faq.htm#1">question 1</a>), OIDs are explained in:
		234	<ul>
		235	<li>
		236	the <a href="http://www.itu.int/oth/T0B04000048/en">OID flyer</a>
		237	from ITU-T Study Group 17;
		238	</li>
		239	<li>
		240	the quick <a href="doc/introduction%20to%20object%20identifiers%20(OIDs).pdf">introduction
		241	to OIDs</a>;
		242	</li>
		243	<li>the ITU handbook "<a href="http://www.itu.int/pub/T-HDB-LNG.4-2010">Object identifiers (OIDs) and their registration authorities</a>";</li>
		244	<li>
		245	section 10.8 of Olivier Dubuisson's <a href="http://www.oss.com/asn1/dubuisson.html">book
		246	"ASN.1 - Communication between heterogeneous systems"</a>;
		247	</li>
		248	<li>
		249	John Larmouth's <a href="http://www.oss.com/asn1/larmouth.html">book
		250	"ASN.1 complete"</a>;
		251	</li>
		252	<li>
		253	John Larmouth's tutorial "Registration authorities
		254	for OID components" [<a href="doc/OID-tutorial.htm">html</a>]
		255	[<a href="doc/OID-tutorial.ppt">ppt</a>];
		256	</li>
		257	<li>
		258	the presentation "<a href="doc/MoU%20presentation%20on%20OIDs.pdf">Identifying
		259	objects: The ASN.1 approach</a>";
		260	</li>
		261	<li>see also <a href="#16">question 16</a>.<br><br></li>
		262	</ul>
		263	</div>
		264	</li>
		265	<li>
		266	<div class="question">
		267	How to add information to the OID repository?<a name="4"></a>
		268	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		269	</div>
		270	<div class="answer">
		271	This OID repository is not an official Registration Authority,
		272	so any OID described in this OID repository has to be officially allocated
		273	by the Registration Authority of its parent OID. There are at least
		274	4 ways of adding a new OID description to the repository: <br>a. Enter the OID value in the box under "Add a description for the
		275	following OID to the database" on the <a href="index.htm">main page</a> and
		276	click on the "Create" button; a new page will then be displayed with
		277	some boxes to fill. You can also enter the OID in the following box:<br><form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/manage" enctype="multipart/form-data">
		278	<input type="hidden" name="a" value="create">     <strong>{</strong>
		279	<input type="text" name="oid" size="30" value=""><strong>}</strong>
		280	<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Create"></form>
		281	b. Go to the parent OID of the OID that you want to add (i.e. the
		282	OID at the immediate upper level in the OID tree) and click on the
		283	"Create a child OID" link on the top right-hand side of the page;
		284	a new page will then be displayed with some boxes to fill.<br>c. Go to an OID at the same level as the OID that you want to add
		285	(a.k.a. sibling OID) and click on the "Create a sibling OID" link
		286	on the top right-hand side of the page; a new page will then be displayed
		287	with some boxes to fill.<br>d. If you have a lot of OID descriptions to add, it is more convenient
		288	to describe them in an XML document that conforms to our <a href="oid.xsd">XML
		289	Schema for OIDs</a> and <a href="submit.htm">submit</a> this document
		290	through the web interface. <br><em>
		291	Note: In all 4 cases, the person (if any) you mention as <a href="#registration-authorities">registrant</a>
		292	for the OID, and the person (if known) who is the <a href="#registration-authorities">registrant</a>
		293	for the parent OID are automatically informed by email and can make
		294	comments on your submission. The description of an OID will not be
		295	visible until it is validated by the webmaster who is also automatically
		296	informed by email.
		297	</em><br><strong><br></strong>
		298	</div>
		299	</li>
		300	<li>
		301	<div class="question">
		302	<a name="modify"></a>How to modify the description of an OID?<a name="5"></a>
		303	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		304	</div>
		305	<div class="answer">
		306	If you want to update an OID that is described in the OID repository,
		307	please click on the "Modify this OID" hyperlink at the top-right
		308	of the web page that describes the OID or enter the OID in the following
		309	box:
		310	<form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/manage" enctype="multipart/form-data">
		311	<input type="hidden" name="a" value="modify">     <strong>{</strong>
		312	<input type="text" name="oid" size="30" value=""><strong>}</strong>
		313	<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Suggest a modification"></form>
		314	<em>
		315	Note: Your proposed modifications will have to be validated by
		316	the <a href="#registration-authorities">registrant</a> of the OID
		317	being modified (if known), the <a href="#registration-authorities">registrant</a>
		318	of the parent OID (if known) and the OID repository administrator
		319	(who will all be automatically informed by e-mail) before they get
		320	published.
		321	</em><br>If the First or Current Registration Authorities requested privacy
		322	protection, their postal address, email address and phone number are
		323	not displayed (but you can receive them by email). In that case, please
		324	use the "Comments" box at the bottom of the "Suggest
		325	a modification" web page to describe the changes.<br>If an OID is misplaced in the OID tree and should be moved elsewhere
		326	in the tree, please use the "Comments" box at the bottom
		327	of the "Suggest a modification" web page to be displayed
		328	to explain where (and why) the OID should be moved.<br>You can also mention in the "Comments" box that an OID is
		329	a <a href="#leaf">leaf</a> in the OID tree (i.e. child OIDs cannot
		330	be allocated) or is <a href="#leaf">frozen</a> (i.e. no more child
		331	OIDs can be allocated).<br><br></div>
		332	</li>
		333	<li>
		334	<div class="question">
		335	How to delete an OID (or move it elsewhere in the OID tree)?<a name="6"></a>
		336	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		337	</div>
		338	<div class="answer">
		339	According to <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation
		340	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO 9834-1</a>, an OID shall not be deleted once it
		341	has been allocated by a Registration Authority. However if an OID
		342	that is described in this OID repository has never been officially
		343	allocated by the Registration Authority for the parent OID (or is
		344	misplaced in the OID tree), you can request its deletion from the
		345	OID repository (or move elsewhere) by clicking on the "Modify
		346	this OID" hyperlink at the top-right of the web page that describes
		347	the OID or by entering the OID in the following box:
		348	<form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/manage" enctype="multipart/form-data">
		349	<input type="hidden" name="a" value="modify">     <strong>{</strong>
		350	<input type="text" name="oid" size="30" value=""><strong>}</strong>
		351	<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Suggest deletion"></form>
		352	Use the "Comments" box at the bottom of the page to be displayed
		353	to explain why the OID should be deleted (or moved elsewhere). Your
		354	suggestion will have to be validated by the registrant of the OID
		355	(if known), the registrant of the parent OID (if known) and the OID
		356	repository administrator (who will all be automatically informed by
		357	e-mail) before it get published.<br><br></div>
		358	</li>
		359	<li>
		360	<div class="question">
		361	How does the OID repository provided on this website compare with Harald Alvestrand's repository?<a name="7"></a>
		362	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		363	</div>
		364	<div class="answer">
		365	We get Harald's agreement to dump his repository and merge the data
		366	into our repository. This was done in June 2003 and our OID repository
		367	now encompasses <a href="http://www.alvestrand.no/objectid/">Harald's
		368	registry</a>.<br><br></div>
		369	</li>
		370	<li>
		371	<div class="question">
		372	How to reference an OID description in this repository?<a name="8"></a><a name="get"></a>
		373	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		374	</div>
		375	<div class="answer">
		376	The shortest and easiest means is to append the OID (whether it is
		377	in <a href="#17">ASN.1 notation</a>, <a href="#14">dot notation</a>,
		378	<a href="#iri">IRI notation</a> or <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3061">URN
		379	notation</a>) to the <a href="/get/">http://oid-info.com/get/</a>
		380	URL, <em>e.g.</em>:
		381	<ul>
		382	<li> <a href="/get/2.999">http://oid-info.com/get/2.999</a> (recommended);</li>
		383	<li>
		384	<a href="/get/%7Bjoint-iso-itu-t%20example(999)%7D">http://oid-info.com/get/{joint
		385	iso-itu-t example(999)}</a> (ASN.1 notation);
		386	</li>
		387	<li>
		388	<a href="/get//Joint-ISO-ITU-T/Example">http://oid-info.com/get//Joint-ISO-ITU-T/Example</a>
		389	or <a href="/get//2/999">http://oid-info.com/get//2/999</a> (OID-IRI
		390	notation; with a '/' at the beginning of the OID notation, hence
		391	two '/'s after 'get');
		392	</li>
		393	<li>
		394	<a href="/get//Example">http://oid-info.com/get//Example</a>
		395	(OID-IRI notation using a long arc; with a '/' at the beginning
		396	of the OID notation, hence two '/'s after 'get');
		397	</li>
		398	<li>
		399	<a href="/get/urn:oid:2.999">http://oid-info.com/get/urn:oid:2.999</a>
		400	(URN notation).<br><br></li>
		401	</ul>
		402	</div>
		403	</li>
		404	<li>
		405	<div class="question">
		406	How many OIDs are currently described in this repository?<a name="9"></a>
		407	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		408	</div>
		409	<div class="answer">
		410	There are more than 950 000 OID descriptions stored in our repository
		411	(see <a href="/cgi-bin/display?a=count_nodes">exact number</a>). The
		412	repository is well alive and updated as often as necessary; <a href="/cgi-bin/display?a=count_nodes">statistics</a>
		413	are available about the number of OIDs added to the repository (or
		414	updated) over the past 12 months. A (non-exhaustive) list of standards
		415	(and other documents that define OIDs) which have been captured in
		416	our repository is <a href="captured-standards.htm">available</a>.<br><br></div>
		417	</li>
		418	<li>
		419	<div class="question">
		420	How to get an OID assigned?<a name="10"></a>
		421	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		422	</div>
		423	<div class="answer">
		424	The original intention of the <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation
		425	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834</a> series was that anyone should be able
		426	to get an OID if they needed one. There are registration authorities
		427	from which it is easy and quite cheap (sometimes even free!) to have
		428	an OID assigned, such as:
		429	<ul>
		430	<li>
		431	If you only need an OID for an example in a document, use <code><a href="/get/2.999">{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		432	example(999)}</a></code> as explained in <a href="#example">question
		433	22</a>.
		434	</li>
		435	<li>
		436	<a href="country_oids.htm#agreements">Several countries</a>
		437	assign OIDs (usually after paying a fee decided by the national
		438	registration authority) under their country arc <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		439	country(16)}</code></a> and/or <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1)
		440	member-body(2)}</code></a> (see <a href="country_codes.htm">correspondence
		441	table between country codes and OIDs</a>). (Note: If you are representing
		442	a country and want to nominate a registration authority for your
		443	country arc under <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1) member-body(2)}</code></a>
		444	or <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2) country(16)}</code></a>,
		445	please see <a href="#11">question 11</a> below.)
		446	</li>
		447	<li>
		448	<a href="http://pen.iana.org/pen/PenApplication.page">IANA</a>
		449	(Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) hands out OIDs for free under
		450	<a href="/get/1.3.6.1.4.1"><code>{iso(1) identified-organization(3)
		451	dod(6) internet(1) private(4) enterprise(1)}</code></a>; these OIDs
		452	are used a lot (but not only) to identify Management Information
		453	Bases (MIBs) for network management (SNMP).
		454	</li>
		455	<li>
		456	<a href="https://www.viathinksoft.com/freeoid">ViaThinkSoft</a>
		457	freely assigns an OID to private persons and developers of freeware,
		458	shareware or open-source software under <a href="/get/1.3.6.1.4.1.37476.9000"><code>{iso(1)
		459	identified-organization(3) dod(6) internet(1) private(4) enterprise(1)
		460	37476 freesub(9000)}</code></a>.
		461	</li>
		462	<li>
		463	<a href="http://webapp.etsi.org/ASN1ObjectTree/ASN1.asp">ETSI</a>
		464	(European Telecommunication Standards Institute) hands out OIDs
		465	under <code><a href="/get/0.4.0.127.0">{itu-t(0) identified-organization(4)
		466	etsi(0) reserved(127) etsi-identified-organization(0)}</a></code>
		467	even for non-ETSI-members.
		468	</li>
		469	<li>
		470	Network operators can have an OID assigned by ITU-T under <code><a href="/get/0.3">{itu-t(0)
		471	network-operator(3)}</a></code>; telecom operators can have an OID
		472	assigned by their national PTT administration under <code><a href="/get/0.2">{itu-t(0)
		473	administration(2)}</a></code>.
		474	</li>
		475	<li>
		476	For the health sector, see <a href="http://wiki.hl7.org/index.php?title=HL7_OID_Registry_Frequently_Asked_Questions#Somebody_told_me_I_need_an_OID_for_my_Organization._What_do_I_do.3F">HL7's
		477	FAQ</a>.
		478	</li>
		479	<li>
		480	Dave Harvey (UK) <a href="http://www.medicalconnections.co.uk/Free_UID">sub-delegate
		481	ranges of his own OID</a> to anyone who uses a <a href="http://medical.nema.org/">DICOM</a>
		482	toolkit (communication in medicine).
		483	</li>
		484	<li>
		485	You can <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms677620.aspx">obtain
		486	an OID from Microsoft</a> to extend the Active Directory schema.
		487	</li>
		488	<li>
		489	You can <a href="http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/asn1/uuid.html#UUID%20Generation%20&%20Registration">generate
		490	a UUID</a> (or use a UUID that you already hold) and append it as
		491	a subsequent arc of <a href="/get/2.25"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		492	uuid(25)}</code></a> (without registering it, in particular in this
		493	OID repository, because it is guaranteed to be globally unique with
		494	a high probability) according to <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.667/en">Recommendation
		495	ITU-T X.667 \| ISO/IEC 9834-8</a> (but see <a href="#size-limitations">question
		496	30 about size limitations of OID encodings</a>).
		497	</li>
		498	</ul>
		499	<em>Important note</em>: OIDs have to be requested from those registrations authorities because this OID repository
		500	is
		501	<em>not</em> a registration authority.
		502	<br><br></div>
		503	</li>
		504	<li>
		505	<div class="question">
		506	What decision needs be taken if a country wants a national Registration Authority for OIDs?<a name="11"></a><a name="national-RA"></a><a name="country"></a>
		507	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		508	</div>
		509	<div class="answer">
		510	Country arcs are the subsequent arcs of <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1)
		511	member-body(2)}</code></a> and <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		512	country(16)}</code></a>. The values assigned to country arcs are the
		513	<a href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm">numerical
		514	codes</a> (without leading zeros) assigned by the United Nations Statistics
		515	Division together with the corresponding and the <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#search">ISO
		516	3166-1-alpha-2 code</a>. <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1) member-body(2)}</code></a>
		517	was deprecated in favour of <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		518	country(16)}</code></a>, thus countries which have never been operating
		519	a national Registration Authority (RA) for OIDs are encouraged to
		520	request an arc under <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		521	country(16)}</code></a>. Countries are discouraged to request an arc
		522	under both <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1) member-body(2)}</code></a>
		523	and <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2) country(16)}</code></a>.<br><a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation ITU-T
		524	X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834-1</a>, clause A.4.5, specifies that the <a href="http://www.iso.org/iso/about/iso_members.htm">ISO
		525	National Body</a> of the country and the <a href="http://www.itu.int/GlobalDirectory/search.html">administration
		526	representing the country in the ITU</a> shall agree together (as a
		527	national decision) on the organization that will be the RA for their
		528	country arc. In the case of a country arc under <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1)
		529	member-body(2)}</code></a> the decision is only taken by the <a href="http://www.iso.org/iso/about/iso_members.htm">ISO
		530	National Body</a> of the country. For more detailed information, see
		531	"<a href="country_oids.htm">Operation of a country Registration
		532	Authority</a>".<br>One way to know if your country is already operating an RA for OIDs
		533	is too check the <a href="country_oids.htm#agreements">known
		534	country RAs</a>.<br><br></div>
		535	</li>
		536	<li>
		537	<div class="question">
		538	Are there guidelines or standards regarding subsequent arcs of a country arc?<a name="12"></a>
		539	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		540	</div>
		541	<div class="answer">
		542	Country arcs are the subsequent arcs of <a href="/get/1.2"><code>{iso(1)
		543	member-body(2)}</code></a> and <a href="/get/2.16"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2)
		544	country(16)}</code></a>.<br>The structure underneath a country arc is a national decision. The
		545	basic standard is of course <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation
		546	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834-1</a>. It might be worth having a look
		547	at <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.670/en">Recommendation
		548	ITU-T X.670</a> "<em>
		549	Procedures for registration agents operating
		550	on behalf of organizations to register organization names subordinate
		551	to country names
		552	</em>".<br>There is no guidelines besides the fact that any registration authority
		553	needs to keep records according to the aforementioned standards. A
		554	good idea is probably to look at <a href="country_oids.htm#agreements">how
		555	other countries have organized subsequent arcs beneath their country
		556	arc</a> as well as reading the ITU handbook on "<a href="http://www.itu.int/pub/T-HDB-LNG.4-2010"><em>
		557	Object
		558	identifiers (OIDs) and their registration authorities
		559	</em></a>".<br><br></div>
		560	</li>
		561	<li>
		562	<div class="question">
		563	What is the Internet OID?<a name="13"></a>
		564	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		565	</div>
		566	<div class="answer">
		567	The Internet OID is <code><a href="/get/1.3.6.1">{iso(1) identified-organization(3)
		568	dod(6) internet(1)}</a></code> or equivalently in dot notation <code><a href="/get/1.3.6.1">1.3.6.1</a></code>.<br><br></div>
		569	</li>
		570	<li>
		571	<div class="question">
		572	Where does the dot notation for OIDs come from?<a name="14"></a>
		573	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		574	</div>
		575	<div class="answer">
		576	(<em>from Harald Alvestrand's <a href="http://www.alvestrand.no/objectid/index.html">website</a></em>)<br>The dot notation is an IETF invention. The ASN.1 group thought it
		577	better to have a notation using spaces and braces, with optional text
		578	labels, so that <code>1.3.6.1</code> would become something like <code>{iso(1)
		579	identified-organization(3) dod(6) internet(1)}</code> or <code>{1
		580	3 6 1}</code> or variants thereof.<br>The IETF folks thought this was somewhat inconvenient, and decided
		581	to use a space-free notation. This is, among other things, spelled
		582	out in IETF <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1778">RFC 1778,
		583	section 2.15</a>, but was in use long before that time. IETF <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2252">RFC
		584	2252, section 4.1</a>, eliminates the "<code>ds.4.10</code>" form.<br><br></div>
		585	</li>
		586	<li>
		587	<div class="question">
		588	Why are top-level arcs restricted to three
		589	arcs numbered <code>0</code> to <code>2</code>, and why are arcs beneath
		590	top-level arcs <code>0</code> and <code>1</code> restricted to fourty
		591	arcs numbered <code>0</code> to <code>39</code>?<a name="15"></a>
		592	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		593	</div>
		594	<div class="answer">
		595	This enables optimized binary encodings in which all arcs beneath
		596	top-level arcs <code>0</code> and <code>1</code>, and arcs <code>0</code>
		597	to <code>47</code> beneath top-level arc <code>2</code> are encoded
		598	on a single octet (see <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.690/en">Rec.
		599	ITU-T X.690 \| ISO/IEC 8825-1</a>, clause 8.19). Arcs greater to <code>47</code>
		600	benath top-level arc <code>2</code> are hence encoded on more than
		601	one octet.<br><br></div>
		602	</li>
		603	<li>
		604	<div class="question">
		605	What do we call a registration tree (or object identifier tree)?<a name="16"></a>
		606	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		607	</div>
		608	<div class="answer">
		609	In an open and international world such as the one of telecommunications
		610	and information technologies, you often need to be able to reference
		611	an "object" (see <a href="#1">question 1</a>) in a unique and universal
		612	way. The ASN.1 standard defines an object as being "<em>
		613	a well-defined
		614	piece of information, definition or specification which requires a
		615	name in order to identify its use in an instance of communication
		616	</em>".<br>In general, an object is a class of information (for example, a file
		617	format), rather than an instance of such a class (for example, an
		618	individual file). It is thus the class of information (defined by
		619	some referenceable specification), rather than the piece of information
		620	itself, that is assigned a place in the tree.<br>The naming structure that has been chosen is a tree structure that
		621	allows to name objects in a local or international context, without
		622	beeing limited either by the registration authority, nor by the number
		623	of objects they can register.<br><br></div>
		624	</li>
		625	<li>
		626	<div class="question">
		627	What is the ASN.1 notation of an OID?<a name="17"></a>
		628	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		629	</div>
		630	<div class="answer">
		631	Each OID arc is associated with a mandatory number (used for data
		632	transfers) and an optional (but recommended) alphanumeric identifier
		633	(for legibility).<br>An identifier begins with a lower-case letter (from '<code>a</code>'
		634	to '<code>z</code>') and is followed by lower-case or upper-case letters
		635	(from '<code>a</code>' to '<code>z</code>', or from '<code>A</code>'
		636	to '<code>Z</code>'), digits (from '<code>0</code>' to '<code>9</code>')
		637	or hyphens ('<code>-</code>'). See Rec. ITU-T X.680 \| ISO/IEC 8824-1,
		638	clause 32, for more details.<br>In <a href="name-forms.htm">some cases</a>, the identifier has been
		639	standardized and can be used alone (without the associated number)
		640	in the ASN.1 notation. The number can always be used alone. This web
		641	site will issue an error message if you are trying to display an OID
		642	using an invalid ASN.1 notation.<br>An OID is semantically an ordered list of OID components (number only,
		643	or identifier followed by a number between parentheses, or identifier
		644	alone in <a href="name-forms.htm">some cases</a>). Starting with the
		645	root of the OID tree, each OID component identifies an arc in the
		646	OID tree. The last OID component identifies an arc leading to a node
		647	to which an object has been assigned. It is this object which is identified
		648	by the OID.<br>Example: <a href="/get/2.5.4.49"><code>{joint-iso-itu-t ds(5) attributeType(4)
		649	distinguishedName(49)}</code></a> where <a href="/get/2"><code>joint-iso-itu-t</code></a>
		650	is a <a href="name-forms.htm">standardized identifier</a> which can
		651	appear alone, <i>i.e.</i>, without its associated number.<br>(See also <a href="#14">question 14</a> for the dot notation and <a href="#iri">question
		652	28</a> about the OID-IRI notation.) <br><br></div>
		653	</li>
		654	<li>
		655	<div class="question">
		656	How is the entire registration tree managed?<a name="18"></a><a name="management"></a>
		657	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		658	</div>
		659	<div class="answer">
		660	The management of the entire registration tree is accomplished by
		661	a process of delegation of authority. In this process the registration
		662	authority responsible for a given arc in the registration tree may
		663	partition that naming-domain. In doing so, it may or may not delegate
		664	the registration responsibility for the naming-domain formed by each
		665	partition to a subordinate Registration Authority. The naming of a
		666	partition does not necessarily imply authority to register objects
		667	under that partition. This delegation of registration responsibility
		668	can be applied repeatedly with a subordinate registration authority
		669	partitioning further the naming domain for which it is responsible
		670	and delegating responsibility for those partitions to registration
		671	authorities subordinate to it.<br>The registration authority responsible for a given naming-domain must
		672	assign a name to the partition of that naming-domain that a given
		673	sub-authority will manage. The name assigned shall be globally unambiguous,
		674	and shall be concatenated as a prefix to all names assigned by that
		675	sub-authority. The repeated application of this process through a
		676	hierarchy of registration agents ensures the generation of unambiguous
		677	names.<br>An organization, a standard or an automated facility can be the registration
		678	authority for more than one partition of a naming-domain (see also
		679	<a href="#11">questions 11 and 12</a> for how country arcs are managed).<br><br></div>
		680	</li>
		681	<li>
		682	<div class="question">
		683	Which features are offered by this repository?<a name="19"></a><a name="features"></a>
		684	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		685	</div>
		686	<div class="answer">
		687	The <a href="display-example.htm">description page</a> for each OID
		688	offers the ability to:
		689	<ul type="disc">
		690	<li>
		691	have a synthetic <a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=">graphical
		692	view</a> of the tree (click on the<img src="images/pm.gif" width="19" height="18">and<img src="images/mm.gif" width="19" height="18">icons to
		693	fold and unfold arcs);
		694	</li>
		695	<li>display the description of another OID (the "Go" button);</li>
		696	<li>
		697	use the "remote control" to display the description
		698	of:
		699	<ul>
		700	<li>
		701	the parent OID (i.e. the OID at the immediate upper level
		702	in the OID tree),
		703	</li>
		704	<li>
		705	the previous or next sibling OID (i.e. OID at the same
		706	level in the OID tree),
		707	</li>
		708	<li>
		709	the very first or very last sibling OID (i.e. OID with the
		710	lowest or greatest number at the same level in the OID tree),
		711	or
		712	</li>
		713	<li>
		714	the first child OID (the OID with the lowest number at
		715	the immediate lower level in the OID tree);
		716	</li>
		717	</ul>
		718	</li>
		719	<li>
		720	submit a description of a child OID under the current OID (see
		721	also <a href="#syntax-rules">question 20</a>): After putting down
		722	some information (description of the OID, its registrant...),
		723	the registrant of the OID (if known), the registrant of the parent
		724	OID (if known) and the OID repository administrator will be automatically
		725	asked by email to review and validate your submission. Note that
		726	the description page of the newly created OID will only be available
		727	after validation;
		728	</li>
		729	<li>
		730	submit a description of a sibling OID, i.e. an OID at the same
		731	level as the current OID (see also <a href="#syntax-rules">question
		732	20</a>);
		733	</li>
		734	<li>
		735	propose modifications of the description of the current OID:
		736	these modifications will have to be validated by the registrant
		737	of the OID (if known), the registrant of the parent OID (if known)
		738	and the OID repository administrator (who will all be automatically
		739	informed by e-mail) before they get published;
		740	</li>
		741	<li>
		742	do a <a href="basic-search.htm">quick search</a> of the entire
		743	OID repository by searching for a particular string in all attributes;
		744	</li>
		745	<li>
		746	do an <a href="advanced-search.htm">advanced search</a> of the entire
		747	OID repository by searching for a particular value for each description
		748	attribute or even by using regular expressions.
		749	</li>
		750	</ul>
		751	Other features are available from the <a href="index.htm">main page</a> of
		752	the OID repository:
		753	<ul>
		754	<li>
		755	display an <a href="/cgi-bin/display?a=random">OID description
		756	randomly</a>;
		757	</li>
		758	<li>
		759	display the <a href="/cgi-bin/display?a=count_nodes">number
		760	of OIDs</a> in the repository as well as statistics about how
		761	many OID descriptions were added or modified over the past 12
		762	months;
		763	</li>
		764	<li>
		765	add the description of a given OID (see also <a href="#syntax-rules">question
		766	20</a>);
		767	</li>
		768	<li>
		769	<a href="submit.htm">submit</a> many OIDs to the database by
		770	describing them in an XML file.<br><br></li>
		771	</ul>
		772	</div>
		773	</li>
		774	<li>
		775	<div class="question">
		776	What are the syntax rules to enter information about OIDs through the web interface?<a name="20"></a><a name="syntax-rules"></a>
		777	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		778	</div>
		779	<div class="answer">
		780	When adding information about an OID into the OID repository, non-ASCII
		781	characters such as accentuated letters are allowed in most fields
		782	("Description", "Information", registrant "First
		783	name", "Last name" and "Address"). The software
		784	will replace them by their equivalent <a href="http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html-spec/html-spec_13.html#SEC106">HTML
		785	code</a>.<br>The following HTML tags are allowed in the "Description",
		786	"Information" and "Address" fields: <code><a></code>,
		787	<code><br/></code>, <code><code></code>, <code><em></code>,
		788	<code><img></code>, <code><li></code>, <code><ol></code>,
		789	<code><strong></code>, <code><sub></code>, <code><sup></code>
		790	and <code><ul></code>. Use of <code><br></code> or <code><br/></code>
		791	is not mandatory to break lines because any newline character will
		792	automatically be replaced with <code><br/></code> by the software.<br>The description should be as short as possible (usually, not more
		793	than one line), limited to what is identified by the OID (hence no
		794	need to use expressions like "OID for", "OID identifying", "Root OID
		795	for", "Arc for", "This OID describes", etc.) and written in such a
		796	way that is easily understandable by any user of the OID repository.<br><br></div>
		797	</li>
		798	<li>
		799	<div class="question">
		800	Which information is necessary to apply for an OID?<a name="21"></a><a name="oid-info"></a>
		801	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		802	</div>
		803	<div class="answer">
		804	According to clause 8.2 f of <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation
		805	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834-1</a>, the registration record for an OID
		806	shall include at least:<br>a) the definition of the object (when the registration authority of
		807	the parent OID performs a technical role, it checks that the objet
		808	can be registered under the parent OID);<br>b) when applicable, the identifier (beginning with a lowercase letter)
		809	assigned to the object (in addition to the unique number);<br>b) the name and contact information of the organization that proposed
		810	the entry (usually it is the "<a href="#registration-authorities">First
		811	registration authority</a>" for the requested OID);<br>c) the dates of submission/registration.<br><br></div>
		812	</li>
		813	<li>
		814	<div class="question">
		815	Is there a particular OID that can be used for documenting
		816	examples of object identifiers?<a name="22"></a><a name="example"></a>
		817	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		818	</div>
		819	<div class="answer">
		820	<a href="/get/2.999">{joint-iso-itu-t(2) example(999)}</a> (or <a href="/get/2.999">2.999</a>)
		821	can be used by anyone, without any permission, for the purpose of
		822	documenting examples of object identifiers (in the same way as "example.com"
		823	is defined in <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2606">IETF RFC
		824	2606</a> as an example for web sites). <br><br></div>
		825	</li>
		826	<li>
		827	<div class="question">
		828	What is the difference between the first and current Registration Authorities
		829	that appear in the description of some OIDs? What is their duty?<a name="23"></a><a name="registration-authorities"></a>
		830	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		831	</div>
		832	<div class="answer">
		833	A <em>Registration Authority</em> (RA) is responsible for allocating
		834	child arcs to the OID for which it manages. It ensures that an integer
		835	is used once among the subsequent arcs (child OIDs). As much as possible,
		836	it avoids the same identifier (beginning with a lowercase letter)
		837	being used for multiple sub-arcs. It also keeps a record of information
		838	(name of a contact person, postal address, telephone and fax numbers,
		839	email address, etc.) about the RA for each child OID and delegates
		840	its duty to each 'child' RA. Such information can be stored in the
		841	OID repository but it is important to understand that an OID first
		842	need to be <em>officially</em> allocated by an RA before it can be
		843	described on this website which is not an official RA, but a <em>repository</em>
		844	of information about existing OIDs.<br>The <em>first Registration Authority</em> of an OID is the very first
		845	person or company to whom the OID was allocated by the RA of the superior
		846	OID. According to <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation
		847	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834-1</a>,<!-- clause 9.2.f.a --> the first
		848	RA can't be changed (if the responsibility is transfered to someone
		849	else, the information is recorded in the "Current Registration
		850	Authority" section, without changing the "First Registration
		851	Authority" section).<br>By default, if the OID has recently been allocated, the Current RA
		852	is the First RA. So, if you are <a href="#4">entering information
		853	in the OID repository</a>, please fill only the "First Registration
		854	Authority" section, and don't copy the same information in the
		855	"Current Registration Authority" section).<br>When someone or an organization takes over the duty from the First
		856	RA, the relevant information is indicated in the "Current Registration
		857	Authority" section without changing the "First Registration
		858	Authority" section.<br><br></div>
		859	</li>
		860	<li>
		861	<div class="question">
		862	What constraints are imposed to OIDs used in SNMP MIBs (Management Information Bases)?<a name="24"></a><a name="mib"></a>
		863	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		864	</div>
		865	<div class="answer">
		866	The constraints are gathered in sections 4.6.5, 4.6.6, and Appendix
		867	D of IETF <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4181">RFC 4181</a>
		868	(updated by <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4841">RFC 4841</a>)
		869	which makes references to <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2578">RFC
		870	2578</a>, sections 3.5, 3.6, 5.6, 7.10, and <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3416">RFC
		871	3416</a>, section 4.1.<br>
		872	- According to <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2578">RFC 2578</a>, section 3.5, all OIDs are limited to 128 child OIDs and each OID has a maximum (integer) value of 2<sup>32</sup>-1 (<code>4294967295</code>).<br>
		873	- The last arc of an OID assigned to any object (be it table, row, column, or scalar) must not be equal to 0.<br>- In some cases, a final arc 0 is used to translate between SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 notification parameters as explained in <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2576">RFC 2576</a>, section 3.<br>One example of a MIB module whose OID assignments follow the recommended scheme is the <code>POWER-ETHERNET-MIB</code> defined in <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3621">RFC 3621</a>.<br>MIBs use a notation like "<code>.2.999</code>" where the leading dot shows that this OID is absolute while "<code>2.999</code>" might be considered as a relative OID by some tools which would then add a root OID in front of it.<br><br></div>
		874	</li>
		875	<li>
		876	<div class="question">
		877	Is there a way to look up an OID in the OID repository from my web browser?<a name="25"></a><a name="lookup"></a>
		878	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		879	</div>
		880	<div class="answer">
		881	- If you're using <img src="images/firefox-icon.png" width="16" height="16" alt="[Firefox Icon]"><a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Mozilla Firefox</a> or <img src="images/mozilla-icon.png" width="16" height="16" alt="[Mozilla Icon]"><a href="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/">Mozilla SeaMonkey</a>
		882	or <img src="images/google-chrome.ico" width="16" height="16" alt="[Chrome Icon]" border="0"><a href="http://www.google.com/chrome/">Google Chrome</a>, an <a href="http://mycroft.mozdev.org/search-engines.html?name=oid+resolver&skipcache=yes">OpenSearch
		883	Plugin</a> (a.k.a. search engine) allows to display information about
		884	an OID when an ASN.1 notation, dot notation, <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3061">URN</a> notation
		885	or <a href="#iri">OID-IRI</a> notation is entered in the search bar
		886	at the top-right.<br><!-- - If you're using <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/">Mozilla
		887	Thunderbird</a>, <img src="images/firefox-icon.png" width="16" height="16" alt="[Firefox Icon]"><a href="http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/">Mozilla Firefox</a>
		888	or <img src="images/mozilla-icon.png" width="16" height="16" alt="[Mozilla Icon]"><a href="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/">Mozilla SeaMonkey</a>
		889	(formerly known as Mozilla Application Suite), the <a href="http://dictionarysearch.mozdev.org">DictionarySearch
		890	add-on</a> is easy to configure so that you can display information
		891	about an OID by right-clicking on its selection:<br><ul>
		892	<li>install the DictionarySearch extension corresponding to your
		893	tool from <a href="http://dictionarysearch.mozdev.org">http://dictionarysearch.mozdev.org</a>;</li>
		894	<li>in the "Tools" menu of your tool, select the "Extensions"
		895	item;</li>
		896	<li>highlight the line for DictionarySearch, then click on the "Options"
		897	button;</li>
		898	<li>add a new Dictionary with the following information (this will
		899	display the description of the selected OID in dot notation; it
		900	doesn't work well for a selected OID in ASN.1 notation because
		901	the closing parentheses are removed for whatever reason):<br><em>Text</em>: <code>Search for OID "$"</code><br><em>Access key</em>: <code>O</code><br><em>URL</em>: <code>http://oid-info.com/cgi-bin/display?oid=$&a=display</code></li>
		902	<li>This other new "Dictionary" may also be useful (it
		903	will display a tree for the selected OID in dot notation):<br><em>Text</em>: <code>Display tree for OID "$"</code><br><em>Access key</em>: <code>T</code><br><em>URL</em>: <code>http://oid-info.com/cgi-bin/display?oid=$&a=tree</code>
		904	</li>
		905	</ul> --> - See also <a href="#8">question 8</a>.<br><br></div>
		906	</li>
		907	<li>
		908	<div class="question">
		909	What is a leaf OID? What is a frozen OID?<a name="26"></a><a name="leaf"></a>
		910	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		911	</div>
		912	<div class="answer">
		913	These are not standardized concepts. In case an OID is a <em>leaf</em>
		914	in the OID repository, no child OIDs can be allocated under that OID.
		915	In case an OID is <em>frozen</em> in the OID repository, no more child
		916	OIDs can be created in addition to the existing ones. In both cases,
		917	the system does not accept the creation of child OIDs. The status
		918	is also mentioned on the web page that describes an OID (see example
		919	for a <a href="/get/0.0.2">leaf OID</a> and for a <a href="/get/0">frozen
		920	OID</a>).<br>To report that an OID is a leaf or is frozen, please <a href="#modify">suggest
		921	a modification</a> for this OID and use the "Comments" box
		922	at the bottom.<br><br></div>
		923	</li>
		924	<li>
		925	<div class="question">
		926	What is an orphan OID?<a name="27"></a><a name="orphan"></a>
		927	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		928	</div>
		929	<div class="answer">
		930	This is not a standardized concept but this term is used to qualify
		931	an OID that is described in the OID repository, but some of its parent
		932	OIDs are not described in the OID repository. This does not mean that
		933	these unknown parent OIDs do not exist (actually they do exist because
		934	an OID can only be allocated by the Registration Authority of its
		935	parent OID). However the user who submitted the description of this
		936	OID has no knowledge of how to describe these parent OIDs.<br><!-- This is useful in cases such as:<br>- you have found the description of an OID somewhere on the web or
		937	in a document, but you don't know how to describe all arcs along the
		938	path;<br>- you have a bunch of OIDs to submit to the OID repository, so you
		939	can submit them in any order because there is no obligation to submit
		940	the father OID first.<br>-->
		941	Orphan OIDs are not visible when one
		942	<a href="/cgi-bin/display?tree=">walks down the OID tree</a>. However,
		943	they are <a href="display-example.htm">displayed</a> when one asks
		944	for the description of a particular OID. <em>Orphan grandchild OIDs</em>
		945	(<em>i.e.</em>, OIDs for which we have a description as well as a
		946	description of their grandparent OID, but no description of their
		947	parent OID) are accessible from the <a href="display-example.htm">description
		948	page</a> of their grandparent OID.<br><br></div>
		949	</li>
		950	<li>
		951	<div class="question">
		952	What is an OID-IRI (Internationalized Resource Identifier)?<a name="28"></a><a name="iri"></a>
		953	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		954	</div>
		955	<div class="answer">
		956	Historically, OIDs could only be denoted in <a href="#14">dot notation</a>
		957	(<em>e.g.</em>, <code>2.27</code>) or in <a href="#17">ASN.1 notation</a>
		958	(<em>e.g.</em>, <code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2) tag-based(27)}</code>) where
		959	only ASCII identifiers are allowed. The need was identified for a
		960	human-friendly notation which would not be limited to latin alphabets
		961	and would encompass the diversity of <a href="http://www.unicode.org">Unicode
		962	alphabets</a>.<br>An OID-IRI (a.k.a. international OID) is a string of slash-separated
		963	Unicode labels from the root of the OID tree, which unambiguously
		964	identifies a node in the OID tree (e.g., "<a href="/get//Joint-ISO-ITU-T/Example"><code>/Joint-ISO-ITU-T/Example</code></a>").<br>A Unicode label is a case-sensitive string of Unicode characters (except
		965	the <code>SPACE</code> character). Just as an OID node can have multiple
		966	identifiers in ASN.1 notation, it can have multiple Unicode labels
		967	(this allows backwards-compatibility when a company changes its name,
		968	for example). Each OID node has a default Unicode label which is its
		969	number (<em>e.g.</em>, "<a href="/get//2/999"><code>/2/999</code></a>").<br>In order to support names of OIDs in multiple languages, an OID can
		970	have multiple Unicode labels, giving rise to a need to transform a
		971	path using Unicode labels into a canonical form of purely numerical
		972	labels to identify the OID. This is handled by the <a href="introduction.htm#ors">OID
		973	Resolution System</a>.<br>A <em>long arc</em> is a particular kind of Unicode label which identifies
		974	an OID that is not immediately beneath the root of the OID tree. For
		975	example, OID <code>{joint-iso-itu-t(2) example(999)}</code> has a
		976	long arc named "<code>Example</code>" allowing OID-IRI "<code><a href="/get//Example">/Example</a></code>"
		977	which is shorter than OID-IRI "<code><a href="/get//Joint-ISO-ITU-T/Example">/Joint-ISO-ITU-T/Example</a></code>".
		978	Long arcs are only allowed for OIDs under the <code>joint-iso-itu-t(2)</code>
		979	top-level arc (see the <a href="http://itu.int/go/X660">register of
		980	long arcs)</a>.<br>The <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.680/en">ASN.1 standard</a>
		981	specifies an <code>OID-IRI</code> type for exchanging OID-IRI values
		982	between machines.<br><br></div>
		983	</li>
		984	<li>
		985	<div class="question">
		986	What are the duties of a Registration Authority?<a name="29"></a>
		987	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		988	</div>
		989	<div class="answer">
		990	Guidance is given in sections 8.2 (Operation), 9 (registration procedures)
		991	and 11 (recommended fee structure) of <a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.660/en">Recommendation
		992	ITU-T X.660 \| ISO/IEC 9834-1</a>.<br>The open-source database system <a href="https://oidplus.viathinksoft.com/oidplus/">OIDplus</a>
		993	from ViaThinkSoft can be used by Registration Authorities to manage
		994	their OIDs. It includes a feature to export data into an <a href="submit.htm">XML
		995	document that can then be uploaded to this OID repository</a>.<br><br></div>
		996	</li>
		997	<li>
		998	<div class="question">
		999	Are there size limitations for OID encoding?<a name="30"></a><a name="size-limitations"></a>
		1000	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		1001	</div>
		1002	<div class="answer">
		1003	The <a href="standards.htm">OID standards</a> have no limit whatsoever about the depth of an OID in the OID tree (i.e., number of arcs) and the size of the integer associated to each OID arc. At the moment, the <a href="/get/1.3.6.1.4.1.1248.1.1.2.1.3.21.69.112.115.111.110.32.83.116.121.108.117.115.32.80.114.111.32.52.57.48.48">longest OID</a> described in the OID repository has 171 chars and 34 arcs. The <a href="/get/2.25.336702412625001560652410773774433371419">greatest number</a> for an OID arc has 39 digits. However, there are constraints for OIDs used in SNMP Management Information Bases (<a href="#mib">see question 24</a>) and some tools may have size limitations (or bugs):<br>- The <a href="https://lapo.it/asn1js/">ASN.1 JavaScript decoder at
		1004	lapo.it</a>, <a href="http://www.bouncycastle.org">Bouncy Castle Crypto
		1005	APIs</a>, OpenSSL (version 0.9.8o, 1 Jun 2010) and the built-in Java
		1006	class "<code>org.ietf.jgss.Oid</code>" can handle <a href="/get/2.25">UUIDs
		1007	used as OIDs</a>.<br>- Windows CryptoAPI Shell Extension (tested with Windows XP and Windows
		1008	7) cannot handle <a href="/get/2.25">UUIDs used as OIDs</a>: The maximum
		1009	useable OID value in Windows is 2<sup>64</sup>-1 (e.g., <code>2.999.18446744073709551615</code>).
		1010	Windows will show whitespace when any higher value occurs.<br>- Mozilla software cannot handle <a href="/get/2.25">UUIDs used as
		1011	OIDs</a>: The maximum useable OID value in Mozilla software is 2<sup>32</sup>-1
		1012	(e.g., <code>2.999.4294967295</code>). The program will show "Unknown"
		1013	when an arc contains a higher value (e.g., <code>{2 999 Unknown 0}</code>).
		1014	<br>- Mac OS X cannot handle OIDs of the form <code>2.<em>n</em></code>
		1015	where <code><em>n</em></code> > 47 (i.e., it wrongly decodes OIDs
		1016	which need more than one octet in the first two arcs). <br>More details can be found in <a href="http://www.viathinksoft.de/~daniel-marschall/asn.1/oid_facts.html">Daniel
		1017	Marschall's study about OID encoding and size limitations</a>. Daniel's
		1018	<a href="https://www.viathinksoft.de/%7Edaniel-marschall/asn.1/oid-converter/online.php">DER
		1019	encoder</a> can also help in your testing.<br><br></div>
		1020	</li>
		1021	<li>
		1022	<div class="question">
		1023	Are there binary encoders/decoders for OIDs?<a name="31"></a>
		1024	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		1025	</div>
		1026	<div class="answer">
		1027	See for example (non-exhaustive list):<strong><br></strong>- OSS Nokalva's online <a href="http://asn1-playground.oss.com/">ASN.1
		1028	playground</a> encodes/decodes OIDs in any encoding rule (BER, DER,
		1029	PER, UPER, XER) with the following schema:<br><code>     OID-Module DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN<br>       OID ::= OBJECT IDENTIFIER<br>     END</code><br>  The OID is provided in ASN.1 notation in the "Data:
		1030	Encode" box as follows:<br><code>     oid OID ::= {2 999}</code><br>- Daniel Marschall's online <a href="https://www.viathinksoft.de/%7Edaniel-marschall/asn.1/oid-converter/online.php">DER
		1031	encoder/decoder</a> (for PHP and C);<br>- <a href="http://bouncycastle.org">The Legion of the Bouncy Castle</a>'s
		1032	API for Java and C#;<br>- <a href="http://wireshark.org">Wireshark</a>'s subtool for ASN.1.<br>See also <a href="https://misc.daniel-marschall.de/asn.1/oid_facts.html#chap4">Daniel
		1033	Marschall's software compatibility analysis for large OIDs</a>.<br><br></div>
		1034	</li>
		1035	<li>
		1036	<div class="question">
		1037	Does this web site use cookies?<a name="32"></a><a name="cookies"></a>
		1038	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		1039	</div>
		1040	<div class="answer">
		1041	You can set up your browser to reject cookies: Disabling their use
		1042	will not materially impact on your interaction with this website.<br>Only users who have submitted information on OIDs (description of
		1043	a new OID or proposed modifications to an existing OID) have a unique
		1044	cookie placed on their machine with their first name, last name and
		1045	email address, so that the "submitter" section is automatically
		1046	filled the next time they submit information. This cookie is not used
		1047	to track your use of the OID repository.<br>The <a href="/helper">OID helper</a> chatbot is (externally) hosted
		1048	by <a href="http://pandorabots.com/botmaster/en/~121e02c2b4d4270afe6afac6~/faq">Pandorabots</a>
		1049	which normally tracks individual conversations by placing a cookie
		1050	on your browser, in order to offer contextual answers to your questions
		1051	(please check <a href="https://home.pandorabots.com/policies.html#privacy-policy">Pandorabots'
		1052	privacy policy</a>). However, if your browser is not setup to accept
		1053	cookies, an alternative mechanism is used through a hidden variable
		1054	in the HTML form.<br><br></div>
		1055	</li>
		1056	<li>
		1057	<div class="question">
		1058	How does this web site protect users' privacy?<a name="33"></a><a name="privacy"></a>
		1059	<a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top_fleche.png" width="27" height="17" border="0"></a>
		1060	</div>
		1061	<div class="answer">
		1062	The purpose of this section (updated on 24 Jan 2019) is to inform
		1063	you about the way your personal data is handled on this web site.
		1064	By providing your personal data to this web site, you acknowledge
		1065	and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal
		1066	data for a legitimate interest as explained hereunder. This web site
		1067	never sells, leases or rents your personal data.<br>Only users who have submitted information on OIDs (description of
		1068	a new OID or proposed modifications to an existing OID) have personal
		1069	data stored in the OID repository database. The only reason to keep
		1070	such information is to inform them when the OID description is validated
		1071	or modified by the OID repository administrator, or when modifications
		1072	are suggested by another user (see also <a href="#cookies">question
		1073	32 about cookies</a>). This information is not publicly disclosed
		1074	on the web site. (Note, however, that it may be sent by email to the
		1075	<a href="#registration-authorities">(current or first) registration
		1076	authority</a> of the OID and of its parent OID, when they are known).<br>Only those users who are the contact of a <a href="#registration-authorities">(current
		1077	or first) registration authority</a> for an OID and have not ticked
		1078	the box "<i>Protect the privacy of the Registration Authority
		1079	by not displaying the contact information on the web site</i>"
		1080	have their personal data (email address, postal address, phone number)
		1081	publicly visible on the web site. (Note, however, that even when the
		1082	"privacy" box is ticked, any user of this web site can <a href="/cgi-bin/manage?a=get-info">receive
		1083	by email a copy of such data</a> so as to be able to contact the registration
		1084	authority of an OID; such requests are recorded). These users are
		1085	automatically notified by email when information about them is entered
		1086	and can request deletion of such data.<br>In some cases, your personal data appears in the OID repository because
		1087	it is publicly available on another web site (e.g., <a href="https://www.iana.org/assignments/enterprise-numbers/enterprise-numbers">IANA
		1088	enterprise numbers</a>).<br>To check if personal data related to you appears in the OID repository,
		1089	please use the <a href="advanced-search.htm">advanced search</a>. You can
		1090	also <a href="/cgi-bin/manage?a=get-personal-data">get a copy</a>
		1091	of all personal data appearing in the OID repository. In any case,
		1092	your personal data is never used for sending any kind of publicity
		1093	to you.<br>A log of all modifications made to an OID is also kept (hence your
		1094	personal data may appear in that log) but it is not public and would
		1095	only be used by the OID repository administrator to explain or undo
		1096	changes if needed.<br>For any other question related to data protection or to request the
		1097	rectification or erasure of your personal data, you can <a href="/helper">contact
		1098	the webmaster</a>. Repetitive, disproportionate or impracticable requests
		1099	may be rejected.
		1100	</div>
		1101	</li>
		1102	</ol>
		1103
		1104	</td>
		1105	</tr>
		1106	</table>
		1107
		1108	</div>
		1109
		1110	<div class="clear"></div>
		1111	</div>
		1112
		1113
		1114	<center id="footer">
		1115	<img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 760px; height: 2px;" alt="separation line" src="images/separation800.png" width="760" height="2"><br><br>
		1116	<table width="710" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0">
		1117	<tr valign="baseline">
		1118	<td width="34">
		1119	<a href="/helper">
		1120	<img src="images/enveloppe.png" width="30" height="13" name="mail" border="0" alt="OID helper">
		1121	</a>
		1122	</td>
		1123	<td width="58" align="center"><font size="-2">Webmaster</font></td>
		1124	<td width="10" align="center"><img src="images/pointorange_small.gif" width="14" height="10"></td>
		1125	<td width="78" align="center">
		1126	<font size="-2">
		1127	<!--<script language="JavaScript">
		1128	d=new Date(document.lastModified)
		1129	month=new Array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec")
		1130	if (Date.parse(document.lastModified) != 0)
		1131	document.write(d.getDate()+" "+month[d.getMonth()]+" "+d.getFullYear());
		1132	</script>-->
		1133	15 Apr 2022
		1134	</font>
		1135	</td>
		1136	<td width="24" align="center"><img src="images/pointorange_small.gif" width="14" height="10"></td>
		1137	<td align="center" width="409">
		1138	<font size=-1>
		1139
		1140	</font>
		1141	</td>
		1142	<td height="20" width="162" valign="middle" align="right"><a href="#top"><img src="images/page_top.png" width="150" height="17" border="0"></a></td>
		1143	</tr>
		1144	</table><br>
		1145	</center>
		1146	</div>
		1147	</body>
		1148	</html>

Subversion Repositories oidinfo_new_design

oidinfo_new_design/trunk/faq.htm @ 28 – Rev 2