Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!ists!yunexus!geac!joey
From: joey@geac.com (Joey DeWiele)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso
Subject: Re: X.500 Nonsense: Summary
Message-ID: <1990Feb14.154514.29724@geac.com>
Date: 14 Feb 90 15:45:14 GMT
References: <1990Feb12.140956.27362@planet.bt.co.uk>
Reply-To: joey@geac.com (Joey De Wiele)
Organization: Geac Computer Corporation
Lines: 40

In article <1990Feb12.140956.27362@planet.bt.co.uk> mdc@planet.bt.co.uk (Martin Chapman) writes:
>
>Here is an edited compilation of the replies  from the following question.
>
>       Does anyone *REALLY* understand X.500 ?
>

 ... a bunch of stuff deleted ...

>
>>There are probably one or two people in the world who have a reasonable
>>understanding of X.500.
>
>>If this statement is really true, X.500 is in big trouble!
>

Come on now guys, X.500 isn't really *that* complicated !!!

While we don't claim to understand the whole standard from page 1 to page
225 (CCITT blue book), our company has been developing an X.500 based 
Directory to support bibliographic search and retrieval in the Library
community. Understanding X.500 was made easier for us because we experimented
with simple distributed Library prototypes specified using the X.407 ASDC
and implemented using ISODE.

If your problems with X.500 stem from a lack of understanding, or confusion,
as to how a real protocol (.i.e. exchange of bytes on a wire) can be derived
from the abstract services specified in X.511, than I would suggest you play
around with ISODE's rosy. Specify some simple abstract services and than
use rosy to compile the ROSE operations. This gives you a 'feeling' for the
ASDC wich might help your understanding of X.500.

In any case, it is my belief that the biggest problem with understanding X.500
is the lack of people you can "call up" and ask questions. Simple things that
could be resolved in seconds remain irritating thorns just because X.500 
experience is not widespread. I believe that a couple of years will see this
experience distributed far more widely, and that this will greatly ease the 
burden of individuals trying to apprend X.500 all by themselves.

Joey