M-Switch X.400Open Standards Conformance
Conformance for the M-Switch ACP127 and M-Switch Encryption add-ons as well as for the M-Switch Constrained Network Server and Gateway, which are additional to the Open Standards listed below, can be found on the product pages for those products and add-ons.
The base X.400 standards and ISPs (International Standard Profiles) are set by two bodies.
- The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) as a series of documents collectively referred to as X.400. There are a number of documents in this series (e.g., X.400, X.402, X.420).
- ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) as MOTIS (Message Oriented Text Interchange Systems) and the ISO/IEC 10021 series. These documents are equivalent (e.g., ISO/IEC 10021-7 is equivalent to X.420).
The ITU and ISO documents are technically aligned. There are some small differences because the ITU documents relate only to interconnection with public services, whereas the ISO/IEC documents also cover "local" issues. Isode supports these differences, which relate to different deployment situations, and do not affect interoperability. Conformance to X.400 base standards is listed below.
ITU X.400 | Message Handling System: System and Service Overview. ISO/IEC 10021-1, 1999 |
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ITU X.401 | Naming and addressing for public message handling services. 1992 |
ITU X.402 | Message Handling Systems (MHS): Overall Structure. ISO/IEC 10021-2, 1999 |
ITU X.411 | Message Handling Systems (MHS): Message Transfer System: Abstract Service Definition and Procedures. ISO/IEC 10021-4, 1999 |
ITU X.419 | Message Handling Systems (MHS): Protocol Specifications. ISO/IEC 10021-6, 1999 |
ITU X.420 | Message Handling Systems (MHS): Interpersonal Messaging System. ISO/IEC 10021-7, 1996 |
In order to deal with specification of an X.400 system, there are a series of ISPs (International Standard Profiles) published in conjunction with the base X.400 specifications. "ISO/IEC 10611-1: Common Messaging Part 1: MHS Service Support (1999)" sets out a core framework for the X.400 ISPs. In particular it defines a set of functional groups, to which an implementation can claim conformance. The following table lists all of the X.400 functional groups, and which ones are supported by M-Switch X.400.
Functional Group | M-Switch X.400 Support | Notes |
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Conversion (CV) | Supported | |
Distribution List (DL) | Supported | |
Physical Delivery (PD) | Not Supported | All elements supported required of an MTA that is co-resident with a Physical Delivery Access Unit. |
Redirection (RED) | Supported | |
Latest Delivery (LD) | Supported | |
Return of Contents (RoC) | Supported | |
Security (SEC) | Supported to the S0 Level | S1 level is supported for P1, but not for P3. |
Use of Directory (DIR) | Supported | |
1984 Interworking (84IW) | Supported, excluding internal trace information | |
Simple Protected Password (SPP) | Not Supported | Strong Authentication is preferable. |
Redirection Instructions (RED2) | Not Supported | Only relevant to MTS84 (AMH14), and not core MTA function. |
Delivery Constraints (DC) | Not Supported | Only relevant to MTS84 (AMH14), and not core MTA function. |
Restricted Delivery (RD) | Not Supported | Only relevant to MTS84 (AMH14), and not core MTA function. |
Message Transfer & Access Conformance
An MTA must support Message Transfer, using the X.400 P1 protocol. M-Switch is conformant to the core ISP requirements for the 1984, 1988, and 1996, 1999 and 2003 versions of X.400. Detailed specification of the Message Transfer Conformance of M-Switch X.400 is provided in two PICS statements:
- Common Messaging: Message Transfer (P1) - AMH11 (based on ISP 10611 - 3/AMH11)
- IPM: Requirements for Message Transfer (P1) - (based on ISP 12062 - 3/AMH22)
Message Access refers to submission and delivery using the X.400 P3 protocol. There are two versions of the X.400 P3 protocol:
- P3 (1988), with conformance defined in AMH12 (MTS Access) and AMH 23 (IPM Requirements for MTS Access).
- P3 (1994), with conformance defined in AMH14 (MTS94 Access) and AMH 25 (IPM Requirements for MTS94 Access). This defines additional end user management and control functions.
Extensions from X.400(1994) and X.400(1999) can be used with both of these protocols. Isode supports P3(1988) only. Details of M-Switch X.400 P3 conformance is defined in "AMH12 and AMH14 - MTS Access (P3) and MTS 94 Access (P3)" ISO/IEC ISP 10611-4. This is aligned to ITU X.483 "P3 PICS". Isode is conformant to the mandatory elements of the ISP for P3(1988), with two exceptions:
- DeliveryControl operation is not supported. M-Switch X.400 achieves the functions of this operation by use of its own configuration management tools. This allows access to controls by P7 users and administrators, which increases flexibility.
- For the MTS Forced Access protocol, M-Switch X.400 supports only delivery (and not submission). This reflects use of MTS Forced Access to deliver messages from M-Switch to a Message Store, where submission is not needed. P3 Clients can submit and deliver messages using MTS Access.
Lower Layers: X.400 & RTSE
The X.400 channels support the 1984, 1988 and 1992 recommendations including the mts-transfer (P1-1988, RTSE normal-mode), mts-transfer-protocol (P1-1988, RTSE X.410(1984)-mode) and mts-transfer-protocol-1984 (P1-1984, RTSE X.410(1984)-mode) application contexts.
Full RTSE recovery is supported for both inbound and outbound transfers. There is full support for Two Way Alternate. All three application contexts can be supported by a receiving channel on a single Session address.
Military Standards
STANAG 4406 Edition 2: Annex A | Military Message Handling System, Annex A: MMHS Extensions, March 2005 |
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STANAG 4406 Edition 2: Annex B | Military Message Handling System, Annex B: Interoperability of Secure MMHS, March 2005 |
STANAG 4406 Edition 2: Annex C | Military Message Handling System, Annex C: Alpha Profiles Set, March 2005 |
STANAG 4406 Edition 2: Annex G | Military Message Handling System, Annex G: Compatibility with PCT based MMHS Security, March 2005 |
STANAG 4406 Edition 2: Annex H | Military Message Handling System, Annex H: NATO Security Labelling Guidence for MMHS, March 2005 |
In addition to the above M-Switch X.400 supports ACP142 (Version 1.0) "P_MUL - A Protocol for Reliable Multicast Messaging in Bandwidth Constrained and Delayed Acknowledgement (EMCON) Environments" for use with Data Diodes only. ACP142 for use in constrained cetwork environments is supported in the M-Switch Constrained Network products.
Other Conformance
RFC 1328 | X.400 1988 to 1984 downgrading, S. Kille, May 1992 |
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SARPS | ICAO SARPS Doc 9880-AN/466 - Manual on detailed technical specifications for the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network using ISO/OSI standards and protocols, Part IV – Directory Services, Security and Systems Management. Second Edition. |