    Network Working Group                                         C. Malamud
    Request for Comments: 1529                 Internet Multicasting Service
    Obsoletes: 1486                                                  M. Rose
    Category: Informational                     Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.
                                                                October 1993

               Principles of Operation for the TPC.INT Subdomain:
                   Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies

    Status of this Memo

       This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
       not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
       unlimited.

    Introduction

       This document defines the administrative policies for the operation
       of remote printer facilities within the context of the tpc.int
       subdomain.  The document describes different approaches to resource
       recovery for remote printer server sites and includes discussions of
       issues pertaining to auditing, security, and denial of access.

       The technical procedures for remote printing are defined in [1]. The
       general principles of operation for the tpc.int subdomain are defined
       in [2].  An overview of the remote printing facility is returned when
       electronic mail is sent to tpc-faq@town.hall.org.

    Overview of Remote Printing in the TPC.INT Subdomain

       The remote printing facility allows a user to image documents on a
       remote printer, defined as a G3-compatible facsimile device connected
       to the public telephone network.  The user sends electronic mail to
       an address which includes the phone number associated with the target
       G3-compatible facsimile device.  Using the Domain Name System, the
       Internet message-handling infrastructure routes the message to a
       remote printer server, which provides access to devices within a
       specified range of the telephone system numbering plan.  The message
       is imaged on the target remote printer and an acknowledgement is sent
       back to the initiator of the message.

       The remote printing facility is concerned with outreach, integrating
       the e-mail and G3-compatible facsimile communities into a common
       communications environment. By providing easy access to remote
       printing recipients, enterprise-wide access is enhanced, regardless
       of the kind of institution (e.g., commercial, educational, or
       government), or the size of institution (e.g., global, regional, or

    Malamud & Rose                                                  [Page 1]

    RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993

       local).  Remote printing allows an organization to make it easier for
       electronic mail users to communicate with the personnel in the
       organization who are users of G3-compatible facsimile but not e-mail,
       providing a valuable bridge between the two types of technology.

    Models of Operation for Remote Printing Servers

       Remote printer servers in the tpc.int subdomain consume resources
       that are typically recovered from neither the initiator nor the
       recipient of the remote printing service.  Owing to a lack of
       widespread authentication facilities in the Internet and connected
       message handling domains, it is not currently possible to identify
       the initiator with certainty.  Since the request was not initiated by
       the recipient, it is inappropriate for a remote printer gateway to
       accept a request and then attempt to charge the receiver of the
       message before imaging the document on the remote printer.

       Several models of resource recovery for remote printer operation are
       possible in the tpc.int subdomain:

          Community Library Model
          Neighborhood Grocery Model
          Local Newspaper Model

       In the Community Library model, an organization would register a
       remote printer gateway willing to place calls to all devices located
       within the organization's telephone system.  Other operators may
       determine that the costs of servicing the immediate vicinity (or even
       a larger area) are minimal and register to serve a portion of the
       telephone address space as a community service.

       The Community Library model can apply to a neighborhood, or to an
       organization such as a government R&D Center, a university, or a
       corporation.  The library model does not recover costs from the
       particpants, but runs the remote printer as a community service.

       In the Neighborhood Grocery model, a commercial organization
       contracts with specific end users, offering to register their
       individual fax numbers in the namespace.  This service bureau model
       could be conducted with or without cost recovery from the owner of
       the remote printer device.

       The Local Newspaper model recovers the resources needed to operate
       the remote printer service from a third party not directly connected
       with the message exchange. When a document is successfully imaged on
       a remote printer, there are two actions that result.  First, a cover
       sheet is constructed and prepended to the document imaged on the
       remote printer.  Second, a notification is sent back to the

    Malamud & Rose                                                  [Page 2]

    RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993

       initiator.  An Internet site running a remote printer server
       registered in the tpc.int subdomain is permitted to acknowledge a
       sponsor in both cases.

       Specifically, up to one-third of the area of the cover sheet may be
       used for acknowledgement of the sponsor, and up to 250 bytes of ASCII
       text acknowledging the sponsor may be appended to the notification
       returned to the initiator.   Any such sponsor acknowledgement is
       subject to applicable regulations governing the content and form of
       such acknowledgements.

       The words "paid advertisement" should be prominently displayed in the
       area containing the message if money has changed hands for the
       transaction.  If an organization uses the local newspaper model
       simply to transmit community service messages, then the words "paid
       advertisement" need not be displayed.

    Auditing and Security

       A remote printer server should maintain a log for auditing and
       security.  This log may contain at most the following information:

          1) the date the message was received;
          2) the "From" and "Message-ID" fields;
          3) the size of the body;
          4) the identity (telephone number) of the printer;
          5) any telephony-related information, such as call
             duration;
          6) any G3-related information, such recipient ID.

       This information is the most that can be kept and may be further
       limited by legal authority with jurisdiction at the site.

       The purpose of the log is to maintain accountability and security.
       It is considered a violation of the privacy of the initiator and the
       recipient of the remote printer services to divulge such logs unless
       required by legal authority with jurisdiction at the site.  In
       particular, it is a violation of privacy to divulge, either directly
       or indirectly, such information for the compilation of lists for
       marketing purposes.

       It is permissible, however, to furnish interested parties with
       summary reports that indicate the number of calls, average length,
       and other summary information provided that such summary information
       could not be used to identify individual initiators or recipients or
       their calling patterns.  For example, a remote printer gateway might
       furnish an interested party with a report of the number of calls per
       day and hours logged to a specific local area exchange.

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    RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993

       Remote printer servers operate in a public service capacity and must
       strictly respect the privacy of the contents of messages. Unless
       required by technical or legal considerations, the content of
       messages shall not be monitored or disclosed.

    Denial of Access

       Internet sites registered in the tpc.int subdomain may deny access
       based on the source but not the destination of the message.  If an
       Internet site feels that it is inappropriate to provide access to a
       particular destination, then it should re-register itself
       accordingly.

       Denial of access based on source should be made only if required by
       legal authority with jurisdiction at the site or because of abuse.
       In all cases, denial of access should result in a notification
       returned to the initiator indicating the policy that was violated.
       However, if repeated attempts continue to be made by the source,
       repeated notifications are not necessary.  Denial of access should be
       distinguished from the inability to provide access.  For example,
       improperly formatted messages will prevent access.

       Denial of access can occur due to problems in a single message or set
       of messages or because of consistent patterns of abuse. Examples of
       denial on a single message might include an attempt to transmit an
       extremely long document, such as a 100-page memo. Such a document
       might violate local policies limiting the number of pages or
       transmission time.

       A more serious problem is long-term abuse of facilities.  A remote
       printer server might choose to impose a usage limit on a daily or
       monthly basis.  Such limits should be chosen to balance the desire to
       encourage legitimate users with the need to prevent consistent abuse.

       At present, it is the responsibility for each Internet site running a
       remote printer server to define a local policy for denial of access.
       This policy should be based on objective criteria, and those criteria
       should be registered with the tpc.int subdomain secretariat at the
       e-mail address tpc-admin@town.hall.org.

    Security Considerations

       Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

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    RFC 1529       Remote Printing -- Administrative Policies   October 1993

    References

       [1] Malamud, C., and M. Rose, "Principles of Operation for the
           TPC.INT Subdomain: Remote Printing -- Technical Procedures", RFC
           1528, Dover Beach Consulting, Inc., Internet Multicasting
           Service, October 1993.

       [2] Malamud, C., and M. Rose, "Principles of Operation for the
           TPC.INT Subdomain: General Principles and Policy", RFC 1530,
           Internet Multicasting Service, Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.,
           October 1993.

    Authors' Addresses

       Carl Malamud
       Internet Multicasting Service
       Suite 1155, The National Press Building
       Washington, DC 20045
       US

       Phone: +1 202 628 2044
       Fax:   +1 202 628 2042
       Email: carl@malamud.com

       Marshall T. Rose
       Dover Beach Consulting, Inc.
       420 Whisman Court
       Mountain View, CA  94043-2186
       US

       Phone: +1 415 968 1052
       Fax:   +1 415 968 2510
       Email: mrose@dbc.mtview.ca.us

    Malamud & Rose                                                  [Page 5]