Hello Meir,

Thanks for you comments!

Please see our replies inline below.

Best,
/Marco

________________________________
From: Meir Goldman <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2026 3:24 AM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [Last-Call] Last Call comment on draft-ietf-ace-oscore-gm-admin 
(defaults + error handling)

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Thanks for the -14 update and the added “Operational Considerations” section.

Two suggestions to further reduce interop and security risk:
1) Please ensure consistent normative language around defaults across all 
sections (avoid any remaining MUST/SHOULD ambiguity when defaults are 
referenced).

==>MT

We have re-checked the whole document, and we think that all is already 
consistent.

In particular, we do not find any MUST/SHOULD ambiguity.

In Section 5.2:

* The defined values are overall RECOMMENDED to be used as default values. 
Exceptions are allowed and one reason for that is explicitly mentioned.

* Each of the specific default values is introduced using SHOULD. This also 
applies for those that rely on an external definition in Sections 14.1-14.3 of 
draft-ietf-ace-key-groupcomm-oscore. That document also defines default values 
in the same spirit, i.e., as RECOMMENDED to be used as default values, and by 
introducing those using SHOULD.

In Section 5.3:

* It is stated that the Group Manager refers to the default values from Section 
5.2, where further details are specified. As per Section 5.2, those are 
RECOMMENDED to use as default values, and deviations are allowed. See:

  > For each parameter not specified in the POST request, the Group Manager 
refers to default values as specified in Section 5.2.

* It is stated that, if the Group Manager uses a default value different from 
the recommended one for a given parameter, then the Group Manager MUST indicate 
the chosen, non-default value in its response to the Administrator client. See:

  > If the POST request did not specify certain parameters and the Group 
Manager used default values different from the ones recommended in Section 
5.2.1 and Section 5.2.2, then the response payload MUST also include those 
parameters, specifying the values chosen by the Group Manager for the current 
group configuration.

(The same applies to other operation defined in Section 6.4)

<==


2) For error handling, confirm that all CoAP response codes and problem-details 
payload requirements are specified in a clean, linear way so implementations 
behave consistently and do not leak unnecessary information.

==>MT

We have re-checked the whole document, and we think that CoAP response codes 
and problem-details payload requirements are indeed specified in a clean, 
linear way and as intended.

Please note that error responses from the Group Manager are not necessarily all 
of the same kind. In fact, they belong to different areas of pertinence.

For example, some requests that result in an error response are 
bad/unauthorized request from an access control point-of-view, hence they are 
handled from the perspective of the ACE framework as such, consistent with RFC 
9200. In such cases, we are intentionally not using a problem-detail payload. 
If a payload ought to be present at all, that is actually expected to have 
Content-Format "application/ace+cbor". Examples of such error responses are:

* In Section 4, the error responses with error code 4.00, 4.01, 4.03, 4.00.

* In Section 6, the 4.03 error response.


Another case is purely transport-related, and simply inherited from the 
intended use of CoAP and its extensions. While a problem-detail payload is in 
principle possible to be used here (unless otherwise expected), it is not 
required by this document. Examples of such error responses are:

* In Section 4.1, the 4.04 error response.

* In Section 6, the 4.05 error response.

* In Section 6.6 and 6.7, the 4.04 error responses.

* In Section 6.7, the 4.09 error response.


Another case is broadly related to a request being malformed. While a 
problem-detail payload is in principle possible to be used here (unless 
otherwise expected), it is not required by this document. Examples of such 
error responses are:

* In Sections 6.3 and 6.7, the 4.00 error responses.


Finally, some requests result in an error response specifically pertaining to 
an error at the application level, when those requests are processed by one of 
the resource handlers defined in this document.

For some of those cases, where applicable, we have indeed defined the payload 
of the error response to have Content-Format 
"application/concise-problem-details+cbor". That's intended to provide the 
Administrator client with actionable feedback, again related to actual 
application-level processing at the resource handlers defined in this document. 
Examples of such error responses are:

* In Section 6.3, the 5.03 error response, with problem-detail error-id 12 or 
11.

* In Sections 6.6 and 6.7, the 5.03 error response, with problem-detail 
error-id 12.

* In Section 6.6.1, the 5.03 error response, with problem-detail error-id 4 or 
9 as specified in the referred Section 6.2 of 
draft-ietf-ace-key-groupcomm-oscore.

* In Section 6.6.2, the 5.03 error responses, with problem-detail error-id 9 as 
specified in the referred Sections 9.2 and 9.4 of 
draft-ietf-ace-key-groupcomm-oscore.

* In Section 6.8, the 4.00 error response, with problem-detail error-id 10.

* In Section 6.8.1, the 4.04 error response, with problem-detail error-id 6.

<==


Regards,

Meir Goldman
FAZON Foundation
[email protected]
https://fazon.org
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