rfc1865.txt

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Network Working Group                                          W. Houser
Request for Comments: 1865                     Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Category: Informational                                       J. Griffin
                                                       Athena Associates
                                                                 C. Hage
                                                      C. Hage Associates
                                                            January 1996


                         EDI Meets the Internet

                    Frequently Asked Questions about
           Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) on the Internet

Status of this Memo

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

Abstract

   This memo is targeted towards the EDI community that is unfamiliar
   with the Internet, including EDI software developers, users, and
   service providers.  The memo introduces the Internet and assumes a
   basic knowledge of EDI.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ................................................    4
   1.1.  What is this document ....................................    4
   1.2.  What do you mean by electronic data interchange (EDI) ?  .    4
   1.3.  What are the X12 Standards that I should be aware of ?  ..    4
   1.4.  To whom do I send comments and suggestions ? .............    5
   1.5.  How can I get a copy of this document? ...................    5
   2. General Information .........................................    6
   2.1.  What is the Internet ?  ..................................    6
   2.2.  Is there a difference between EDI and
         electronic commerce (EC) ? ...............................    6
   2.3.  What makes the Internet useful for EDI ?  ................    6
   2.4.  Does this means we will now have to coordinate our
         EC/EDI activities with the Internet?  ....................    7
   2.5.  How do I find the addresses of other Trading partners
         on the Internet if I don't have to coordinate my EDI
         activities with a central organization or VAN?  ..........    7
   2.6.  How fast is the Internet?  ...............................    7
   2.7.  What about reliability of the Internet?  .................    7
   2.8.  What are RFCs and where can I get them ?  ................    8



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   2.9.  Where can I get general information about the Internet?  .    8
   3. Getting Connected To The Internet ...........................    9
   3.1.  What do I need to get to use the Internet?  ..............    9
   3.2.  What software is used to support electronic mail?  .......    9
   3.3.  What types of client-server or server-server
         protocols exist on the Internet?  ........................   10
   3.4.  What methods exist to broadcast information across
         the Internet?  ...........................................   12
   3.5.  What are the ways to connect to the Internet ?  ..........   13
   4. Organizational Issues .......................................   15
   4.1.  Why is the way we currently do EDI so limiting to its
         growth?  ..................................................  15
   4.2.  My organization has an internal automated system for
         processing requisitions and issuing purchase orders, but it
         does not create the X12 formatted EDI transactions; what
         should we do ?  ...........................................  16
   4.3.  My organization already has a dial-in bulletin board
         service (BBS) where we post transactions; should we
         keep it? ..................................................  16
   4.4.  My organization currently has a Trading Partner
         Agreement with each trading partner we're currently
         doing business with. Can we keep them ?  ..................  16
   4.5.  It would be nice to get more trading partners and/or
         more competition, but I'm worried about getting too many
         transactions to be able to handle them.  Has this been a
         problem ?  ................................................  17
   4.6.  Does this mean that I'll receive more messages ?  .........  17
   4.7.  If we see a transaction posted on VAN, how do we
         respond in electronic format ?  ...........................  18
   4.8.  My organization has an established bilateral
         relationship (such as an existing contract.  Can we
         send these transactions via the Internet ?  ...............  18
   5. The Role Of Value Added Networks ............................   18
   5.1.  What is a VAN?  ................... .......................  18
   5.2.  What is an Internet Service Provider (ISP)?  ..............  19
   5.3.  How might an ISP be used for EDI?  ........................  19
   5.4.  Doesn't EDI presume the services of companies called
         Value Added Networks (VANs)?  .............................  19
   5.5.  If I can use X12 protocol and my VAN to send
         transactions, what is the benefit of using
         the Internet?  ............................................  20
   5.6.  Can we expect VANs to offer connections to other VANs
         via the Internet?  ........................................  20
   5.7.  How can I use the Internet directly for exchanging EDI
         messages without going through a VAN?  ....................  20
   5.8.  Can the ISA 06 or 08 identify any entity other than the
         'end' Trading Partners (i.e. a routing entity) ?  .........  21




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   5.9.  Can we specify both the recipient's address and their
         VAN address in the ISA ?  ................................   22
   5.10. Are there other options for routing EDI X12
         messages ? ...............................................   22
   6. US Federal Involvement ......................................   22
   6.1.  What is the commitment of the US Federal Government
         to EDI ?  ................................................   22
   6.2.  What is the timetable for the Federal effort ?  ..........   23
   6.3.  Will the US Government use the Internet to send
         EDI transactions ?  ......................................   23
   6.4.  I heard the US Government prohibited commercial use
         of the Internet?  ........................................   24
   6.5.  The US Government is using both Internet and OSI
         E-mail protocols.  What should one consider when
         choosing which to use ?  .................................   24
   6.6.  How is the US Government using VANs to distribute
         business opportunities?  .................................   25
   6.7.  How would use of the Internet for Federal procurement
         change this RFQ process?  ................................   25
   7. EDI Resources On The Internet ...............................   26
   7.1.  Are EDI Standards available on the Internet ?  ...........   26
   7.2.  Are EDIFACT Standards available on the Internet ?  .......   28
   7.3.  The EDI X12 standards are quite complex.  How do we
         decide what X12 transactions to implement and how ?  .....   29
   7.4.  What Implementation Conventions (ICs) are available
         over the Internet ?  .....................................   29
   7.5.  How can a trading partner keep up with all these
         implementation conventions (ICs) and revisions in
         X12 and EDIFACT? .........................................   31
   7.6   Where can I get information on EDI translation
         software ? ...............................................   31
   7.7.  How do I keep in touch with others pursuing EDI and
         Electronic Commerce on the Internet ? ....................   32
   7.8.  Can I get messages that have been previously posted
         to the EDI mailing lists ? ...............................   35
   7.9.  How do I make EDI related material available
         to the Internet community ? ..............................   35
   7.10. Where are EDI Archives on the Internet ? .................   35

   8. Security Considerations .....................................   36
   8.1.  What security measures are needed to connect to the
         Internet ?  ...............................................  36
   8.2.  How do we go about protecting our system ?  ...............  36
   8.3.  Is there good publicly available software I can use?  .....  37
   8.4.  How good are electronic or digital signatures ?
         Can they be used in court ?  ..............................  38
   8.5.  Are there other US government standards publications
         I should be aware of?  ....................................  38



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   9. References ..................................................   39
   10. Credits ....................................................   40
   11. Authors' Addresses .........................................   41

1. Introduction

1.1.  What is this document

   This document is informational in nature and attempts to answer
   frequently asked questions concerning the use of the Internet for
   Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).  The primary audience is the EDI
   community that is unfamiliar with the Internet, including software
   developers, users, and service providers.   The reader needs some
   understanding of EDI.  Informational RFCs are prepared by the
   Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to improve understanding and
   effectiveness in the use of the Internet.

1.2.  What do you mean by electronic data interchange (EDI) ?

   Except as noted, the document refers to EDI as the use of the

        1) X12 standard developed by the ANSI Accredited Standards
           Committee X12 or

        2) EDIFACT[1] standard United Nations Economic Commission for
           Europe (UN/ECE), Working Party for the Facilitation of
           International Trade Procedures (WP.4).

   The differences between these standards is beyond the scope of this
   FAQ.  Both standards activities are managed in the US by:

                Data Interchange Standards Association, Inc,
                1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 200
                Alexandria, Virginia, 22314-2852
                Voice: 703-548-7005
                FAX: [phone]

   There are numerous other standards one could use for EDI, but
   discussion of them is not in the scope of this document.

1.3.  What are the X12 Standards that I should be aware of ?

   ACCREDITED STANDARDS COMMITTEE (ASC) X12 Standards are available from
   DISA at the address specified in Question 1.  The following is a good
   starting set of X12 standards.

       1.  ASC X12S/94-172, An Introduction to Electronic
           Data Interchange, DISA 1994 Publications Catalog



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       2.  ASC X12.3 Data Element Dictionary
       3.  ASC X12.5 Interchange Control Structure
       4.  ASC X12.6 Application Control Structure
       5.  ASC X12.22 Segment Directory
       6.  ASC X12.58 Security Structures

1.4.  To whom do I send comments and suggestions ?

   Readers are invited to add questions; please include an answer if you
   know or want to suggest one.  Of course corrections and comments are
   welcome; send them to the IETF-EDI mail list by subscribing as
   described in question 7.6.  Or a send your comment to
   [e-mail].

1.5.  How can I get a copy of this document?

   Request for Comments documents (RFC) are available by anonymous FTP.
   Login with the username "anonymous" and a password of your e-mail
   address.  After logging in, type "cd rfc" and then

        "get rfc1865.txt".

   A Web address for the RFC is:

      ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1865.txt

   RFC directories are located at:

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   RFCs are also available by mail.  Send a message to:
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        "FILE /rfc/rfc1865.txt"

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