Ballot SC052v2: Specify CRL Validity Intervals in Seconds

Ballot overview

• Ballot SC052v2, Specify CRL Validity Intervals in Seconds, proposed changes to the Baseline Requirements based on Version 1.8.0.
• The stated purpose was to change CRL validity periods to be measured in seconds, similar to an earlier ballot that changed OCSP validity periods, and to apply the same handling to other time periods for clarity and precision.
• The ballot page says the ballot expired before entering the voting period.

Proposed changes in the redline

• Added a definition of Validity Interval for CRLs and OCSP responses as the difference between thisUpdate and nextUpdate, inclusive.
• Added a convention effective 2022-06-01 that 3,600 seconds equals one hour and 86,400 seconds equals one day, ignoring leap seconds, with any additional amount of time counting as an additional unit.
• For CRLs issued prior to 2022-06-01, the existing nextUpdate-based limits remained in place.
• For CRLs issued on or after 2022-06-01, the CRL update and reissue requirements were rewritten to use Validity Interval limits instead of nextUpdate wording.
• For subordinate CA certificate CRLs and OCSP responses, the redline introduced phased language distinguishing requirements before and on or after 2022-06-01, including 366-day SHOULD language and 367-day MUST limits.
• For OCSP responses, the redline removed the prior effective 2020-09-30 phrasing and replaced it with Validity Interval language, while keeping the same substantive minimum and maximum interval requirements and update timing rules.
• For certificate validity calculations, the redline added separate treatment for certificates issued prior to 2022-06-01 and on or after 2022-06-01, including the day-length convention and the instruction that subscriber certificates should not be issued for the maximum permissible time by default.

Ballot procedure shown on the page

• Discussion period: December 2, 2021 10:30 am Eastern through no earlier than December 9, 2021 10:30 am Eastern.
• Vote for approval: start time TBD, end time TBD.

Outcome

• The ballot did not enter the voting period, so it never became normative.