diff --git a/doc/glossary.rst b/doc/glossary.rst index 74c975cf89..6b35b6446d 100644 --- a/doc/glossary.rst +++ b/doc/glossary.rst @@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Glossary CA Certificate Authority - An entity that signs and issues digital certificates , certifying the ownership of a public + An entity that signs and issues digital certificates, certifying the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate. CAs are a part of a public key infrastructure, like the SCION :term:`Control-Plane PKI`. diff --git a/doc/manuals/control.rst b/doc/manuals/control.rst index 7257066cf7..f1e8fd3567 100644 --- a/doc/manuals/control.rst +++ b/doc/manuals/control.rst @@ -10,8 +10,9 @@ It signs and validates the path information based on the :term:`Control-Plane PK The :program:`control` service is also the recursive resolver for path information for endpoints in the local AS. -In core ASes, the :program:`control` service also acts as the certificate authority from which ASes -in the local ISD request renewed certificates (or as a proxy thereof). +In ASes with the :ref:`CA role`, the :program:`control` service also acts as the +certificate authority from which ASes in the local ISD request renewed certificates (or as a proxy +thereof). See :doc:`/control-plane` for an introduction to the SCION control plane and the tasks of the :program:`control` service. diff --git a/doc/overview.rst b/doc/overview.rst index 657b391f4d..93203eb4cf 100644 --- a/doc/overview.rst +++ b/doc/overview.rst @@ -61,6 +61,27 @@ The endpoint local address is not used for inter-domain routing or forwarding, d globally unique, and can thus be an IPv4, IPv6, or MAC address, for example. A SCION endpoint address is the ``ISD-AS,local address`` 3-tuple. +.. _overview-as-roles: + +AS Roles +^^^^^^^^ + +Some ASes have special roles in their ISD. +The TRC of an ISD declares which AS has which designated roles. +An AS can have multiple, or all, of these roles at the same time. + +- **Core ASes** have a special role in routing. + They are at the top of their ISD's routing domain, and connect their customer ASes to the outside. + Core ASes participate in the inter-ISD *and* the intra-ISD path-exploration process (see + `Routing`_ below). + +- **Certification authorities (CAs)** are responsible for issuing AS certificates to other ASes + and/or themselves. + +- **Voting ASes** and **Authoritative ASes** are related to the update mechanism for TRCs. + Voting ASes can "vote" to accept an updated TRC. + Authoritative ASes always have the latest TRCs of the ISD and start the announcement of a TRC update. + .. _overview-link-types: Link Types