Network Working Group                                           P. Leach
Request for Comments: 4122                                     Microsoft
Category: Standards Track                                    M. Mealling
                                                Refactored Networks, LLC
                                                                 R. Salz
                                              DataPower Technology, Inc.
                                                               July 2005

        A Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID) URN Namespace

Status of This Memo

 This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
 Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
 improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
 Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
 and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).

Abstract

 This specification defines a Uniform Resource Name namespace for
 UUIDs (Universally Unique IDentifier), also known as GUIDs (Globally
 Unique IDentifier).  A UUID is 128 bits long, and can guarantee
 uniqueness across space and time.  UUIDs were originally used in the
 Apollo Network Computing System and later in the Open Software
 Foundation's (OSF) Distributed Computing Environment (DCE), and then
 in Microsoft Windows platforms.

 This specification is derived from the DCE specification with the
 kind permission of the OSF (now known as The Open Group).
 Information from earlier versions of the DCE specification have been
 incorporated into this document.