Information about Electronic Submissions for ASIACRYPT 2000

Last update: May 19, 2000

See the Call for Papers for general submission guidelines.

Deadline:: May 25, 2000, 15:00 JST (6:00am GMT).
Notice:: From May 20 to May 21, the network connected with the submission server will be unstable. See the server schedule.

Download Early, Download just before Submission!

The electronic submissions system is routinely updated. We encourage you to read this document well in advance of the deadline, to familiarize yourself with the basics of the submission process. Before submitting, we encourage you to reload this document, so you will have the most up-to-date instructions. Also, when you register with the server, you will be put on a mailing list that will be used for last minute information.

Introduction
Formatting your paper
Basic Procedure
Useful Options [Updated examples (May 19)]
Server Commands
Common mistakes made by GUI-based email users [Added (May 11)] [Updated (May 19)]
Using Attachments [Updated (May 19)]
Credits
What's New
Server Schedule [Updated (May 11)]

Microsoft Word Guidance: An attempt to help out those using Microsoft Word is made. This discussion may be of help to other Windows XX users.

Introduction

This is a working document describing the electronic submission procedure for ASIACRYPT 2000. All electronic submissions must be sent via electronic mail (no WWW); they must be in printable PostScript form and arrive by May 25, 2000, 15:00 JST (6:00am GMT). This is the same as the hardcopy deadline.

Questions about the submission process may be sent to maro@isl.ntt.co.jp.

The electronic submission of papers is made possible by some experimental software being developed by Sam Rebelsky (samr@cs.dartmouth.edu) and SIGACT's Electronic Publishing Board. A variant of this server has been used successfully for several conferences already (FOCS, STOC, CRYPTO, Eurocrypt, etc). However, because of the experimental nature of the software, because email can be at times unreliable, and because "good" PostScript files can fail to print on "good" PostScript printers, the program committee cannot assume responsibility for technical problems, although we will do our best to make sure that no such problems occur. For this reason we request that you submit your paper as early as possible.

In addition, please keep in mind the following:

We try to keep the server stable. However, unexpected disk crashes or some problems may occur. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you register at least one week before the deadline (i.e. by May 18) so that we can notify you of any last minute problems/changes. There is no penalty for registering a submission that you do not send, nor for submitting and then withdrawing (you are also allowed to submit revisions to your paper any time before the deadline).
When you send in a submission, the server generates an MD5 "receipt" for the submission. In case of serious server error, this lets you "prove" to us that the submission arrived. We strongly recommend that you keep your original PostScript file until after the deadline so that it can be used in conjunction with the receipt for verification.
Experience shows that the most common errors in using the system are neglecting to register before submitting or failing to include the system-supplied identification key when submitting the paper. Please try to avoid them (see the sections "Basic Procedure" and "Server Commands" for details).
Withdrawals before the deadline can be done using the electronic submissions system (for papers that have been submitted electronically); please see the section "Server Commands" for details. Withdrawals after the deadline will need to be arranged through the program committee.

Formatting the Paper

To submit your paper electronically, you must convert your paper into PostScript, conforming to the Document Structuring Conventions (DSC) using A4 sized pages. Pages should appear in ascending order. You should use standard PostScript fonts (not every printer has, for example, FutoGoB101-Bold).

Letter format is not allowed!

It does not suffice that your text fit on the appropriate area: If your PostScript file specifies letter format (you can usually check this yourself by looking at the header of the file) it cause difficulties for many Asian printers. It is also important that your file conform to the document structuring conventions, or your paper may not be processed correctly.

If you use dvips or dvi2ps, the appropriate commands are

dvips -t a4
dvi2ps -o a4

respectively. If you use another mechanism for generating PostScript, please contact your technical support people.

The submissions server has a test print feature for testing papers for printability. We strongly recommend using it, especially if you have not used this software before or are using a new document preparation package. However, the submissions server cannot detect papers that are legal PostScript but violate the DSC conventions or specify the wrong paper size.

Anonymity

Your submission should have no identifying information. It is therefore crucial that when you register your paper, you include proper contact information. The contact: field should have a valid email address. In the notes: field you should include, on one line, your telephone number and address.

Does my PostScript file conform to the document structuring conventions?

Our experience is that most, but not all PostScript files produced today conform to the document structuring conventions (DSC). DSC files have header information specifying such information as the number of pages, the ordering of the pages and the paper size (and many other optional comments as well). Here is an example of the beginning of such a header:

%!PS-Adobe-2.0
%%Creator: dvipsk 5.66a Copyright 1986-97 Radical Eye Software (www.radicaleye.com)
%%Title: NISTc.dvi
%%Pages: 3
%%PageOrder: Ascend
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 596 842
%%DocumentFonts: cmr10 cmsy10 cmr12 cmbx12 cmmi8 cmmi7 cmti12 cmsy7
%%+ cmtt10 cmtt12 cmmi12
%%DocumentPaperSizes: a4
%%EndComments
%DVIPSCommandLine: dvips -P distiller -t a4 -N0 -o  JCraptology
%DVIPSParameters: dpi=600, compressed
%DVIPSSource:  TeX output 1999.04.15:2246
...

Pages begin with a line of the form

%%Page: ...

If your paper looks like this, you are probably in good shape. To be sure, contact your systems support person. A fuller description of these conventions is given in the PostScript Language Reference Manual (second edition), Appendix G.

If your PostScript file is not DSC compliant, do NOT attempt to manually make it compliant by inserting lines from the example! Ask your systems support person for help. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to help you by yourselves. (If you use dvips, try -N0 option.)

Basic Procedure

The electronic submission procedure involves sending commands via email to a server at

ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp.

All commands must be placed in the subject line of the message. A detailed description of these commands can be found in section on Server Commands.

Please note:

Do not send anything else to this address; all questions or comments destined for a human being must go to maro@isl.ntt.co.jp.

The basic procedure to submit your paper by email involves two steps:

REGISTER your paper with the server by sending a "REGISTER" command and waiting to receive an acknowledgment from the server that contains a key to use to refer to your submission later on. (It is a good idea to register your paper a few days before you submit it, so that you will have plenty of time for the acknowledgment to reach you and to make sure that you are included in the list of people to be notified of any last moment problems.)
SUBMIT your paper by sending to the server a "SUBMIT <key>" command, including the PostScript version of your paper in the message body; the server in response does a quick check for PostScript errors, and sends you an acknowledgment with the results of this check.

Please be patient and wait at least several hours for the acknowledgment of your last request before repeating any action with the server (or before sending mail to maro@isl.ntt.co.jp). Network delays can be significant at times. Email is rather reliable and will try delivery for up to 5 days before giving up. This is yet another good reason why you should not wait until the last minute for registering and submitting.

Useful Options

In addition to the two basic commands, the submissions server has a number of commands that are useful prior to and after submitting a paper.

Before submitting a paper, it is a good idea to test early in advance the printability of the PostScript that your text formatter is generating. For this you can send a "TESTPRINT" command to the server with the PostScript file included in the message body. You will receive an acknowledgment containing the result of the test. (This is the same quick check for PostScript errors performed when you submit your paper with the submit command.)

After you have submitted your paper, and any time before the deadline, you can revise your paper by sending a "REVISE <key>" command to the server. This will have the effect of replacing your previous copy at the server with the new one. You can also withdraw your paper by sending a "WITHDRAW <key>" command.

At any time, you can ask the server for help by sending a "HELP" command, and you can ask the server for the current status of your paper in the database (i.e., registered, submitted, revised, withdrawn; NOT its reviewing status) by sending a "STATUS <key>" command.

It is possible to practice submitting a paper before doing the real submission. First you send a "TEST REGISTER" command to the server and wait for it to acknowledge the test registration and provide you with a test-key; then you send a "SUBMIT <test-key>" command containing the test PostScript file.

You must still use the REGISTER command after performing a TEST REGISTER and SUBMIT sequence. The REGISTER command will give a different key; do not use the key generated earlier by the TEST REGISTER command.

See the section on Server Commands for a detailed description of the commands available. If for some reason you need some extra help with email submission, please send email to maro@isl.ntt.co.jp .

Server Commands

This section defines the commands that can be sent to the server via email. All commands must be sent to the address ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp. All commands must be placed in the subject line of the message. Many commands require additional information that must be placed in the body of the message. Please make sure that each time you send a new message to this address (i.e. without using the "reply" function). Note that you may not find a subject line, if you use a localized email software. Please regard "Subject" as the word translated to the local language.

Case is not significant in commands to the server. The commands available are: register, submit, revise, withdraw, status, test register, testprint, help.

`HELP`

Request help on the electronic submission process. You will receive this document (or a variant) in response.

`REGISTER`

Inform the server that you plan to submit a paper electronically. This is only used for electronic submissions -- you do not need to register if you are submitting printed copies of your papers.

The body of a REGISTER message should take the form

authors: list of authors separated by "and"
title: title of paper
contact: e-mail address of contact author
notes: contact author telephone and fax number, address

The contents of the authors and contact fields will be used in processing the documents, but will not be read by the program committee. The "notes" field is used to include a phone and fax number and a standard mail address, for greater redundancy.

For example,

From: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
To: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: REGISTER

authors: Kazumaro Aoki and Atsushi `Jun' Fujioka and Lars `Chuck' Knudsen
title: Deletion Craptanalysis of the Asian Encryption Standard
contact: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
notes: +81-468-59-1234 * +81-468-59-1357 *
 1-1 Hikarinooka, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 239-0847 Japan

Continuation lines for the "authors", "title" and "notes" fields, if needed, should start with ONE space.

The server will return a name to use to refer to your submission (called the filename or key in the sections below).

Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:12:42 +0900 (JST)
From: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp (ASIACRYPT 2000)
To: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: Asiacrypt2000: Submission registered

This letter was generated by the prototype electronic submissions
server for Asiacrypt2000 in response to a letter with
  Subject: REGISTER
  Sender:  <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>

=================================================================

Use the key 'jun-79961.ps' for your submission to Asiacrypt2000 with
  author(s): Kazumaro Aoki and Atsushi `Jun' Fujioka and Lars `Chuck' Knudsen
  title: Deletion Craptanalysis of the Asian Encryption Standard
  contact: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
  notes: +81-468-59-1234 * +81-468-59-1357 * 1-1 Hikarinooka, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 239-0847 Japan

=================================================================


Thank you for using the electronic submissions server for Asiacrypt2000.  If
you have any questions or comments about using this server, please contact
<maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>.

`TEST REGISTER`

Like REGISTER, but the server returns a file name to use for testing (you can use this test file name with all the messages below). You may (but need not) specify the information on the paper (contact, title, etc.). If you know that you are going to submit a paper, we recommend simply using the REGISTER command.

`SUBMIT filename`

Submit a paper. The body of the message should be the PostScript file. The server will acknowledge the submission. The acknowledgment will include an MD5-generated receipt for the submission, as well as basic information on the file so that you can verify that it arrived "safely". The basic information includes sizes (in bytes), checksum, first and last ten lines of the file.

For example,

From: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
To: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: SUBMIT jun-79961.ps

insert PostScript file into main body of message.
You may alternatively attach your file.

The server will reply as follows.

Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:20:20 +0900 (JST)
From: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp (ASIACRYPT 2000)
To: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: Asiacrypt2000: Submission received

This letter was generated by the prototype electronic submissions
server for Asiacrypt2000 in response to a letter with
  Subject: SUBMIT jun-79961.ps
  Sender:  <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>

=================================================================


Verifying your file ...

     INFORMATION FROM THE POSTSCRIPT(TM) FILE TESTING PROCESS
     --------------------------------------------------------

Your PostScript file does not seem to generate any syntactic errors.

                             RECEIPT
                             -------

Submission 'jun-79961.ps' received.

The receipt for the submission with key 'jun-79961.ps' is 'df6d7aa0fcbfaafff006835c99a8b640'.


                          FILE INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Information generated on Sat Apr 29 16:20:14 JST 2000.
Your file  is 127468 bytes long.
Its checksum (calculated by the program below) is 26771.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                          CHECKSUM PROGRAM
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                          FIRST TEN LINES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           LAST TEN LINES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

=================================================================


Thank you for using the electronic submissions server for Asiacrypt2000.  If
you have any questions or comments about using this server, please contact
<maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>.

`REVISE filename`

Revise a previously submitted paper. The body of the message should be the PostScript file. The server will confirm this revision with the contact person for the paper (as well as the sender of the SUBMIT message). The revision must be received before the submission deadline.

For example,

From: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
To: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: REVISE jun-79961.ps

insert PostScript file into main body of message.
You may alternatively attach your file.

The server will reply as follows.

Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:24:40 +0900 (JST)
From: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp (ASIACRYPT 2000)
To: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: Asiacrypt2000: Revision

This letter was generated by the prototype electronic submissions
server for Asiacrypt2000 in response to a letter with
  Subject: REVISE jun-79961.ps
  Sender:  <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>

=================================================================


Verifying your file ...

     INFORMATION FROM THE POSTSCRIPT(TM) FILE TESTING PROCESS
     --------------------------------------------------------

Your PostScript file does not seem to generate any syntactic errors.
Your submission with key 'jun-79961.ps' was revised at the
request of <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>.  Please send mail as soon as
possible to
  <maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>
if this is in error.
The receipt for the submission with key 'jun-79961.ps' is '50784a69b1b46ea474c3c4bc86264fb5'.


                          FILE INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Information generated on Sat Apr 29 16:24:36 JST 2000.
Your file  is 11325 bytes long.
Its checksum (calculated by the program below) is 4253.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                          CHECKSUM PROGRAM
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                          FIRST TEN LINES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           LAST TEN LINES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

=================================================================


Thank you for using the electronic submissions server for Asiacrypt2000.  If
you have any questions or comments about using this server, please contact
<maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>.

`WITHDRAW filename`

Withdraw a previously submitted paper. The server will confirm this withdrawal with the contact person for the paper.

For example,

From: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
To: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: WITHDRAW jun-79961.ps

The server will reply as follows.

This letter was generated by the prototype electronic submissions
server for Asiacrypt2000 in response to a letter with
  Subject: WITHDRAW jun-79961.ps
  Sender:  <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>

=================================================================

Your submission with key 'jun-79961.ps' was withdrawn at the
request of <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>.  Please send mail as soon as
possible to
  <maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>
if this is in error.

=================================================================


Thank you for using the electronic submissions server for Asiacrypt2000.  If
you have any questions or comments about using this server, please contact
<maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>.

`TESTPRINT`

Test printing of the PostScript file contained in the body of the message. The server will return a message regarding the success or failure of the printing process. The server does not test for full compliance with the submission guidelines, such as length, page size, etc. Hence, a submission may pass this test and still be rejected without consideration of its merits.

We have also found that some PostScript successfully passes through the testing process, but is not printable. For example, FrameMaker generates PostScript that is only printable on a particular size of paper (if generated for letter, it will not print on A4, and vice versa). All papers must be generated for A4 paper.

Here is an example of the use of TESTPRINT

From: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
To: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: TESTPRINT

insert PostScript file into main body of message.
You may alternatively attach your file.

The server will reply as follows.

Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:29:17 +0900 (JST)
From: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp (ASIACRYPT 2000)
To: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: Asiacrypt2000: Printing test

This letter was generated by the prototype electronic submissions
server for Asiacrypt2000 in response to a letter with
  Subject: TESTPRINT
  Sender:  <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>

=================================================================


Verifying your file ...
...
     INFORMATION FROM THE POSTSCRIPT(TM) FILE TESTING PROCESS
     --------------------------------------------------------

The PostScript(tm) interpreter could not process the file you sent.
The PostScript(tm) interpreter returned the following errors.



                          FILE INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Information generated on Sat Apr 29 16:29:15 JST 2000.
Your file  is 684 bytes long.
Its checksum (calculated by the program below) is 22610.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                          CHECKSUM PROGRAM
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                          FIRST TEN LINES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           LAST TEN LINES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------

=================================================================


Thank you for using the electronic submissions server for Asiacrypt2000.  If
you have any questions or comments about using this server, please contact
<maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>.

`STATUS filename`

Check on the status of an electronic submission. This status refers only to its existence and printability, not to it's status in the refereeing process.

For example,

From: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
To: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: STATUS jun-79961.ps

The server will reply as follows.

Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:31:34 +0900 (JST)
From: ac2000@paper.isl.ntt.co.jp (ASIACRYPT 2000)
To: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
Subject: Asiacrypt2000: Status of 'jun-79961.ps'

This letter was generated by the prototype electronic submissions
server for Asiacrypt2000 in response to a letter with
  Subject: STATUS jun-79961.ps
  Sender:  <jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp>

=================================================================

The following is our database entry for 'jun-79961.ps'
  authors: Kazumaro Aoki and Atsushi `Jun' Fujioka and Lars `Chuck' Knudsen
  title:   Deletion Craptanalysis of the Asian Encryption Standard
  contact: jun@reject.isl.ntt.co.jp
  notes:   +81-468-59-1234 * +81-468-59-1357 * 1-1 Hikarinooka, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 239-0847 Japan
  receipt: 50784a69b1b46ea474c3c4bc86264fb5
  status:  withdrawn

=================================================================


Thank you for using the electronic submissions server for Asiacrypt2000.  If
you have any questions or comments about using this server, please contact
<maro@isl.ntt.co.jp>.

Common mistakes made by GUI-based email users

Do not add your signature.: Many MUAs (mail user agent) automatically add your signature. The submission server cannot understand your signature. Stop the function.
Do not use a HTML or a rich text mail.: MUAs may send a message encoded by HTML or rich text. I know that some MUAs are turned on the function by default. Stop the function.
Do not fold lines in your PostScript file.: Some MUAs may fold a long line into several lines. It means that the PostScript file may be no longer grammatically valid. Stop the function.
Do not include local language letters such as Chinese characters in your PostScript file.: You probably intend to write your paper without local language letters. However, symbol letters are frequently included and escaped your notice. Moreover, a PostScript generator may include local language letters, even if you are completely exclude local language letters in the source file of your paper. When you cannot pass TESTPRINT command, please doubt your PostScript generator and use a non-localized printer driver.

Using attachments

Many fancier mailers, both in the Unix and Microsoft Windows worlds, allow you to attach files. The submission server was not designed to use attachments. However, Joe provided us the quick-hacked front end script which will convert email with attachments into the form that the server can understand. To use attachments, simply attach a file instead of inserting it into the main body of the text. Leave the main text including signature empty. However, be aware that many mailers that support attachments will also corrupt the main body of their messages in many fascinating ways you'd rather not know about. If you are getting strange results from your testprint command, or have had problems in the past with corrupted mail messages, try using an attachment. Note that our submission server cannot understand uuencode format, use base64 format.

So you want to use Microsoft Word?

The server, and most of the people it was created by and designed for, work in a Unix environment. Not surprisingly, those working in a Microsoft Windows environment have had more trouble interfacing with the server. The problems are twofold: obtaining a properly formatted PostScript file and sending it to the server.

First, many Microsoft Windows-based programs do not seem to know how to output PostScript themselves, but allow you to do so indirectly by printing the file, and using the print options. Here is what I did to get reasonable output from Microsoft Word.

First, I used the command "file:print" (the "print" command from the "file" pull-down menu. At this point a dialog box popped up. Among other things, it gave a description of the printer it is printing to. Mine said Apple LaserWriter II NTX. I do not know how important the details are, but it should be a PostScript printer if you are to get PostScript output.) Ultimately, the paper will be "printed" to a file and never sent to an actual machine.
I then checked the box labeled Print to file.
Next, I selected the button entitled Properties. This opened up a dialog box calls Printer Properties.
In this box, I selected the tag entitled Paper.
I set paper size to A4.
Then, in this box, I selected the tag entitled PostScript.
I set PostScript output format to PostScript [optimized for portability - ADSC]. I do not know the true effect of this function, but I know that choosing PostScript [optimized for speed] sometimes generate a wrong PostScript file.
I then hit OK twice. On the way it asked me for a file name, which should be irrelevant.

Once you have a good PostScript file, you have to get it safely away from your Microsoft Windows platform before it is corrupted. I recommend attaching your file, because many Microsoft Windows-type mailers will throw in strange characters into the main body of their messages. My best advice is to do testprint well before the deadline with a preliminary version of your file and be prepared to mail in a paper copy if you cannot get it to work.

(return to the table of contents)

Credits

The software used to manage electronic submission to ASIACRYPT 2000 is a collection of perl scripts written by Sam Rebelsky (samr@cs.dartmouth.edu) and SIGACT's Electronic Publishing Board. Joe Kilian and Steve Tate, who are the members of SIGACT Electronic Publishing Board committee, kindly answered our questions and helped us. The present instruction document was greatly based on one for Eurocrypt 2000, which is written by Joe Kilian. We gratefully acknowledge all their help.

What's New

May 19, 2000

Editorial corrections.
Rewrote the examples of the Useful Options more understandable for non-Unix users.
Updated the notes, Common mistakes made by GUI-based email users.
Added notes in Using Attachments.

May 11, 2000

Editorial corrections.
Updated server schedule.
Added the notes, Common mistakes made by GUI-based email users.

Apr 5, 2000

Updated server schedule.
Added attachment function.
Added guideline for Microsoft Windows environment.

Feb 29, 2000

Release of the first version of this document.

Jan 20, 2000

Announcement of the delay of showing this instruction document.

Server Schedule

All dates follow Japan Standard Time (JST = GMT+9).

May 26, 2000: Server Stops.
20:00 May 21, 2000 - 23:00 May 21, 2000 (in 2 hours): No network connection.
18:00 May 20, 2000 - 23:00 May 20, 2000 (in 1 hour): No network connection.
5:00am May 20, 2000 - 9:00am May 20, 2000 (in 2 hours): No network connection.
7:00am Apr 29, 2000 - 20:00 Apr 30, 2000: No network connection.
Apr 20, 2000: Server Starts.