Re: [dnssd] Setting device friendly names

UPnP SSDP announcements include a friendly name in the SSDP header. To me, this is comparable to the instance name in DNS-SD / mDNS. And comparable to a NetBIOS name.

When I ask my router for a list of hosts on the network, and when I ask my BluRay player to show me a list of content sources (UPnP), the lists use the same names for devices (because these devices use the same name across protocols). This is a good thing. I haven't checked whether printers have the same name in a host list and a list of printers (DNS-SD), but I would definitely want that to be true. My iPhone also has the same name when appearing in host lists and UPnP lists.

And now there is a suggestion for a device name to be used in site-wide, flat DNS.

We must not confuse users by having different names for a device used in different protocols.

Devices must not allow the name to be trivially changed, once set. That too creates confusion. Preferably, whatever method was used to first set a device name (by a user) should also be the way to change it (allowing another method must have very stringent authentication/authorization in place to make sure the change is allowed).

There are some devices that don't have an easy way to set a device name (by the user). Yes, it would be fine to recommend something for those. But accept that those device manufacturers may choose to ignore that recommendation and either use a different method or just go with a default name. This must not break site-wide, flat DNS. We must not build a dependency on the ability of the user to name devices.

And don't expect devices that do already have a naming mechanism to support a different naming mechanism. I named my laptop when I first set it up. My laptop advertises various services into my home network, and it always appears with that name. I do not want my laptop to change its name because some message came along telling it to. My personal requirement for my laptop is that it MUST NOT allow its name to be changed by a remote message.

About UPnP naming... The key point I was trying to make is that the UPnP architecture has a "friendly name" that must be included in SSDP advertising. Yes, there is also a UPnP Service defined that allows for remotely changing the friendly name. https://openconnectivity.org/upnp/specifications/friendlyinfoupdate1. But this service was only published in 2014 (long, long after the UPnP Device Architecture required "friendly name" in SSDP advertisements), it is not widely implemented (not mandatory to implement), and it can be implemented in a manner that requires authentication/authorization to allow invocation of the "SetFriendlyName()" action. The reason this service isn't seen as particularly necessary is because devices tend to already have some sort of device name (default or user defined through a UI) that UPnP can use.
FWIW, UPnP is an ISO/IEC standard.

On Jul 20, 2016, at 3:32 PM, Ted Lemon <mellon@fugue.com<mailto:mellon@fugue.com>> wrote:

Can you talk more about this UPnP thing?   Bear in mind that UPnP is not a standard, AFAIK, although its follow-on, PCP, is.   I don't know that PCP has this feature.

The fact that some devices have UIs that users may or may not be able to find does not mean that there needn't be a standard way to do it.   Maybe we don't need it, but if we don't, that's not the reason.

On Wed, Jul 20, 2016 at 3:22 PM, STARK, BARBARA H <bs7652@att.com<mailto:bs7652@att.com>> wrote:
In my experience, many devices already support mechanisms for friendly name acquisition. Many devices, including PCs, ask for names during setup. Others support UPnP friendly name service. Others have UIs to allow naming. What I really want (as a user) is for the device to have the same name in all contexts. So if it's been named, through whatever means, use that name. Which to me says we don't need a new standard for remote naming that all devices must support.
Barbara
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