[netmod] namespace encoding in draft-ietf-netmod-yang-json-02

[Andy Bierman <[e-mail]>]

Hi,

Sec 4 has changed the rules for module names:

   Names with namespace identifiers in the form shown in Figure 1 MUST
   be used for all top-level YANG data nodes, and also for all nodes
   whose parent node belongs to a different namespace.  Otherwise, names
   with namespace identifiers MUST NOT be used.


So it is a protocol error if a prefix is used twice in a row:

   /A:foo/A:bar     --> causes a protocol error and MUST be rejected
   /A:foo/bar MUST be used instead

IMO this is very fragile and does not follow the Postel Principle.
In this example the server knows module 'A' and it is the correct
module for node 'bar'.  Yet it MUST reject the input according
to the new rules.

I prefer these rules:

   - The namespace for a node MUST be uses in top-level
     nodes and if the namespace is changing.
   - If no prefix is present, then the namespace associated with
     the parent node is used

IMO it is too much work for the server to verify that
a prefix is not used. Parsing a prefix is not a burden,
since the code to parse the prefix must be already there.

It is also more hassle on clients that are constructing URLs
from multiple functions. They have to know which prefix
MUST NOT be used.



Andy