Updated Whois++ architecture document

[Rickard Schoultz <[e-mail]>]

Hi all,

In Seattle we had a session where a Patrik Faltstrom, Chris
Weider and I made some proposed changes to the WHOIS++ document.
(Peter was not there, so there were few objections >;-).

We started out with the current draft and the experiences from my
and other implementations and started to fill out the holes. We
found that we had to remove some sections and put in some other,
since there are some things that needs to have more thought put
in to. For example, we removed the section on Optional System
Commands that defined mechanisms for updating and creating
Templates, and plan to produce a companion paper for those
mechanisms.

Below is a summary of the changes, but I will also send a
modified version of the paper in a separate mail.  Have a look at
that paper and make your comments.  There are probably some
things I have overlooked while making the summary, and probabaly
some changes you don't agree with, and there are most certainly
some English grammar errors...  There are also some changes to
the document that has not been brought up on the list before,
some of which are the result of implementation experience, and
some which we invented during the week in Seattle.


Summary of proposed changes to the WHOIS++ Architecture document:

- Server now only sends either FULL or SUMMARY as default.
  ABRIDGED is only sent on clients explicit demand.

- Introduced MAXFULL constraint for limit the number of matches
  when server sends a SUMMARY

- Abridged no longer required to include the attribute value that
  caused the match

- Support for MIME response format

- POINTER replaced with SERVERS-TO-ASK

- New BNF

- POLLED-BY and POLLED-FOR is required

- Removed search specifier ATTRIBUTE. No more ATTRIBUTE=x;VALUE=y

- VALUE search specifier (as opposed to SEARCH-ALL) now made
  default

- Section on optional commands removed. We need those commands,
  but we have to put more work into them.  Moved that to a
  companion paper.

- Only kept authentication method PASSWORD

- Banner messaged now required from server

- Timeoute constraint not changeable by client

- Removed all short-form of search term specifiers except '!'
  (handle)

- Described numeric response messages

- All search responses must include starting and ending system
  message.  Search response is made optional

- Language specified by two-letter ISO language code

- Language primary use is for fuzzy matching. System responses in
  other languages moved to client.

- Added leading substring (LSTRING) as search constraint value

- LSTRING required, SUBSTRING now optional

- OUTCHARSET removed

- Clarification on which constraints are global/local

- Introduced boolean operators AND OR NOT ()

- Redefined DESCRIBE and HELP

- Cleanup and rewriting



-Rickard

--
Rickard Schoultz <[e-mail]>
		 SUNET/NORDUnet/Ebone Operations Center
		 KTH, S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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