Re: Reading Request Object Data

Mike Cowlishaw <mfc@vnet.ibm.com> writes:

> However, you really haven't answered my questions for today that would
> enable me to implement a server from the HTTP 1.0 specification.  In
> particular, what is a conforming HTTP 1.0 server required to implement
> in order to read the object data for PUT and POST?  Specifically:
> 
> (a) Content-Length: in bytes [I assume this one is required]
> 
> (b) Packetized C-T-E: might well be useful, but only if the CTEs are
>     defined.  Do I have to support PC-DOS ZIP?  Do I have to support
>     Unix GZIP?  If not defined and required, then clients cannot use
>     them, and hence they are not useful.  [Also, one would need a
>     statement about how (a) and (b) interact.]
> 
> (c) C-E: Ditto -- only plain Binary is even suggested, at present, so
>     there isn't anything to implement, I think?
> 
> (d) Multipart: Is this current practice?  If not, I trust that it's
>     not required in 1.0.
> 
> (e) Closed connection: [Doesn't apply for Requests.]
> 
> From the above, my inference is that an HTTP 1.0 server need only
> implement (a).  Any more would be wasteful processing.  Am I correct?

Current practice is (a) -- it just doesn't work any other way with
existing servers.

Ummm, I think (b) and (c) are confused, but these are reasonable questions.
The problem is that the HTTP spec must define not only origin servers, but
proxies, gateways, and client usage of HTTP as well.  We (as in the authors)
will have to clarify this in the next version.  Perhaps a section on
minimal compliance is called for.


......Roy Fielding   ICS Grad Student, University of California, Irvine  USA
                                     <fielding@ics.uci.edu>
                     <URL:http://www.ics.uci.edu/dir/grad/Software/fielding>

Received on Friday, 2 December 1994 10:54:07 UTC