RE: ETags, was: Issues from Interop/Interim WG Meeting

> From: w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org
> [mailto:w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Lisa Dusseault
> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 8:53 PM
> To: 'Julian Reschke'; 'Webdav WG'
> Subject: RE: ETags, was: Issues from Interop/Interim WG Meeting
>
>
>
> > If a server that complies to RFC2518 doesn't comply to RFC2518bis,
> then
> > we've broken the IETF publication process, haven't we?
>
> I don't think that's necessarily true.  I checked with my local IAB
> member, and we don't think it's forbidden to upgrade a standard from
> Proposed Standard to Draft Standard, even if in the process the standard
> becomes somewhat more stringent in what constitutes compliance from
> implementations. (He says particularly if the requirement is a SHOULD
> now.)  It's a difficult judgement call, and one must weigh the

But it isn't a SHOULD right now.

RFC2518 says:

"The getetag property MUST be defined on any DAV compliant resource that
returns the Etag header."

So if I have an HTTP resource for which HEAD/GET wouldn't return an ETag
header, it's absolutely OK not to return the DAV:getetag property.

> interoperability concerns of both making and not making the change. But
> in principle, it's not forbidden.
>
> Our ADs will certainly weigh in on this when we've hashed it out more
> amongst ourselves, but in the meantime we shouldn't have to restrict
> ourselves rigidly in this matter.



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