Z39.50 diagnostics in Init response

For those interested in Z39.50 diagnostics and how they're supplied
in an Init response, I want to call to your attention a problem (minor, I hope)
that I've run across while preparing the Z39.50 revision.

See the implementor agreement "Returning diagnostics in an InitResponse":
http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/agree/initdiag.html

That makes use of the Diag-1 format:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/asn1.html#DiagnosticFormatDiag1
which is defined in ERR.2 in Z39.50-1995.

But that format is being depricated (by consensus) in the new version!

However I think there is a reasonably easy solution to this as long as nobody
has invested significantly in that format (which I assume is true because that
was the premise of the decision to depricate it).

We have a "General Diagnostic Container", see
http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/defns/diags.html,
which serves just about the same purpose and could be used instead.

The draft parts of the revision-in-progress are available at
http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/revision/revision.html

For the diagnostic appendix, see:
http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/revision/parts/appx4.doc
in particular sections DIAG.2 and DIAG.3

See also appendix 9 on User Information Formats,
http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/revision/parts/appx9.doc
 USR.2 and USR.3



--
Ray Denenberg
Library of Congress
rden@loc.gov
202-707-5795

Received on Monday, 21 May 2001 13:18:39 UTC