Re: What problem are we trying to solve?

This looks like piggybacking.  I send you what you've got as requests,
you send me whatever you've got (if anything) as responses.  Given that
a given server may be doing this with multiple clients, it's important
to know which client the server is talking to.

There is a big long high-heat/light-ratio thread someplace discussing
whether this is kosher HTTP.  On the one hand, the fact that we're
talking about client/server interaction on the one hand and independent
message flows on the other suggests that it's not.  On the other hand,
you can view this as the client transferring a resource (its current
message or messages) to the server and the server is transferring a
resource (its current message or messages bound for the client) back. 
Let's assume it's either kosher or we don't care.

My personal feeling is that while there may well be such a thing as a
non-addressable endpoint, denoting a non-addressable endpoint with a URI
or EPR is at least on the face of it a contradiction in terms.  I'd
seriously consider doing what we didn't and introducing a
"send-messages-bound-for-the-client-in-the-response-messages" flag.  It
just seems clearer to say "do this" as opposed to "send the messages to
this address, where this address isn't an address like any other, it
just means 'do this'".

Defining magic URI makes the syntax more uniform, but I'm not convinced
that this is always a feature.

    cp $1 /temp/foo
    cp $2 $1
    cp /temp/foo $2
    rm /temp/foo
      

A harmless waste of bandwidth, no?  Say $1=my-very-important-file and $2
= /dev/null?  Everything's a file, right?

I suppose the other argument for using anon in such cases is to leverage
our notion of "backchannel".  But after much discussion we finally
decided that not only does anonymous not mean "anonymous" in the sense
of anything that can't be named, it also doesn't refer to a "backchannel
resource" as such.  Rather it indicates that, in the case where a
message with [reply endpoint] or [fault endpoint] anonymous is sent as
the request half of a SOAP request-response, the reply (or fault, as the
case may be) goes in the response half.

This isn't directly usable.  What /is/ directly usable is the notion of
a response message in a SOAP request-response MEP.  Again, RM (RX?) can
use this notion directly via a "use the response message, Luke" flag,
without having to define a new URI or expand the definition or syntax of
an existing URI.


Alastair Green wrote:
> Jonathan,
>
> Given a connection identified as X, between endpoint A (that is
> non-addressable) and endpoint B (that is addressable), I posited the
> following canonical use case in a recent posting to WS-RX:
>
> A req: message 1, connection X, reply to anon if available.
> B resp: message 2
> A req: message 3, connection X, reply to anon if available
> B resp: no envelope, 202, i.e. message not available
> A req: MakeConnection, X
> B resp: message 4, MessagePending
> A req: MakeConnection, X
> B resp: message 5
>
> Net effect, for connection/conversation identified as X:
>
> A to B: message 1
> B to A: message 2
> A to B: message 3
> B to A: message 4
> B to A: message 5
>
> How does this match the model or use cases that create the RM requirement?
>
> Does this express the intended use of MakeConnection?
>
> I think this sequence is realistic, and useful, by the way.
>
> Alastair
>
> Jonathan Marsh wrote:
>>
>> I agree with Doug, that the crux of the WS-A issue is "whether or not
>> WSA will allow other specs to define new 'special' non-addressable
>> URIs."  I believe that if this point were to be used effectively as
>> an extensibility point it would have to be architected better.  We
>> put this extensibility point in at the last minute without adequate
>> consideration of its consequences.  Anish's isAnon proposal attempts
>> to architect the point better, at least in the domain of
>> anonymous-like behavior.  I can imagine extending that mechanism to
>> an "isSpecial" functionality for general-purpose special URIs (e.g.
>> synonyms for 'none').  Either of these solutions would naturally fall
>> within the Core, suggesting a new version of WS-A which is an
>> impractical solution.  The practical solution is to remove the
>> misleading suggestion in 5.2.1 that this extensibility point actually
>> can be used safely.
>>
>>  
>>
>> The core of this issue remains, of course, an WS-RM one -- namely,
>> can the desired "polling" functionality (if desired!) be achieved
>> without intruding into the WS-A layer, without bending or limiting
>> WS-A in ways that might not compose well with other uses of WS-A, and
>> whether it fully leverages the capabilities of WS-A to address
>> messages to the appropriate destinations.  I think this WG can play a
>> role in providing such advice, though that has been slowed
>> considerably IMO by the lack of clearly documented use cases and a
>> model for how the current polling solution is intended to work.
>>
>>  
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> *From:* public-ws-addressing-request@w3.org
>> [mailto:public-ws-addressing-request@w3.org] *On Behalf Of *Bob Freund
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, October 03, 2006 3:05 PM
>> *To:* Doug Davis
>> *Cc:* [WS-A]; public-ws-addressing-request@w3.org
>> *Subject:* RE: What problem are we trying to solve?
>>
>>  
>>
>> Doug,
>>
>> The list is what I heard from the folks on the call.  It is intended
>> to provoke discussion and possibly correction.
>>
>> The question of priority is if the exposition is the correct
>> description of the problem to be solved.
>>
>> There was also discussion of a potential errata that would remove
>> 5.2.1 which I did not include in my summary.
>>
>> For now, I would be content to have a well characterized definition
>> of the problem so that it might be bounded.
>>
>> Several folks have expressed reservations about synonyms for
>> anonymous.  If it is intended that anonymous identify a specific
>> resource (such as the backchannel).  It then would make as much sense
>> as defining a synonym for www.cnn.com <http://www.cnn.com/>.
>>
>> More than that, some folks have said that this synonym overloads
>> replyTo and defines semantics associated with a definition of this
>> uri that only RM will understand.
>>
>> Do you disagree with the exposition?  Does the RM redefined URI
>> convey identifying or parametric information or does it not?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> -bob
>>
>>  
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> *From:* Doug Davis [mailto:dug@us.ibm.com]
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, October 03, 2006 5:11 PM
>> *To:* Bob Freund
>> *Cc:* [WS-A]; public-ws-addressing-request@w3.org
>> *Subject:* Re: What problem are we trying to solve?
>>
>>  
>>
>>
>> Bob,
>>  A couple of points:
>>
>> - A4 - if I'm reading your text right, I believe you're saying that
>> other specs can define their own replyTo header.  And this is true.
>>  However, this means that WSA is extensible by allowing people to
>> avoid WSA.  Funny  :-)
>>
>> - Despite all of the talk around CR33, the issue is not about
>> transmitting identifying information.  Nor is it about whether or not
>> identifying information should be placed in the URI or in some
>> Reference Parameter/Property.  The issue around CR33 is whether or
>> not WSA will allow other specs to define new 'special'
>> non-addressable URIs and allow them to be used in the
>> wsa:ReplyTo/FaultTo.  That's it.  It doesn't matter what the
>> semantics of those URIs are, it doesn't matter how people are going
>> to use them - its much simpler than that.  Can other specs do exactly
>> what WSA did and define new URIs?  Any discussion about whether or
>> not a spec made the right choice to do that is not relevant.  WSA
>> needs to answer the very simple question from a more abstract point
>> of view and once that answer is found then I think everything else
>> will fall into place.
>>
>> So, does the WSA WG think that no other spec, for all time, will ever
>> need to define a new special non-addressable URI that may be used in
>> ReplyTo/FaultTo?  (like ws-rm or ws-discovery did)
>>
>> thanks,
>> -Doug
>>
>>
>> *"Bob Freund" <bob@freunds.com>*
>> Sent by: public-ws-addressing-request@w3.org
>>
>> 10/03/2006 09:01 AM
>>
>> 	
>>
>> To
>>
>> 	
>>
>> "[WS-A]" <public-ws-addressing@w3.org>
>>
>> cc
>>
>> 	
>>
>>  
>>
>> Subject
>>
>> 	
>>
>> What problem are we trying to solve?
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>> 	
>>
>>  
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> This is a list of the results, as I heard them, of our discussion on
>> 2006-10-02 related to our response to CR33
>>  
>> Exposition:
>> It seems that the desire inferred by the issue is that an endpoint
>> would like to transmit identifying information (or perhaps some other
>> parametric information) in a one way message, and that one way
>> message is intended to be used to "open the backchannel" upon which
>> may be transmitted information that is determined in part by the
>> identifying or parametric information transmitted in the originating
>> message.  In the specific use case presented, the issue originator
>> proposes that this identifying or parametric information be passed in
>> the replyTo uri as a special form of "anonymous".  CR33 states that
>> the WS-Addressing WSDL binding CR document would create
>> interoperability issues with their implementation since it does not
>> permit a form of anonymous other than the literal "anonymous" to be
>> represented in WSDL.
>>  
>> In the WS-Addressing Teleconference of 2006-10-02, there was a
>> brainstorming session intended to clarify exactly what problem the
>> WS-Addressing working group was trying to solve related to its
>> resolution of CR33 since several proposals related to a direct
>> response to CR33 have failed as yet to gain consensus.
>>  
>> Alternatives mentioned: (please feel free to come up with more if you
>> have a better idea)
>>  
>> A1) During the progress of the WS-Addressing working group, a feature
>> known as Reference Properties was removed from the original
>> submission.  If this were to be added back, then this could be used
>> to convey such identifying or parametric information.  This would
>> imply changes to both rec level specifications as well as the WSDL
>> binding.  It is not clear if these might be "breaking changes".
>>  
>> A2) The WS-Addressing specifications include a feature known as
>> Reference Parameters which are created by the epr minter which are
>> considered to be "opaque" to all but the minter.  Outside of the
>> WS-Addressing "layer" there may be no such constraint.  Reference
>> Parameters might be used to convey this identifying or parametric
>> information.  Note that there is not general agreement that
>> WS-Addressing is a "layer" or if it is a set of kit parts which may
>> be used at any layer. This might imply a clarifying change to
>> WS-Addressing specifications.
>>  
>> A3) WS-Addressing includes a feature known as "From" which contains a
>> uri.  There are no behavioral constraints imposed by "From" and
>> potentially anything that might be represented as a uri might be
>> conveyed. This might imply a clarifying change to WS-Addressing
>> specifications.
>>  
>> A4) WS-Addressing defined a limited set of special URLs which mean
>> specific things to WS-Addressing when used in replyTo.  These are
>> "anonymous" and "none".  If the behavior specified by WS-Addressing
>> is not desired, then the authors of other specifications might
>> specify their own forms of replyTo semantics appropriate to their
>> application without WS-Addressing implications.  This would imply
>> that CR33 be closed with no action.
>>  
>> A5) It was suggested that there is wide latitude in what might be
>> contained in a SOAP header and the authors might be able to use such
>> a means to convey the desired identifying or parametric information.
>> This would imply that CR33 be closed with no action.
>>  
>> A6) WS-Addressing Core and SOAP binding are fine as-is, but we just
>> need to fix the WSDL binding or perhaps come up with a WSDL cum
>> policy related change.  For proposals related to this alternative,
>> please refer to the issue list.  
>>  
>> For the purposes of this thread please identify in the subject line
>> the alternative A[1-n] referenced or "exposition" if you feel the
>> problem statement needs improvement.
>>  
>> Thanks
>> -bob
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>