NEW ISSUE: Policy Compatibility Check must account for level of N esting of Policy Alternatives

Title: Policy Compatibility Check must account for level of Nesting of
Policy Alternatives

 

Description: Section 4.4 of the WS-Policy 1.5 - Framework specification
states:

 

*       "Two policies
<http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/~checkout~/2006/ws/policy/ws-policy-framework.html
?content-type=text/html;%20charset=utf-8#policy#policy>  are compatible if
an alternative in one is compatible with an alternative in the other. If two
policies are compatible, their intersection is the set of the intersections
between all pairs of compatible alternatives, choosing one alternative from
each policy. If two policies are not compatible, their intersection has no
policy alternatives."

 

However, per section 4.3.2 (Policy Assertion Nesting), a policy Assertion
may contain a nested Policy. 

 

The intent of the above text is to check compatibility of alternatives at
the top level of the subject policies only. There is scope however for
interpretation, that if an alternative (at any nesting level) in one matches
the alternative (at any nesting level) in the other, the two policies can be
considered compatible.

 

In addition section 2.3 terminology defines a policy to be "collection of
policy alternatives
<http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/~checkout~/2006/ws/policy/ws-policy-framework.html
?content-type=text/html;%20charset=utf-8#policy_alternative#policy_alternati
ve>  "only. 

No further constraints on the origin of alternatives in the collection.

 

Similarly section 3.3 (Policy) defines a policy to be: "a policy
<http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/~checkout~/2006/ws/policy/ws-policy-framework.html
?content-type=text/html;%20charset=utf-8#policy#policy>  is a potentially
empty collection of policy alternatives
<http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/~checkout~/2006/ws/policy/ws-policy-framework.html
?content-type=text/html;%20charset=utf-8#policy_alternative#policy_alternati
ve> "

 

Justification:

There is scope for interpretation that needs to be eliminated. 

 

Target: WS-Policy 1.5 - Framework

 

Proposal - 

 

1. Tighten up the definition of policy to be specific about the (nesting
level / origin of) "collection" of alternatives it groups. 

     I am Opening a separate new issue for it. If that is properly resolved,
this issue is automatically resolved.

2.  Rephrase the policy compatibility statement to say "Two policies
<http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/~checkout~/2006/ws/policy/ws-policy-framework.html
?content-type=text/html;%20charset=utf-8#policy#policy>  are compatible if a
top level alternative in one is compatible with a top level alternative in
the other."

 

Regards,

Prasad Yendluri