RE: Proxies and XML request parameters

This is a great statement of some rules of thumb for deciding between
headers and XML entity bodies for request parameters.  Can we put these
on the Web site someplace as a reference for the authors of the
remaining specs?  (It would just be a little easier than searching the
mail archive for them.)  Maybe there are some other guiding principles,
too, that suthors should keep in mind.

--Judy


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Yaron Goland [mailto:yarong@microsoft.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 1998 10:07 PM
> To: 'Slein, Judith A'; 'w3c-dist-auth@w3.org'
> Subject: RE: Proxies and XML request parameters
> 
> 
> The rule was "It goes in the header unless you have a damn 
> good reason to do
> otherwise."
> 
> Put in more detail:
> 
> If     (it involves cachability it goes into the headers) exit; 
> elseif (it is likely to be something a firewall would want to 
> examine it
> goes into the headers) exit;
> elseif (it must be used with a method that already has a 
> defined body then
> it goes into the headers) exit;
> elseif (it encodes information that is very likely to be 
> expanded on later
> then it goes in the body) exit;
> elseif (it has potentially unlimited length then it goes into 
> the body)
> exit;
> 
> The second to last rule reflects the difficult of encoding 
> the DAV message
> model in a header without re-inventing XML for headers. The last rule
> reflects the reality that most proxy/firewall implementations 
> will barf if
> headers get larger than around 4k. This also effects 
> performance. Once a
> proxy/firewall hits content length it can just blindly start 
> passing bits,
> which is very fast. If you have mega huge headers you slow 
> down every single
> proxy/firewall on the path for info it may not care about.
> 
> As always, it is a judgement call.
> 
> 		Yaron
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Slein, Judith A [mailto:JSlein@crt.xerox.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 1998 10:22 AM
> > To: 'w3c-dist-auth@w3.org'
> > Subject: Proxies and XML request parameters
> > 
> > 
> > The issue has been raised here about whether we might be making a
> > mistake by encoding some of our request parameters in XML 
> > entity bodies.
> > The thought is that this may force proxies to read the body of the
> > message, something that they should not have to do.
> > 
> > I guess there are several questions here:
> > 
> > Are we currently forcing proxies to read message bodies?  Are 
> > any of the
> > parameters that are now in the message body ones that 
> proxies have to
> > know about?  If so, should we make some changes?
> > 
> > Should we express some design principle for future revisions of the
> > spec, about not putting into the message body any parameters a proxy
> > might need to read?
> > 
> > Should we consider a more extreme position (that would require
> > significant changes to the current spec):  Never put request 
> > parameters
> > in the message body?
> > 
> > Judith A. Slein
> > Xerox Corporation
> > jslein@crt.xerox.com
> > (716)422-5169
> > 800 Phillips Road 105/50C
> > Webster, NY 14580
> > 
> > 
>

Received on Thursday, 6 August 1998 13:25:36 UTC