Re: [RFC2518 Issue] PROPFIND 'allprop' usage

Greg,

> Given that the default configuration of mod_dav prevents a Depth:infinity
> PROPFIND, I'd guess that a rejection of Depth:infinity is a definite
> possibility. What does GoLive do when it gets the rejection? Do you simply
> skip that feature, send a bunch of Depth:1 requests, or something else?

We do  *not*  send a bunch of Depth:1 requests, some WebDAV functionality is simply
*not*  working in GoLive 5 when the server is not willing to respond to depth infinity
requests. We have simply tried to implement the WebDAV protocol as it is described in
RFC2518 and RFC2518 does  *not*  allow a server to deny a depth infinity access. At
the point in time when the "DavDepthInfinity" flag was introduced into mod_dav it was
much too late for us to implement such a "bunch of Depth:1 requests"-solution because
we were right before GM.

And I think this is a general problem. There are a lot of very huge products of huge
companies out there which support WebDAV and I am very lucky about that especially
because I think that the idea of WebDAV is very powerful and advanced. But we all have
to keep in mind that a huge product has a well defined life cycle and workflow which
cannot be changed frequently. And of course a product cannot be changed when it is
already in the box. So when some changes take place in the protocol or its important
implementations like mod_dav and this will effect negatively or even break products
which are already in the box or right before GM, a customer who have paid for the
product has to wait at least for the next product release (which will take months or
even years).

So I think it's very important to get some degree of stability and continuity in the
WebDAV protocol and its implementations which does not mean to let the protocal
unchanged during the next years but we should keep its key features. Otherwise a lot
of companies will think twice before they implement WebDAV support and  - without any
doubt -  every protocol needs a widespread acceptance from commercial companies and
products  to be succesful.

Best, Hartmut

Received on Thursday, 23 November 2000 07:07:35 UTC