RE: WebDAV Standards, browser & server compliance

First of all, you are absolutely on the right mailing list. There's also a
special WebDAV interop list, but that one is mainly used to organize and
exchange interop test results.

You didn't mention exactly *what* problems you see. In general, there are
quite a few vendors that advertise WebDAV compliance, but test their servers
only with the Microsoft webfolder client, therefore having lots of problems
with other clients. On the other hand, you may also see client issues.

A few things you can do:

- If you suspect a server compliance issue, as a first step run the Litmus
test suite against it [1].

- If you suspect a Microsoft webfolder client issue, check the list of known
versions and their issues [2].

- If you suspect a MacOSX client issue, report it here. Apple programmers
are (hopefully they still are!) monitoring this list and are very
responsive.

- If you think you have found an Apache/moddav issue, you probably should
report it to the dav-dev mailing list [3].

- Otherwise, just describe your specific problem here and we'll try to help.

Hope this helps,

Julian


[1] <http://www.webdav.org/neon/litmus/>
[2] <http://greenbytes.de/tech/webdav/webfolder-client-list.html>
[3] <http://dav.lyra.org/mailman/listinfo/dav-dev>

--
<green/>bytes GmbH -- http://www.greenbytes.de -- tel:+492512807760

> -----Original Message-----
> From: w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org
> [mailto:w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Frank Lowney
> Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2003 4:27 PM
> To: w3c-dist-auth@w3.org
> Subject: WebDAV Standards, browser & server compliance
>
>
>
> Please let me know if I am posting to the wrong list and suggest
> better venues if I'm off target.
>
> Posting:
>
> The Goal:
> This may be premature on our part but we are trying to take advantage
> of the WebDAV standard to accomplish two major goals across a variety
> of web-based facilities:
>
> 1) Eliminate or significantly reduce reliance upon FTP so as to obtain:
>     a) higher levels of ease-of-use on behalf of content experts who
> are not technophiles
>     b) higher levels of security (FTP sends PWs in the clear, SFTP is
> complex & finicky, etc.)
>     c) divert the current high demand for proprietary solutions such
> as MS FrontPage server extensions.
>
> 2) Simplify the training of content experts publishing via the web by:
>     a) Training for fewer applications (no instruction in a
> number of FTP apps)
>     b) Train for apps that offer greater expressive freedom (Adobe
> GoLive and Macromedia Dreamweaver instead of MS FrontPage, AOL Press,
> Netscape Composer, etc.) that also use WebDAV effectively.
>
> The Problem:
> WebDAV simply doesn't seem to work consistently and well over the
> range of server and client environments that we must work with.  The
> following sketches out those environments:
>
> Server Environments:
> NOTE: All claim to support the WebDAV standard but end user
> experience tends to contradict those claims.
>
> WebCT Vista 2.x (see
> http://www.webct.com/products/viewpage?name=products_vista).  As I
> understand it, this Courseware Management System (CMS) is based upon
> the BEA WebLogic webserver and an Oracle 9i database.
>
> Apache webserver (as implemented in the MacOS X Server suite, see:
> http://www.apple.com/macosx/server/).
>
> WebSTAR V webserver (as implemented in the 4D WebSTAR Server Suite,
> see: http://www.4d.com/products/webstar.html)
>
> Client Environments:
> The overall issue here is that consistency and reliability is absent
> from all these environments.  Consequently. our training efforts have
> not been as successful as we would like them to be.
>
> Windows 98, 2000, and XP
> NOTE: There are a variety of strategies that trainers must be
> prepared to present to end users: Internet Explorer & Web Folders, My
> Network Places, etc.  None of these work completely as advertised
> across all environments.
>
> MacOS X
> Native OS support **appears** to be both robust and easy-to-use in
> the case of Apple's ostensibly WebDAV-based dotMac service but
> clients have difficulty in other WebDAV environments.
>
> MacOS Classic (8.6 to 9.2)
> Requires the use of an app such as Goliath.  We have few clients
> using this OS/app combination so pilot error may be a
> disproportionately great factor but the experience reported here is
> spotty as in the case of all other client environments.
>
> Discussion:
>
> We are perhaps naive in expecting the WebDAV standard to be so
> complete and internally consistent as well as so thoroughly and
> faithfully implemented in both server and client environments that
> training could be simple, straightforward and w/o a raft of "ifs,"
> "ands" or "buts."  True?
>
> Is there an ongoing discussion somewhere for folks like us who are
> trying to implement WebDAV into  our work flow?
>
> --
> =====================================================================
> Dr. Frank Lowney  flowney@mail.gcsu.edu
>      Director, Electronic Instructional Services, a unit of the
>      Office of Information and Instructional Technology,
>      Professional Pages: http://www.gcsu.edu/oiit/eis/
>      Personal Pages: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~flowney
> Voice: (478) 445-5260
> =====================================================================
> We don't make instruction effective, we make effective instruction
> more accessible.
>

Received on Sunday, 10 August 2003 14:40:14 UTC