Port numbers: Clarification
Tim Berners-Lee (timbl@www3.cern.ch)
Wed, 2 Dec 92 19:38:18 +0100
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 92 19:38:18 +0100
From: Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@www3.cern.ch>
Message-Id: <9212021838.AA02566@www3.cern.ch>
To: "Tony Johnson (415) 926 2278" <TONYJ@scs.slac.stanford.edu>
Subject: Port numbers: Clarification
Cc: F.Zwarts@kvi.nl, timbl@nxoc01.cern.ch, www-talk@nxoc01.cern.ch
> Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1992 18:28 PDT
> From: "Tony Johnson (415) 926 2278" <TONYJ@scs.slac.stanford.edu>
> >> b) There is some confusion about what port to use by default. MidasWWW
uses port
> >> 80 by default, although some older versions of the LineMode browser
used port
> >> 2784. You can change the default by putting a line...
> >>
> >> midaswww*defaultHTTPPort: 2784
> >>
> >> into the midaswww.ad file, although this is not really recommended.
It is NOT RECOMMENDED.
ALL BROWSERS SHOULD DEFAULT TO PORT 80 IN ALL CASES IRRESPECTIVE OF THE
CONTEXT OF THE REFERENCE. Some of the doc was out of date on this point,
I hope I have fixed it all now.
Given the
> >> above confusion it is probably a good idea to always put the port
number in
> >> explicitly in your links.
That is true, as some old browsers will still be around, unless the server
supports both port numbers.
Anyone who has an old browser which defaults
to port 2784 should upgrade it.
(By the way, the WWW library will, if the port number is 80 and no connection
is made, try 2784 just in case, but this will be phased out).
If you have a server which does not run on port 80 and there is any link
to it without an explicit port number, tell the author of the link
(if me, me).
> my parser in fact does not use the defaultHTTPPort, it actually inherits the
port number
> from the source document,
That is not the way it is supposed to work.
> I will try to fix this, but I still think it would be a good idea for Tim to
add explicit
> port numbers.
Tell me where.
>
> Tony
>
Tim