Re: HTTP Asynchronous Client Notifications (draft paper)

Eamon,

You can find material on this topic in Chapter 7 of my Ph.D. 
dissertation: "Web-Based Management of IP Networks and Systems" (see 
http://icawww.epfl.ch for contact details). An enhanced version of this 
work will be published as a book this summer by Wiley (same title).

Best regards
J.P. Martin-Flatin


Eamon O'Tuathail wrote:

> Thanks to all who emailed me feedback. I have provided an updated version of
> the paper at http://www.clipcode.com/peer. Updates are listed below.
> 
> Eamon O'Tuathail
> Clipcode.com
> 
> ----------------------
> Updates:
> 
> Added as an additional technique the use of UDP as backroute from server to
> client (after a normal HTTP client-server connect)
> 
> Changed the name of "never-ending-request" to "never-ending-response", as it
> is the response that never ends.
> 
> More importantly, emphasised that an HTTP proxy may (and often will) shut
> done long-lived connections, and events in transit from server to client
> might get lost. There are work-arounds (such as the client, upon reconnect,
> requesting from the server all events since the last one that arrived at the
> client). However, all this gets somewhat messy.
> 
> For large numbers of subscribers, mentioned the use of  multicast (though
> not based on HTTP).
> 
> To cover the concern about the whole idea of using HTTP for something other
> than HTML/visual content, added this quote from RFC 2616 (HTTP), which
> states that HTTP "can be used for many tasks beyond its use for hypertext"
> 
> To cover the valid concern about whether HTTP is the correct application
> protocol at all for event notification delivery, I noted that there are
> others, and where possible (a.k.a. OK with the firewall admin) then strongly
> recommended these should be considered - but I noted "often your choice is
> not whether to use HTTP or a different application protocol, but rather
> whether to use HTTP or, not to access the network beyond the firewall. "

Received on Wednesday, 9 May 2001 06:54:25 UTC