I'm with Norm--I don't understand the comment, I don't
see a problem, and I don't want to change the default
of the prefer attribute (which is implementation
dependent).
paul
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Norman Walsh [mailto:]
> Sent: Tuesday, 2007 February 06 15:59
> To:
> Cc: ; 'Carol Geyer'
> Subject: [entity-resolution] Re: OASIS - Catalog Threat ?
>
> / "Mary McRae" <> was heard to say:
> | Hi Lauren,
> |
> | This email was sent to communications (Carol Geyer).
> |
> | Regards,
> |
> | Mary
> |
> |>
> |> -----Original Message-----
> |> From: Steven J. Hathaway [mailto:]
> |> Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 12:28 PM
> |> To:
> |> Subject: OASIS - Catalog Threat ?
> |>
> |> I recommend that (Sec: 4.1.1) of the OASIS entity resolver
> |> catalog specification be revised to help avoid the
> |> development of products that have misleading identifier trust.
> |>
> |> OASIS is a general entity resolver and catalog. It can now
> |> be used with XML. The specification document (Sec: 4.1.1)
> |> describing the 'prefer' attribute may harbor a security
> |> threat related to identifier trust.
> |>
> |> Normally, the Public identifiers have global scope, and
> |> therefore a high probability of trust. The System
> |> identifiers normally have a restricted scope - that of a
> |> specific system - and therefore do not have the global trust.
> |>
> |> When a document is passed between systems, it is undefined
> |> what the scope of System identifier implies. Herein lies an
> |> OASIS catalog threat. A document may have both Public and
> |> System identifiers proclaiming to be associated with the
> |> Public resource. Since the document could be received from a
> |> foreign system, the Public and System identifiers may no
> |> longer define the same resource. The System identifiers in
> |> messages received from foreign systems should have a lower
> |> threshold of trust than Public identifiers.
> |>
> |> The 'prefer' attribute is often set to 'public' for a catalog
> |> or group. And if both a Public and System identifier for the
> |> resource reside in the catalog, the System replacement text
> |> is used. Most developers would imply that the Public
> |> replacement text should be used (See Section 4.1.1. table).
> |>
> |> The 'prefer' attribute should be set to 'system' to handle
> |> those documents that are only generated and consumed by the
> |> same system.
>
> I'm not sure I understand the comment. Users are free to set the
> prefer attribute to system if they wish.
>
> The catalog standard does not specify a default value for the prefer
> attribute and mandates that tools provide a way for the user to
> specify it.
>
> Be seeing you,
> norm
>
> --
> Norman Walsh
> XML Standards Architect
> Sun Microsystems, Inc.
>
