Thanks, Alex.
Alas, I have not been fast enough in my communications.
The example provided from the existing implementation of
WS-RX TC NS URIs is not a good example. It represents the
state of affairs as initially requested by the WS-RX TC,
but in subsequent conversations with the (relevant)
TC members, it was admitted/agreed that the OASIS
implementation at the server level
a) using special hand-crafted index files
b) with META refresh redirects
c) which brings the RDDL document URI into the browser adddress
window when the NS URI is dereferenced
is neither desirable nor optimal.
Hence, my message of earlier today:
Subject: URIs for RDDLs, WSDLs, Schemas, etc
Message-ID: <>
urged your TC to consider a different strategy which does NOT
locate the schema files in the proposed directories -- since the
NS URI is in effect overloaded.
If you want to follow the example used (currently) for the WS-RX
TC, that's OK, but please realize:
a) we cannot recommend that solution as optimal or desirable
b) we intend to fix the implementation in the WS-RX TC as soon as
we get OASIS IT support -- viz., it will then NOT work
in the manner you now observe
c) we intend to fix a couple related implementations that use the
(crude, kludge, hack META refresh redirect mechanism)
d) the ebxml-bp TC members initially requested an implementation of
the NOT-recommended type, and we are in the midst of a
painful process to correct that situation by reduplicating
files to a new directory where they can be listed using
standard/default Apache indexing
So you say:
"If the pattern is feasible for WS-RX, it should work for us also."
to which I need to reply: "the WS-RX TC pattern is not a good
implementation pattern to follow," even if it's "feasible"
in the sense of being nominally functional.
I am very proud of the pioneering work done on RDDLs by Marc
Goodner, Chris Ferris, Paul Cotton, and others in the WS-RX
TC. Unfortunately, we were unable to provide an optimal
implementation at the server level. We are trying to avoid
further problems by asking TCs to consider an alternate
pattern for schema location. The server implementation
(I would characterize as a crude hack) is not something
the WS-RX members envisioned or requested: it is the
temporary solution provided by OASIS staff.
In any case, when OASIS IT provides the requested support
for Apache redirects, we will continue to deliver a (RDDL)
namespace document when the namespace URI is dereferenced.
However, the implementation will be a lot cleaner, and will
avoid some of the (reported) DNS/HTTP resolution problems
associated with the current implementation. Using
the appropriate Apache directives will also allow us to
override the default Apache redirect problem described in
my note earlier today.
I apologize that I was unable to dive into this discussion
earlier.
Thanks.
Robin Cover
On Wed, 16 Aug 2006, Alex Yiu wrote:
