Questions regarding getPortletDescription()

I have the following questions regarding the
getPortletDescription() operation:

 

 
How does the data returned in
     the PortletDescriptionResponse relate to the portlet description contained
     within the ServiceDescription?  Must they be identical?  Or, can
     the producer change the data based on the user context.  For
     instance, could the producer not specify a particular supported mode if
     the user is not an admin?

 
If the answer to #1 is that
     they can be different, then is there a way to ensure, when calling this
     method, that the PortletDescription returned would be equal to that in the
     ServiceDescription?  Perhaps by sending all of the possible User Categories?

 
If the answer to #1 is that
     they must be the same, then is the only use of the UserContext attribute
     to allow the producer to throw an AccessDenied Fault?  Will passing
     all user categories avoid this?

 

Essentially, I’m trying to understand the intended use
of getPortletDescription() and if it can be used as an optimization to update
portlet meta data without having to retrieve the full service description.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

Scott