ietf-nntp Maximum command length

[Russ Allbery]

Clive D W Feather <clive at demon.net> writes:
> Charles Lindsey said:

>> Currently, a command line is restricted to 512 octets (with a maximum of
>> 497 octets for any parameters). The only command likely to run into this
>> limit is NEWNEWS, but it can be a confounded nuisance in that case.
>> 
>> Would this WG be agreeable to a service extension
>> 	CMDLENGTH <parameter>
>> where <parameter> is either a number (the maximum length allowed) or the
>> token "unlimited"? The default is, of course, 512 octets, and the limit on
>> the length of the parameters is <parameter>-15.

> I don't see the need, since it isn't hard to split up the NEWNEWS into
> several.

> However, if there is agreement on having such an extension, it ought to
> be more powerful (e.g. allowing either side to offer a new maximum).

> On the gripping hand, it should be a separate document and not part of
> this one.

Yup.  New command => separate extension.  Too late in the ballgame to be
adding new commands, particularly given that we have a working extension
mechanism now.

-- 
Russ Allbery (rra at stanford.edu)             <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>