ietf-nntp MODE READER

[Clive D.W. Feather]

Russ Allbery said:
>>   Servers SHOULD NOT alter their behaviour depending on whether or not
>>   the client has used the MODE READER command. Any authentication SHOULD
>>   be done using the identity of the client (e.g. its IP address) or
>>   separate authentication extensions. Server authors are encouraged to
>>   remove any side-effects of MODE READER.
> 
> "SHOULD NOT alter their behavior" is not existing practice.  Again, it may
> be useful here to get a clarification of the working group's scope.  I'm
> worried that if we try to start solving all the problems in the protocol,
> this is going to take forever.

Agreed. However, I thought the consensus was to deprecate this behaviour.

> Anyway, common practice in my experience is moving quickly towards running
> a reader server and a transit server on separate ports.  If we *have* to
> try to deprecate MODE READER, can we please use language that suggests
> that approach

Okay, here's a second cut at it (also uploaded to the web site).

  Servers that treat different types of clients in different ways
  SHOULD NOT use the MODE READER command to determine what behaviour to
  permit. Any decision SHOULD be done using the identity of the client
  (e.g. its IP address) or separate authentication extensions. Server
  authors are encouraged to remove any side-effects of MODE READER.

> rather than using language that makes it sound like you have
> to provide all the functionality of a reading news server in your transit
> news server if you split them apart as an optimization?

I see that as a slightly different point. Change the previous paragraph
slightly, to:

  Each type of client may be prohibited from using commands appropriate
  to the other (indeed, some servers do not implement these commands and
  simply return a 503 response to them) or may be restricted in other
  ways. Such servers will assume that a client is a push client until
  told otherwise using the MODE READER command.

Good enough ?

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather  | Work:  <clive at demon.net>   | Tel:  +44 20 8371 1138
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