[NNTP] Working group last call

[Ken Murchison]

Russ Allbery wrote:
> Ken Murchison <ken at oceana.com> writes:
> 
>>Clive D.W. Feather wrote:
> 
> 
>>>Version 2: is the following allowed with a conforming server?
>>>    [C] CAPABILITIES
>>>    [S] 101 Capability list:
>>>    [S] VERSION 2     [S] READER LISTGROUP     [S] LIST ACTIVE NEWSGROUPS
>>>    [S] STREAMING
>>>    [S] .
>>>    [C] MODE STREAM
>>>    [S] 501 Unknown mode STREAM
> 
> 
>>I think we'd like it to be since we're deprecating MODE STREAM, but this
>>is probably an unrealistic goal in the short term for interop reasons.
> 
> 
>>Russ, how do you want to handle this?  Should we make MODE STREAM
>>mandatory to implement for servers, but warn clients that this command
>>should only be used with legacy servers, and that this command will be
>>most likely removed from later versions of the specification?
> 
> 
> I would tend to be conservative here, since if a server that supports
> streaming and that's upgraded to support this specification drops MODE
> STREAM, it will fail to interoperate with existing servers.  I think it
> makes sense to make it mandatory (or at least a SHOULD) to implement on
> the server side, but on the client side we should say that it's only for
> compatibility with existing servers.  (I don't see the justification in
> preventing the client from sending it, since sending it won't cause
> interoperability problems, but I do think there should be a warning, as
> you say, that the command will be dropped in a later verison of the
> specification.)


Here is the current wording.  I've just about reached the end of my 
word-smithing ability on this one, so any further change requests will 
have to be accompanied by suggested text.  ;)

"2.3. MODE STREAM Command

      Historically this command was used by a client to discover if a
      server supported the CHECK and TAKETHIS commands.  This command is
      deprecated in favor of the CAPABILITIES discovery command and is
      only documented here for compatibility with legacy implementations
      [NNTP-COMMON] of these transport commands.

      New clients SHOULD use the CAPABILITIES command to check a server
      for support of the STREAMING extension but MAY implement and use
      the MODE STREAM command for backwards compatibility with legacy
      servers that don't support the CAPABILITIES discovery command.
      Servers SHOULD accept the MODE STREAM command for backwards
      compatibility with legacy clients which don't use the CAPABILITIES
      discovery command.

      NOTE: This command will be removed from subsequent versions of this
      specification, therefore clients are urged to transition to the
      CAPABILTIES command wherever possible.

2.3.1. Usage

      Syntax
         MODE STREAM

      Responses
         203   Streaming permitted

2.3.2. Description

      If a server supports this extension and the MODE STREAM command, it
      MUST return a 203 response to the MODE STREAM command (or 501 if an
      argument is given).  The MODE STREAM command MUST NOT affect the
      server state in any way.  A server MUST NOT require that the MODE
      STREAM command be issued by the client before accepting the CHECK
      or TAKETHIS commands."

-- 
Kenneth Murchison     Oceana Matrix Ltd.
Software Engineer     21 Princeton Place
716-662-8973 x26      Orchard Park, NY 14127
--PGP Public Key--    http://www.oceana.com/~ken/ksm.pgp