Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/sources/std_unix/reports/posix.17

Text File | 1991-09-06 | 5KB | 197 lines

.\" Uses -mm macros
.S 12
.ds Rh "\s-1POSIX.17\s0 - Directory Services API
.ds Au "Mark Hazzard <[e-mail]>
.ds Dt "
.ds Lo "Santa Clara, California
.ds Ed "Stephen R. Walli <[e-mail]>
.ds Wd "U\s-3SENIX\s0 Standards Watchdog Committee
.if '\*(Su'' \{\
.ds Su "the \*(Dt meeting in \*(Lo:
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.if n \{\
.tm Subject: Standards Update, \*(Rh
.tm From: \*(Ed
.tm Reply-To: [e-mail]
.tm Organization: \*(Wd
.tm
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.AU "\*(Wd"
.AF "\*(Ed, Report Editor"
.MT 4
.if n \{\
.nh
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Report on \*(Rh
.sp
.P
\fB\*(Au reports\fP on \*(Su
.P
.HU "Summary"
.P
\s-1POSIX\s0\&.17 made significant progress towards completing
another draft in Santa Clara.
The group is on track to mock ballot
Draft 2.0 of the Directory Services \s-1API\s0 by the end of August.
Key areas of progress were:
.DL
.LI
test methods,
.LI
language
independence specification (\s-1LIS\s0),
.LI
Model text in Section 3,
.LI
ds_gethostbyname()
example,
.LI
preparation for mock ballot.
.LE
.P
.HU "Introduction"
.P
The \s-1POSIX\s0\&.17 group is generating a user to directory
\s-1API\s0,
e.g. an \s-1API\s0 to an X.500 Directory User Agent
(\s-1DUA\s0).
We are using \s-1XAPIA\s0 \(em \s-1X/O\s0pen's
\s-1XDS\s0 specification as a basis for work.
The \s-1X/O\s0pen Directory Services \s-1API\s0 (\s-1XDS\s0) is an
object oriented interface
and
requires a companion specification,
\s-1X/O\s0pen's Object Management \s-1API\s0
(\s-1XOM\s0),
for managing the \s-1OSI\s0 objects as they pass through
the directory \s-1API\s0.
.P
\s-1XOM\s0 is a stand-alone specification with general
applicability beyond the directory services \s-1API\s0.
It will
be used by \s-1IEEE\s0 1224.1
(X.400 \s-1API\s0)
and possibly other
\s-1POSIX\s0 groups.
It is being standardized by \s-1IEEE\s0 1224.
.sp
.HU "Status"
.P
Commitment within the group remains strong,
with all Chicago
attendees returning to Santa Clara,
and completing homework
assignments.
We are committed to mock balloting our document between
meeting cycles
and
have planned a special mailing for the end of
August,
(paid for by
\s-1X/O\s0pen - Thanks!).
.P
Once again,
considerable time was spent examining
\s-1POSIX.12\s0 (Protocol Independent Interfaces)
requirements for directory services.
One of the requirements is
a mechanism
to
protect existing applications from changes in how directory
services are offered.
We had decided that this was technically
beyond the scope of our work,
but that we would address this by
providing a non-normative annex with coding examples,
showing how
it could be done.
.P
The first example is a new function,
\fIds_gethostbyname()\fP,
which could be
added to the existing practice \s-1API\s0
(\s-1BSD\s0's \fIgethostbyname()\fP
function).
With it
(or something similar)
existing applications wouldn't need
to be modified to work in a \s-1POSIX\s0 environment.
.P
Another \s-1POSIX.12\s0 requirement was that the underlying directory service
provider be able to interoperate/co-exist with existing practice
directory services
(e.g. the Internet \s-1DNS\s0).
On the surface,
impact
to the \s-1API\s0 itself is minimal,
requiring
(at most)
the use of an
existing parameter which would allow the application to specify
which
(of many)
services it wanted to use.
.P
\s-1POSIX.17\s0
and
P1224 (\s-1XOM\s0 \s-1API\s0) met in joint session to review the object
management specification.
Many corrections were made,
and a new draft will
be released in the first half of August
(in time for our Mock ballot).
.P
.HU "Mock Ballot"
.P
There were many homework assignments this time to
get the mock ballot out between meetings.
Significant progress
was made towards producing a draft suitable for mock ballot.
The
technical editor completed his assignment to provide 25% of the
\s-1LIS\s0
text.
An estimated 25% of
the test assertions were completed as well.
Our plan is to go to
mock ballot with this level of completeness in order to obtain
feedback before we proceed further.
.P
We plan to send it out before the end of August,
so we'll be able
to process the feedback at our next meeting.
Hopefully,
we'll get
feedback on our \s-1LIS\s0
and
test assertion work
The comments
will help us determine our future direction
and
better estimate our
completion date.
.P
.HU "In Closing ..."
.P
The group made good solid progress in Santa Clara readying the
document for mock ballot.
We seem to uncover more requirements
with each meeting
but
somehow we're managing to move forward.
\s-1POSIX.17\s0 will be mock balloted incomplete, needing more work on LIS,
test methods
and
a few more examples.
.P
The group will meet in October to process the
input from our mock ballot,
continue working on \s-1LIS\s0
and
test
methods,
and determine where we go from there.
As usual,
there's a lot of work to do.