[oslc-core] Question about how clients should handle server's MAY / SHOULD requirements

[Steve K Speicher]

Samit,

This is something that we should have clarity on.  Though the domain 
specifications are the ones who define whether certain capabilities are 
MUST/SHOULD/MAY.  The Core specification provides some overall guidance 
but don't be too restrictive.  In the case you site, the CM spec does make 
them a MUST requirement.  In cases like this, I'm not sure there is always 
a simple answer that covers all cases.  We should look at specific cases, 
much like you pointed out.

Perhaps something that would be great for contributors like yourself to do 
is to create and keep current a "best practices" page for implementers 
(both client and server).  This doesn't solve your exact issue but helps 
others in the community learn from what you have learned.

Thanks,
Steve Speicher | IBM Rational Software | (919) 254-0645


> From: Samit Mehta/San Francisco/IBM at IBMUS
> To: oslc-core <oslc-core at open-services.net>
> Cc: Pat McCarthy/Raleigh/IBM at IBMUS, Scott Fairbrother/Raleigh/IBM at IBMUS
> Date: 04/13/2011 05:04 PM
> Subject: [oslc-core] Question about how clients should handle server's 
MAY / 
> SHOULD requirements
> Sent by: oslc-core-bounces at open-services.net
> 
> We have come across at least one requirement (marked as MAY), where it 
is 
> unclear how an OSLC service consumer client can determine whether an 
OSLC 
> service provider server supports the requirement or not.  Also, it 
wasn't 
> clear what the service response would be if a server did not support the 

> requirement. 
> 
> Here's the one we ran into: 
> http://open-services.net/bin/view/Main/OslcCoreSpecification?
> sortcol=table;up=#Selective_Property_Values
> .  There may be others.  The section starts of by saying:
>         OSLC Services MAY support a technique called Selective 
Properties 
> to enable clients to retrieve only selected property values.
> 
> It is unclear how a client may determine that a an OSLC service provider 

> supports the oslc.properties and oslc.prefix parameters are supported. 
> Also, is there a specific response that the clients should expect from 
the 
> server when they are not supported... is there any way to differentiate 
> that response from responses returned in other error scenarios?
> 
> Regards,
> ____________________________________________
> Samit Mehta
> mailto:samit.mehta at us.ibm.com
> IBM Rational Software - Business Development
> 
> 
> 
> 
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