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Re: Last Call: draft-cheshire-dnsext-dns-sd-07.txt

2010-12-14 20:41:54
On 23 Nov 2010, at 12:55 PM, Doug Barton wrote:

Allow me to amplify my argument more completely. There are already 2 open source implementations of dns-sd that I'm familiar with, mDNSResponder and avahi; in addition to apple's Rendezvous. The OS versions are mostly interoperable on the protocol level, but not on the binary level. One example that I've been working with lately can be found at http://www.avahi.org/ticket/303.

That is an API compatibility issue. The bug report says "kDNSServiceFlagsShareConnection not implemented, affects CUPS". You won't find a mention of "kDNSServiceFlagsShareConnection" anywhere in draft-cheshire-dnsext-dns-sd-07.txt.

The IETF specifies on-the-wire protocols, not APIs.

There are many different implementations of DNS-SD, with different APIs, for different languages. The fact that people are complaining about subtle differences in one particular API between two different independent implementations should be a sign of how widely deployed this is.

Regarding the document itself, I have reservations about the quality of the document, and whether or not it describes the protocol in sufficient detail that someone starting from scratch could develop another interoperable version.

I think the Avahi bug report you found is adequate evidence of independent interoperable implementations.

However I tend to agree with the point of view that the world is a better place if we have _a_ spec than if we have none, so I'm specifically not asking to re-address all of the concerns that have been discussed previously with the document. However the bit about lower case labels should definitely be fixed (either by removal, a citation, or a clarification that the requirement applies only to this protocol).

This has been corrected.

Stuart Cheshire <cheshire(_at_)apple(_dot_)com>
* Wizard Without Portfolio, Apple Inc.
* www.stuartcheshire.org

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