RE: Additional MIME headers

[Dick Brooks <dick@8760.com>]

The HTTP spec (RFC 2616) is quite clear regarding "unrecognized headers",
see the following excerpt from section 7.1:

   "7.1 Entity Header Fields

   [snip]...

   The extension-header mechanism allows additional entity-header fields
   to be defined without changing the protocol, but these fields cannot
   be assumed to be recognizable by the recipient. Unrecognized header
   fields SHOULD be ignored by the recipient and MUST be forwarded by
   transparent proxies."


Dick Brooks
Group 8760
110 12th Street North
Birmingham, AL 35203
dick@8760.com
205-250-8053
Fax: 205-250-8057
http://www.8760.com/

InsideAgent - Empowering e-commerce solutions

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stefano POGLIANI [mailto:stefano.pogliani@sun.com]
> Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 5:16 AM
> To: ebXML Transport (E-mail)
> Subject: RE: Additional MIME headers
>
>
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>
> I am not an expert in all the protocols, so I cannot judge on the attached
> answer from Patil.
>
> If there wouldn't be such issues as the ones highlighted from
> Patil, I would
> say "report an error"since the fact that someone sends "more information
> than the receiver expects" may be a symptom for a misunderstanding.
>
> But I would not object on the "ignore" policy if this is what people want.
>
> Definitely I would not like to leave this choice to the
> implementation since this
> could generate some issues of compatibility in the runtime.
>
> /Stefano
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Patil, Sanjay [mailto:Spatil@netfish.com]
> > Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 9:29 PM
> > To: 'Burdett, David'; ebXML Transport (E-mail)
> > Subject: RE: Additional MIME headers
> >
> >
> >
> > Ignore them. If you consider SMTP being used for transport,
> > there will be a lot of MIME headers inserted and  consumed
> > by SMTP handlers, which are also exposed to ebXML MSH.
> >
> > thanks,
> > Sanjay Patil
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ----------
> > ------------------------------
> > Work Phone: 408 350 9619
> > http://www.netfish.com
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Burdett, David [mailto:david.burdett@commerceone.com]
> > Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 12:18 PM
> > To: ebXML Transport (E-mail)
> > Subject: Additional MIME headers
> >
> >
> > Folks
> >
> > What do you think the behavior of a MSH should be if it
> receives a message
> > with additional MIME headers that are not specified in the ebXML specs.
> > Possible actions are:
> > 1. Ingore them, or
> > 2. Report an error.
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > DAvid
> >
> > Product Management, Commerce One
> > 4400 Rosewood Drive, Pleasanton, CA 94588, USA
> > Tel: +1 (925) 520 4422 (also voicemail); Pager: +1 (888) 936 9599
> > mailto:david.burdett@commerceone.com; Web: http://www.commerceone.com
> >
>