[tdwg-tapir] TAPIR & HTTP

[Wouter Addink]

Renato, 
Are you sure about HTTP/1.1 servers denying 1.0 requests? Any examples?
HTTP1.1 can be problematic sometimes, especially when you want to retrieve
html messages in parts like with using fsockopen() and streams. See also:
http://developers.sun.com/mobility/midp/questions/chunking/

Wouter

-----Original Message-----
From: tdwg-tapir-bounces at lists.tdwg.org
[mailto:tdwg-tapir-bounces at lists.tdwg.org] On Behalf Of Renato De Giovanni
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2008 3:33 PM
To: tdwg-tapir at lists.tdwg.org
Subject: [tdwg-tapir] TAPIR & HTTP

Dear all,

Although TAPIR is layered on top of HTTP, the existing documents 
(including the spec) don't mention anything about HTTP versions.

I was recently asked about this because it seems that providers that 
are installed on HTTP/1.1 servers are starting to reject HTTP/1.0 
requests, probably for security reasons.

I think we should be more explicit in the specification about the 
minimum HTTP version compatible with TAPIR. In this case HTTP/1.0 
(the previous version didn't even have the POST method).

This means that a TAPIR provider can potentially be installed on an 
HTTP/1.0 or 1.1 server. In both cases, technically there should be no 
problem to process requests in either HTTP/1.0 or 1.1 (1.0 servers 
will simply ignore 1.1 extensions, and 1.1 servers are "expected" to 
be able to easily handle requests in previous versions, as noted in 
the HTTP/1.1 RFC).

Anyway, considering the fact that HTTP/1.1 servers are starting to 
deny 1.0 requests, I could add a recommendation for TAPIR clients to 
always send requests in HTTP/1.1. This would not be a "protocol 
rule", just a pragmatic recommendation, so I would probably add this 
in the TAPIR network builders' guide instead of the spec.

Please let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions in this 
respect.

Best Regards,
--
Renato
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