RE: [wsrf] Proposed resolution - re: InitialValues for properties in WS-RMD

[Heather Kreger <kreger@us.ibm.com>]

Kirk,

More that 1 initial value is required if the property is a multivalued property (like ManageabilityCapabilities), I want to advertise my full set as of initialization.

I agree with your differentiation. InitialValues are the right semantics... not default values.

Heather Kreger
STSM, Web Services Lead Architect for SWG Emerging Technologies
Author of "Java and JMX: Building Manageable Systems"
kreger@us.ibm.com
919-543-3211 (t/l 441) cell:919-496-9572

"Wilson, Kirk D" <Kirk.Wilson@ca.com>

"Wilson, Kirk D" <Kirk.Wilson@ca.com>

04/06/2006 03:18 PM

To	Daniel Jemiolo/Durham/IBM@IBMUS, <wsrf@lists.oasis-open.org>
cc
Subject	RE: [wsrf] Proposed resolution - re: InitialValues for properties in WS-RMD

Dan, two questions.

1. I must be missing something, but what is the sense of a property having two (or more) “initial” values?

2. I believe there is a difference between an initial and a default value. An initial value is the value that of a property upon setting up the property (e.g. creating the instance that has the property). A default value is the value of the property when a value is not otherwise specified for it. The semantics are slightly different—e.g., the client might be primarily interested in the default value of a property is the server does not provide a value; the initial value is always established by the server. Which semantics are you intending for wsrmd:InitialValues?

Kirk Wilson
Architect, Development
Office of the CTO
603 823-7146

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Jemiolo [mailto:danjemiolo@us.ibm.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 2:40 PM
To: wsrf@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: [wsrf] Proposed resolution - re: InitialValues for properties in WS-RMD


On the TC call on 4/3/06, I proposed that we (re-)add the concept of initial values to the WS-RMD spec. This issue does not have a number yet. Below is a description of the issue and the proposed resolution.

When programming against the RMD spec, it is often necessary to seed a property with a set of initial values that are known at design time. A better term might be "default" values. The difference between these initial values and the concept of static values already in the spec is that initial values should be mutable, while static values are not.

The definition of initial values in an RMD document would be just like that of static values. For example, a property named MyProperty of type integer might have the following definition:


<wsrmd:Property path="myns:MyProperty" ... >
<wsrmd:InitialValues>
<myns:MyProperty>123</myns:MyProperty>
<myns:MyProperty>456</myns:MyProperty>
</wsrmd:InitialValues>
</wsrmd:Property>


If the property is mutable, these initial values may be deleted or updated over the resource's lifetime. Again, this is different from static values because even on mutable properties, static instances are never deleted or updated.

The proposed resolution is to add the initial values concept to RMD by copying the section on static values (8.4), doing a search-and-replace (StaticValues -> InitialValues), and modifying the two introductory sentences to describe the role of initial values. The schema and infoset figures (in section 8 and appendices) will also need to be updated to reflect this option.





Dan Jemiolo
IBM Corporation
Research Triangle Park, NC


+++ I'm an engineer. I make slides that people can't read. Sometimes I eat donuts. +++