NEW ISSUE: Uniqueness of conversation IDs

[Simon Nash <oasis@cjnash.com>]

TARGET: Java Common Annotations and APIs, WD 04, section 6.6.1

DESCRIPTION: Uniqueness of conversation IDs

In section 6.6.1, the following statements are made:

1) The ID must be unique to the client component over all time.

2) If the client is not an SCA component, then the ID must be
    globally unique.

Rule 1) seems both over-restrictive and under-restrictive.

It is under-restrictive because it implies that different clients
can use the same ID.  If a conversation-scoped component uses the
ID as a key to select a conversational instance for dispatching,
the use of identical IDs by different clients could lead to the
wrong instance being selected.

It is over-restrictive because of the requirement for uniqueness
over all time.  This cannot be necessary.  If a service has ended
all the conversations in which it was engaged, and released all
state associated with those conversations, there can be no problem
with the client subsequently reusing some previously used ID.

Rule 2) is hard to understand.  Firstly, it isn't clear from the
current SCA specs how a non-SCA client could make a conversational
invocation.  Secondly, it isn't clear why the rule given here is
different from the rule given for SCA clients.

PROPOSAL:

None at this time.