Question on type of protocol in WS-Context

["Tony Fletcher" <tony_fletcher@btopenworld.com>]

Title: Message

Dear Colleagues,

 

A question that I am not clear on (and I therefore think that the specification text could do with clarification):

 

WS-Context section 2 entitled Context has a bullet below figure 3 that states:

An optional URI that indicates the type of the protocol. This element may not be dereferenced and is only for unique identification.

Which protocol is being referred to here - the context manager protocol specified in this WS-Context specification or that of the referencing specification?  And what is being uniquely identified - I presume the protocol.  If the protocol being uniquely identified is that of the context manager, why is that not done in Section 5.  If the referencing specification surely that would be specified, if required for any purpose, in that referencing specification.  The context will be carried with the application protocol messages (figure 4 plus associated text) so surely the fact that the two go together is implicit in their association with each other.

 

Until I looked I thought the 'type' field identified the type of the context, not the type of the protocol.  Type of the context would make sense in those situations where two, or more, contexts could be used by an application protocol.

 

Best Regards     Tony

A M Fletcher

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 amfletcher@iee.org       (also tony_fletcher@btopenworld.com)