Issue 068 - WS-BA: Distinguish early and late fault

This is identified as WS-TX issue 068.

Please ensure follow-ups have a subject line starting "Issue 068 - WS-BA: Distinguish early and late fault - add Refuse message".

From: Peter Furniss [mailto:peter.furniss@erebor.co.uk]
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 4:16 PM
To: ws-tx@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: [ws-tx] New issue : WS-BA: Distinguish early and late fault - add Refuse message

Issue name -- WS-BA: Fault and Exit overloaded and overlapping - add Refuse message

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Target document and draft:

Protocol: WS-BA

Artifact: spec

Draft: BA spec cd 2

Link to the document referenced:
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php/18819/wstx-wsba-1.1-spec-cd-02.doc

Section and PDF line number: section , lines

Issue type: Design

Related issues:

Issue Description:

The semantics of Fault and Exit are unclear, and partly overlapping. If the messages are considered in terms of what they mean to the relationship between the parties rather than the internal behaviour, there are three distinct semantics. There should be three messages.

Issue Details

The present definition of the Fault message is in terms of an internal event ("the participant has failed"); it would be better to define it in terms of the effect on the application contract. However, as it is currently, the Fault message means both “I have not done any of the work you asked me” and “I have failed to undo the work I was told to compensate”, depending on when it was sent.

There is also a related ambiguity in the use of the Exit message – the text suggests
that this could be used to mean both “The application work you asked me to do has no
effect” (perhaps because it has already been done) and “I have not done any of the work
you asked me to” – which latter is also one of the meanings of Faulted. Application messages would

need to be sent to remove the ambiguity.

Combining those two, there in fact three semantics : no work, failed work, failed compensation. The semantics should be distinguished, rather than rely on stage of the interaction or application messages.

Proposed resolution

Create a new message, Refuse, for a participants rejection of the work, and define the semantics of all three:

Exit = The application work you asked me to do has no effect : Close, Cancel and Compensate would all leave our business relationship in the same state.

Refuse = I have not done any of the work you asked me to. (a spontaneous statement of unwillingness to be part of this activity.)

Faulted = I have failed to reach the requested final state

Following the pattern for other messages, Refuse would have a Refused reply.

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