OASIS ebXML Messaging Services TC

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RE: Schema-Specification normative preference wasRE: [ebxml-msg]Issue73:http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace

  • 1.  RE: Schema-Specification normative preference wasRE: [ebxml-msg]Issue73:http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace

    Posted 02-18-2002 12:37
    If the group consensus is to give the schema precedence over the spec then I
    suggest schema creation follow the same consensus process used to create the
    spec. I don't believe this was the case in the past.
    
    Dick Brooks
    Systrends, Inc
    7855 South River Parkway, Suite 111
    Tempe, Arizona 85284
    Web: www.systrends.com <http://www.systrends.com>
    Phone:480.756.6777,Mobile:205-790-1542,eFax:240-352-0714
    
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: David Fischer [mailto:david@drummondgroup.com]
    Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 10:17 AM
    To: Dale Moberg; Christopher Ferris; Doug Bunting
    Cc: ebXML Messaging
    Subject: RE: Schema-Specification normative preference wasRE:
    [ebxml-msg] Issue73:http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace
    
    
    IMO, it is tantamount to insanity to make world-wide eBusiness via ebXML
    dependant upon a single schema in a single location.  If that location
    becomes
    unavailable, does that mean all eBusiness throughout the world will stop?!?
    It
    seems far better to cache schema's locally and let implementations download
    the
    *latest* schema from a central location.
    
    Any time something becomes centrally located and important, it becomes
    susceptible to attack by those wishing to do harm.  There is no way to stop
    a
    Denial-Of-Service attack and a central location of our schema would present
    an
    ideal target for such an event.
    
    It seems far more reasonable to let implementations download, and utilize
    locally, a schema which can be corrected and posted as needed.  This means
    there
    is no longer any reason for the schema to *win* over the words.  We can
    simply
    fix the schema any time we find a discrepancy.
    
    I am also concerned since we have been making mass schema changes without
    group
    discussion.  I am not even sure what changes have occurred since they have
    not
    been tracked.  To make the schema win over the words means we have just
    thrown
    all our discussions to the wind!
    
    Regards,
    
    David.
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Dale Moberg [mailto:dmoberg@cyclonecommerce.com]
    Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 9:37 AM
    To: David Fischer; Christopher Ferris; Doug Bunting
    Cc: ebXML Messaging
    Subject: Schema-Specification normative preference wasRE: [ebxml-msg]
    Issue73:http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace
    
    
    From a pragmatic point of view, if
    one side is checking schema validity, and the other says
    it is following the spec. and produces schema-invalid
    XML, then interoperability will be very hard to obtain.
    In effect, schema validity checking would have to be
    turned off for interoperability!?!
    
    This would probably be a bad thing. So "between
    specification versions," I think
    the schema should take precedence,
    if we miss something or, more wackily,
    decide not to fix known discrepancies.
    
    Small discrepancies might be handled by interim schema fixes,
    with a fixed URL, but potentially variable schema.
    (I think that could work, anyway; if we had a URN
    resolver service it might be easier. But there
    seem to be no best current practices for URN
    resolution services.)
    
    With a provision for updates at a fixed, announced
    location, at least implementers could be told
    to periodically check for a fixed schema to
    resolve interop. issues.
    
    I am not wild about this proposal--it has
    all the elegance of CRL lists for PKI,
    but it might be OK in the interim
    for PSI (public schema infrastructure).
    
    A RegRep mechanism might also be available.
    Any one have something better to handle
    "between specification" schema fixes?
    
    My $.02.
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: David Fischer [mailto:david@drummondgroup.com]
    Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 8:01 AM
    To: Christopher Ferris; Doug Bunting
    Cc: ebXML Messaging
    Subject: RE: [ebxml-msg]
    Issue73:http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace
    
    
    Do we have a call tomorrow?  I can't find any coordinates.
    
    If so, I would like to suggest we discuss this topic first -- which
    takes
    precedence, the Schema or the Text.
    
    Regards,
    
    David.
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Christopher Ferris [mailto:chris.ferris@sun.com]
    Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 6:39 AM
    To: Doug Bunting
    Cc: ebXML Messaging
    Subject: Re: [ebxml-msg] Issue73:
    http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace
    
    
    Doug,
    
    I agree with all your points on the importance of
    validating the received messages before processing... However,
    SOAP does not *require* either DTD processing or XML Schema
    validation. This does not preclude XML Schema validation
    to assess the validity of the received message. I thnk that
    at best we can *strongly recommend* that the practice
    of validating the received message(s) against the XML
    Schema instance to assure receipt of a both well-formed
    and valid message before turning it over to further
    processing by the MSH. I don't think that we can
    necessarily *require* that this be done.
    
    w/r/t the process=lax v strict issue, that raises an
    interesting point that probably should be addressed
    by the XML Protocol WG regarding the SOAP schema.
    
    Cheers,
    
    Chris
    
    Doug Bunting wrote:
    
    > While writing my previous email (on issue 56) to Dick, I recognised an
    > assumption not supported in the document (I think).  I've been
    assuming
    > the receiver MUST (at least SHOULD) validate a message against the
    ebXML
    > Messaging schema.  If that's not supported by our documentation and
    the
    > SOAP envelope schema, we're in a whole world of security hurt.  (Just
    > for example, code is often written assuming something is in the DOM
    tree
    > because the schema requires its presence.  That code fails in ugly
    ways
    > when those assumptions are violated by an non validating XML parser.)
    > Due to the changes currently proposed resolving issue 73, I don't
    think
    > we have the assurance of XML validation if we ever did in the past.
    >
    >
    >
    > Two things determine whether or not an XML instance is validated
    against
    > a schema.  First, the parser responsible for reading the instance must
    > be configured to perform validation.  I don't recall whether or not
    SOAP
    > requires such a parser configuration.  Second, the specific elements
    of
    > interest must be declared within a processContents="strict" block.
    > Without strict interpretation of the block, a validating
    > parser MAY or MUST (depending on the precise declaration) skip the
    block.
    >
    >
    >
    > The schema found at [1] does not match our hacked version at [2] in
    one
    > important way: The one we threw together for our own use required
    > validation of the SOAP extension elements found in the Envelope and
    > Header.  [2] instead uses processContents="lax".  This means a
    > validating parser MAY skip the contents of the Header and Envelope
    elements.
    >
    >
    >
    > [1] http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelopenamespace
    >
    > [2] http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ebxml-msg/schema/envelope.xsd
    >
    >
    >
    > To make the suggested change to our msg-header.xsd file, we must
    change
    > the document in a few more ways than previously suggested.  In
    addition
    > to removing mention of our specific schema location for the SOAP
    > namespace, we must STRONGLY RECOMMEND the XML parser be configured to
    > interpret processContents="lax" as processContents="strict".   (I'd
    > prefer MUST to avoid long sentences describing requirements in this
    > area for any level of security assurance.)  If the SOAP specification
    > doesn't do this for us already, we should also require the XML parser
    to
    > validate received documents.
    >
    >
    >
    > thanx,
    >
    >     doug
    >
    >
    >
    
    
    
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