Dale, I agree with you but I also must point out that configuration does not necessarily mean mutual agreement. What if I set retries to 3 and you set to 5. Does this really make any difference? I don't think so. However, if you make a configuration decision like syncReply=true, then I need to know and, if we have not previously agreed, you need to indicate this in the headers. TRP agreed not to require a CPA. I have never taken that to mean a lack of a configuration file (although nothing says the structure of the configuration file has to match the CPA spec). I have always taken that to mean a lack of pre-agreement on some parameters. This might mean I download your url/service/action from a registry and send you an unsolicited business document. This is what I mean by bootstrap. Regards, David Fischer Drummond Group.