2004/id/draft-ietf-uri-url-irp-00.txt

IETF URI Working Group                                        R. Denenberg
Internet-Draft                                                    J. Kunze
draft-ietf-uri-url-irp-00.txt                                    B. McLean
22 November 1994                                                   Editors
Expires in six months

                  Uniform Resource Locators for Z39.50


1. Status of this Document

This document is an Internet-Draft.  Internet-Drafts are working documents
of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its Areas, and its Working
Groups.  Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as
Internet-Drafts.

Internet-Drafts are working documents valid for a maximum of six months.
Internet-Drafts may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents
at any time.  It is not appropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
material or to cite them other than as a ``working draft' or ``work in
progress.''

To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the
1id-abstracts.txt listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow
Directories on ds.internic.net, nic.nordu.net, ftp.isi.edu, or
munnari.oz.au.

Distribution of this document is unlimited.  Please send comments to
jak@violet.berkeley.edu, or to the discussion lists uri@bunyip.com and
z3950iw@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu.


2. Introduction

Z39.50 is an information retrieval protocol that does not fit neatly into
a retrieval model designed primarily around the stateless fetch of data.
Instead, it models a general user inquery as a session-oriented, multi-
step task, any step of which may be suspended temporarily while the
server requests additional parameters from the client before continuing.
Some, none, or all of these client/server interactions may require
participation of the client user, depending only on the client software
(the protocol itself make no such requirements).

On the other hand, retrieval of "well-known" data may be performed in
a single step, that is, with a degenerate Z39.50 session consisting of
exactly one protocol search request and response.  Besides the basic
search sub-service, there are several ancillary sub-services (e.g., Scan,
Result Set Delete).  Among the functions covered by combinations of the
sub-services, two core functions emerge as appropriately handled by two
separate URL schemes:  the Session URL and the Retrieval URL.

Using two schemes instead of one makes a critical distinction between
a Z39.50 Session URL, which opens a client session -- leaving the user
to close it -- and a Z39.50 Retrieval URL, which opens and closes a client
session, then displays any retrieved results.  Making this distinction at
the scheme level allows the user interface to reflect it on to the user,
but without actually requiring the user display formatter to parse
otherwise opaque parts of the URL (consistent with current practice).


3. The Z39.50 Session URL

The Z39.50 Session and Retrieval URLs follow the Common Internet Scheme
Syntax as defined in RFC ???, "Uniform Resource Locators (URL)" [1].
The specific syntax for the Session URL is:

        z39.50s://host[:port]
                [/database[+database...]
                        [?docid
                                [&esn=elementset]
                                [&rs=recordsyntax[+recordsyntax...]]]]

This may be informally described as providing the mechanism to switch
the user of the browser to a window in which a Z39.50 client is running.

   -  Host is required.
   -  Port is optional, and defaults to 210.
   -  All other parameters are optional, however, if docid is present,
      then database must be present.
   -  The Z39.50 client will start a session to the specified host/port
      (alternatively, it need not explicitly start a session, but may
      instead utilize an already open session to the same host/port).
   -  If docid is included, the client will perform the specified search
      (in the same manner as for the retrieval URL, specified below).
   -  If docid is not included, and other parameters (besides host/port)
      are specified, the client may use those parameters as "hints".
      Various clients may choose to treat them as requirements, or as
      preferences, or ignore them.
   -  In any case (whether a search is performed or not), the client will
      leave the Z39.50 session open for the user, to do retrievals, new
      searches, etc.  This is the main distinction from the z39.50r URL.


4. The Z39.50 Retrieval URL

The specific syntax for the Retrieval URL is:

        z39.50r://host[:port]
                [/database[+database...]
                        [?docid
                                [&esn=elementset]
                                [&rs=recordsyntax[+recordsyntax...]]]]

The model is designed for minimal interaction by the user with the Z39.50
session to be used as a transparent transfer mechanism if possible.  The
result of processing this URL should be a Result Set, which the client is
responsible for returning to the user's browser in an appropriate form
(e.g., HTML).

   -  Host, database, and docid are required.
   -  The docid is server-defined and otherwise opaque.
   -  Port is optional, and defaults to 210.
   -  If element set name (esn) is not specified, it is client's choice.
      If esn is specified, it should be used within the Search request for
      the value of  small- and/or medium- set-element-set-names.  These
      terms and their use are defined within the Z39.50 Standard [2].
   -  If record syntax (rs) is not specified, it is client's choice.
      If one or more record syntaxes are specified, the client should
      select one (preferably the first in the list that it supports) and
      use it within the Search request as the value of PreferredRecordSyntax.
   -  The docid is placed into a type-1 query, as the single term, in
      the general format (tag 45), using the Bib-1 attribute set, with
      a Use attribute value of docid, and a structure attribute of URX.
      The docid string is completely opaque to the client.

Future extensions to these URLs will be of the form of [&keyword=value].


5. Acknowledgements

The Z39.50 Implementors Group contributed the substance of this document.


6. References

   [1] Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., McCahill, M. (editors), "Uniform
       Resource Locators (URL)", soon to be RFC ???, October 1994.
       ftp://ds.internic.net/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-09.txt

   [2] ANSI/NISO Z39.50-1992, "ANSI Z39.50:  Information Retrieval Service
       and Protocol", Version 2, 1992,
       ftp://ftp.cni.org/pub/NISO/docs/Z39.50-1992/www/Z39.50.toc.html
       (also available in hard copy from Omnicom Information Service,
       115 Park St., SE, Vienna, VA  22180).

7. Editors' Addresses

Ray Denenberg
Library of Congress
Collections Services
Network Development/MSO
Washington DC 20540
ray@rden.loc.gov
Voice: (202) 707-5795
Fax:   (202) 707-0115

John A. Kunze
Information Systems and Technology
University of California at Berkeley
293 Evans Hall
Berkeley, CA  94720
jak@violet.berkeley.edu
Voice: (510) 642-1530
Fax:   (510) 643-5385

Bradley McLean
Gaylord Information Systems
7272 Morgan Rd.
Liverpool, NY  13088
brad@bradpc.gaylord.com
Voice: (315) 457-5070
Fax:   (800) 272-3412
1	IETF URI Working Group R. Denenberg
2	Internet-Draft J. Kunze
3	draft-ietf-uri-url-irp-00.txt B. McLean
4	22 November 1994 Editors
5	Expires in six months
6
7	Uniform Resource Locators for Z39.50
8
9
10	1. Status of this Document
11
12	This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working documents
13	of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its Areas, and its Working
14	Groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as
15	Internet-Drafts.
16
17	Internet-Drafts are working documents valid for a maximum of six months.
18	Internet-Drafts may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents
19	at any time. It is not appropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
20	material or to cite them other than as a ``working draft' or ``work in
21	progress.''
22
23	To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the
24	1id-abstracts.txt listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow
25	Directories on ds.internic.net, nic.nordu.net, ftp.isi.edu, or
26	munnari.oz.au.
27
28	Distribution of this document is unlimited. Please send comments to
29	jak@violet.berkeley.edu, or to the discussion lists uri@bunyip.com and
30	z3950iw@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu.
31
32
33	2. Introduction
34
35	Z39.50 is an information retrieval protocol that does not fit neatly into
36	a retrieval model designed primarily around the stateless fetch of data.
37	Instead, it models a general user inquery as a session-oriented, multi-
38	step task, any step of which may be suspended temporarily while the
39	server requests additional parameters from the client before continuing.
40	Some, none, or all of these client/server interactions may require
41	participation of the client user, depending only on the client software
42	(the protocol itself make no such requirements).
43
44	On the other hand, retrieval of "well-known" data may be performed in
45	a single step, that is, with a degenerate Z39.50 session consisting of
46	exactly one protocol search request and response. Besides the basic
47	search sub-service, there are several ancillary sub-services (e.g., Scan,
48	Result Set Delete). Among the functions covered by combinations of the
49	sub-services, two core functions emerge as appropriately handled by two
50	separate URL schemes: the Session URL and the Retrieval URL.
51
52	Using two schemes instead of one makes a critical distinction between
53	a Z39.50 Session URL, which opens a client session -- leaving the user
54	to close it -- and a Z39.50 Retrieval URL, which opens and closes a client
55	session, then displays any retrieved results. Making this distinction at
56	the scheme level allows the user interface to reflect it on to the user,
57	but without actually requiring the user display formatter to parse
58	otherwise opaque parts of the URL (consistent with current practice).
59
60
61	3. The Z39.50 Session URL
62
63	The Z39.50 Session and Retrieval URLs follow the Common Internet Scheme
64	Syntax as defined in RFC ???, "Uniform Resource Locators (URL)" [1].
65	The specific syntax for the Session URL is:
66
67	z39.50s://host[:port]
68	[/database[+database...]
69	[?docid
70	[&esn=elementset]
71	[&rs=recordsyntax[+recordsyntax...]]]]
72
73	This may be informally described as providing the mechanism to switch
74	the user of the browser to a window in which a Z39.50 client is running.
75
76	- Host is required.
77	- Port is optional, and defaults to 210.
78	- All other parameters are optional, however, if docid is present,
79	then database must be present.
80	- The Z39.50 client will start a session to the specified host/port
81	(alternatively, it need not explicitly start a session, but may
82	instead utilize an already open session to the same host/port).
83	- If docid is included, the client will perform the specified search
84	(in the same manner as for the retrieval URL, specified below).
85	- If docid is not included, and other parameters (besides host/port)
86	are specified, the client may use those parameters as "hints".
87	Various clients may choose to treat them as requirements, or as
88	preferences, or ignore them.
89	- In any case (whether a search is performed or not), the client will
90	leave the Z39.50 session open for the user, to do retrievals, new
91	searches, etc. This is the main distinction from the z39.50r URL.
92
93
94	4. The Z39.50 Retrieval URL
95
96	The specific syntax for the Retrieval URL is:
97
98	z39.50r://host[:port]
99	[/database[+database...]
100	[?docid
101	[&esn=elementset]
102	[&rs=recordsyntax[+recordsyntax...]]]]
103
104	The model is designed for minimal interaction by the user with the Z39.50
105	session to be used as a transparent transfer mechanism if possible. The
106	result of processing this URL should be a Result Set, which the client is
107	responsible for returning to the user's browser in an appropriate form
108	(e.g., HTML).
109
110	- Host, database, and docid are required.
111	- The docid is server-defined and otherwise opaque.
112	- Port is optional, and defaults to 210.
113	- If element set name (esn) is not specified, it is client's choice.
114	If esn is specified, it should be used within the Search request for
115	the value of small- and/or medium- set-element-set-names. These
116	terms and their use are defined within the Z39.50 Standard [2].
117	- If record syntax (rs) is not specified, it is client's choice.
118	If one or more record syntaxes are specified, the client should
119	select one (preferably the first in the list that it supports) and
120	use it within the Search request as the value of PreferredRecordSyntax.
121	- The docid is placed into a type-1 query, as the single term, in
122	the general format (tag 45), using the Bib-1 attribute set, with
123	a Use attribute value of docid, and a structure attribute of URX.
124	The docid string is completely opaque to the client.
125
126	Future extensions to these URLs will be of the form of [&keyword=value].
127
128
129	5. Acknowledgements
130
131	The Z39.50 Implementors Group contributed the substance of this document.
132
133
134	6. References
135
136	[1] Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., McCahill, M. (editors), "Uniform
137	Resource Locators (URL)", soon to be RFC ???, October 1994.
138	ftp://ds.internic.net/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-09.txt
139
140	[2] ANSI/NISO Z39.50-1992, "ANSI Z39.50: Information Retrieval Service
141	and Protocol", Version 2, 1992,
142	ftp://ftp.cni.org/pub/NISO/docs/Z39.50-1992/www/Z39.50.toc.html
143	(also available in hard copy from Omnicom Information Service,
144	115 Park St., SE, Vienna, VA 22180).
145
146	7. Editors' Addresses
147
148	Ray Denenberg
149	Library of Congress
150	Collections Services
151	Network Development/MSO
152	Washington DC 20540
153	ray@rden.loc.gov
154	Voice: (202) 707-5795
155	Fax: (202) 707-0115
156
157	John A. Kunze
158	Information Systems and Technology
159	University of California at Berkeley
160	293 Evans Hall
161	Berkeley, CA 94720
162	jak@violet.berkeley.edu
163	Voice: (510) 642-1530
164	Fax: (510) 643-5385
165
166	Bradley McLean
167	Gaylord Information Systems
168	7272 Morgan Rd.
169	Liverpool, NY 13088
170	brad@bradpc.gaylord.com
171	Voice: (315) 457-5070
172	Fax: (800) 272-3412