RFC 1728 (rfc1728) - Page 2 of 6

Resource Transponders

RFC 1728                 Resource Transponders             December 1994


      location system must be updated by hand. Some systems (archie in
      particular) proactively create updated indexes by contacting every
      resource on a certain time schedule (every 30 days or so) but this
      means that the system can be up to 30 days out of date, and this
      process can be highly inefficient depending on the percentage of
      information that has changed.

   2) Conversely, anyone who maintains a resource that they wish indexed
      must keep track of every directory which contains a pointer to
      that resource, so that if it is modified, all the directories can
      be updated. This obviously is an optimistic scenario.

   3) Many organizations which have installed these systems do not have
      the the available resources or expertise to maintain the
      information in the systems. Thus we have long periods where the
      information drifts, then a short period when the information is
      updated again.

   4) Even though these systems are almost always out of date today,
      this problem will become increasingly harder for humans to manage
      by hand as everyone on the net becomes their own publisher. Also,
      as the net speeds up and people rely more and more on accurate
      information, human-induced delays in updates of these systems will
      become increasingly intolerable.

   5) Most, if not all, of these systems provide no security whatsoever;
      if a pointer to a resource appears in a locator system, then it is
      assumed to be meant for public consumption. There are many
      potential information providers who would like to use publicly
      deployed information systems to publish to a very selected
      clientele, and do not wish to allow the whole net access to their
      resources.

2. Requirements for a Solution

   There are several objectives which must be met by any proposed
   solution to these problems:

   1) We need to decrease the personnel resources needed for indexing
      and pointer maintenance.

   2) We need to increase the reliability and accuracy of the
      information held in resource location systems.

   3) We need to provide some mechanisms for security, particularly by
      mediating access to the resources.





Weider