RFC 1728 (rfc1728) - Page 2 of 6
Resource Transponders
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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means that the system can be up to 30 days out of date, and this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4) Even though these systems are almost always out of date today,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