Re: Issue 2 (TAG)

[Rainer Gerhards <rgerhards@hq.adiscon.com>]

On Mon, 2003-10-06 at 10:24, Albert Mietus wrote:
> Rainer Gerhards writes:
>
>  >      TAG          =  full-stat-id  [full-dyn-id] (':' / SP)
>  >      full-stat-id =  [path] progname
>  >      full-dyn-id  = '[' proc-id [thread-part] ']'
>  >      path         =  path-part 1*(path-sep [path])
>  >      path-part    = 1*VISUAL
>  >      path-sep     = '/' / '\'
>  >      progname     = 1*VISUAL
>  >      proc-id      = 1*ALFANUM  ; recommended: number
>  >      thread-part  = thread-sep thread-id
>  >      thread-sep   = VISUAL     ; recommended: ",", or ':', or '.'
>  >      thread-id    = 1*ALFANUM  ; recommended: number
>  >      VISUAL       = ([a-zA-Z0-9...], excusing  '['
>  >      SP           = %d32
>
> Some remark (aside it look nice)
>
> * See my other mail about the termniting colon.
> * The terminating SP shouldn't be part of the tag. I think, it is a
>   separator between fiels/parts (like in other parts of -sign.

I agree. If you look at my original comments, I said that I just
included it as above because there is no way you can do this in ABNF
without specifying more than just the tag. I will try to update my
(partly not published yet) syslog ABNF to include your sample and then
post this.
> * I agree on you other mail: proc/'/thread can be main/detail
> * A path may start with a path-part (/like/this)
>
>  > By updating it, some more points were raised (it is much like
>  > implementing;)):
>
>  > - I made full-dyn-id optional
> Yes
>
>  > - VISUAL must allow non US-ASCII characters
> It shoud allow allo characters that are allowable in "syslog" :-)
In RFC3164 (as well as e.g. sysklogd real world package), they can be
non US-ASCII. So this would just save from further limitiation not
currently existiing.
>
>  > - do we really need to describe the path?
> Yes, Bit limmited. Only to describe how to find PROGNAME. Which is
> frequently used in relays (all syslogd use it. The use PROGNAME, not
> TAG!
OK, I think a language issue. My point was not if we need a path. It is
helpful. My point was if we really need to describe it in ABNF:
>  >      path         =  path-part 1*(path-sep [path])
>  >      path-part    = 1*VISUAL
>  >      path-sep     = '/' / '\'
>
wouldn't it be sufficient to say

        path            = 1*VISUAL

thus not thinking about path being separated by slashes?

>  > - why not fix thread-sep to ","?
>
> Allowing "many" characters, make it possible to use "native" notation
> for several platforms. (I don't use thread frequently, so I made a
> guess which chars to uses).
>
> It is like allowing both '/' and '\' for directories. (Allowing ':'
> for the Mac is complex, as the colon becomes used to often.

Ah, yes... I now agree.
>
>
>  > - MUST proc-id/thread-id by ALFANUM - would a SHOULD be sufficient (what
>  > do we gain from a MUST)?
>
> Probally, I'm not an expert on MUST and SHOULD notation, I must ( or
> should:-) say.

If I get it right, MUST is it really MUST - always, ever, no way around
it. SHOULD is a recommendation, but it leaves room to treat do it
differently if the implementation sees a need for it.
>
>  > - The ABNF is still not fully correct in the terminating SP of the
>  > message... This can not be done only by specifying the tag. But I think
>  > it is sufficiently to convey the idea.
That was the (somewhat hidden;)) point about SP not being correctly
represented ;)
>
> See above,
>
> Thansk for the help!
Thanks for all your help!

Rainer