Subject: AS#2, Section 2.2, MDN Suggestion

From: "Gregory W. Vesper" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 16:01:15 -0700

Greetings all,

Cyclone Software has already implemented EDIINT over HTTP and HTTPS and
pursuant to a discussion this morning with Dale Moberg, I would like to
provide the following suggestion regarding optional support for asynchronous
MDNs.

HTTP(S) is particularly well suited to the process driven exchange of large
documents.  However, synchronous MDNs introduce robustness and reliability
challenges when the client connection fails or times out before receiving an
MDN from the receiving HTTP(S) server.  I therefore recommend modifying the
AS2 specification to optionally support asynchronous MDNs as follows.

The receiving system generates an MDN and asynchronously sends it back to
the originating system via a seperate HTTP(S) client connection to the
originator's HTTP(S) server.  The destination for the MDN is identical to
the destination for other inbound documents.  The MDN is treated by the
HTTPS(S) client in the same manner as an outbound document.

This architecture is extremely flexible, scalable, and adaptable.  We have
extensively tested and deployed this scheme with very positive results.  And
in fact, we found it significanly more elegant to implement over having the
HTTP(S) client wait for the HTTP(S) server to return an MDN.

Thus I recommend the following modifications to the specification:
1) Accomodate two separate MDN options - synchronous and asynchronous
2) Optionally accomodate asynchronous MDNs as a failsafe for dropped or
timed out synchronous MDNs.

Sincerely,
-Greg.

Gregory W. Vesper, Cyclone Software
t. 602-793-3934 f. 602-607-4996
www.cyclonesoftware.com

---

From: "Rik Drummond" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 17:25:50 -0600

It seems like a good idea.... rik

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gregory W. Vesper [mailto:[email-masked]]
> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 1999 5:01 PM
> To: [email-masked]
> Cc: Terry Harding; Rik Drummond
> Subject: AS#2, Section 2.2, MDN Suggestion
>
>
> Greetings all,
>