Subject: Protocol Action: 'IMAP UNSELECT command' to Proposed Standard

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 15:30:25 -0500

The IESG has approved following document:

- 'IMAP UNSELECT command '
   <draft-melnikov-imap-unselect-01.txt> as a Proposed Standard

This document has been reviewed in the IETF but is not the product of an
IETF Working Group. 

The IESG contact person is Ned Freed.

Technical Summary
 
   Certain types of IMAP clients need to release resources associated
   with the selected mailbox without selecting a different mailbox.
   While IMAP4 provides this functionality (via a SELECT command with
   an invalid argument or reselecting the same mailbox with EXAMINE
   command), a more clean solution is desirable.

   IMAP4 defines the CLOSE command that closes the selected mailbox as
   well as permanently removes all messages with the Deleted flag set.
   However [IMAP4] lacks a command that simply closes the mailbox
   without expunging it. This document defines the UNSELECT command for
   this purpose.

   A server which supports this extension indicates this with a
   capability name of "UNSELECT".
 
Working Group Summary
 
   This specification was reviewed on the IMAP mailing list
   but is not the product of any IETF working group.
 
Protocol Quality
 
   Ned Freed reviewed the protocol for the IESG.

RFC Editor note:

 The abstract of this specification needs to be relabelled as
 the introduction and the following abstract inserted:

   This document defines an UNSELECT command that can be used to
   close the current mailbox in an IMAP4 session without expunging it.
   Certain types of IMAP clients need to release resources associated
   with the selected mailbox without selecting a different mailbox.
   While IMAP4 provides this functionality (via a SELECT command with
   an invalid argument or reselecting the same mailbox with EXAMINE
   command), a more clean solution is desirable.

 An IANA consideration section needs to be added that says:

   IMAP4 capabilities are registered by publishing a standards track or
   IESG approved experimental RFC.  The registry is currently located
   at:

        http://www.iana.org/assignments/imap4-capabilities

   This document defines the UNSELECT IMAP capabilities.
   IANA should add this capability to the registry accordingly.