Subject: Re: [NNTP] 502 and 503

From: "Clive D.W. Feather" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 11:08:20 +0000

Russ Allbery said:
> Clive D W Feather <[email-masked]> writes:

>> * If the server recognizes the command but does not provide an optional
>>   feature  (for example because it does not store the required information),
>>   or only handles a subset of legitimate cases (see the HDR command for an
>>   example), the response code 503 MUST be returned.
> 
>> * If the client is not authorized to use the specified facility when
>>   the server is in its current state, then the appropriate one of the
>>   following response codes MUST be used.
>>   502: it is necessary to terminate the connection and start a new one with
>>        the appropriate authority before the command can be used.

>> To me, the meanings are:
>>   502: you made a wrong choice, disconnect and try again
>>   503: I don't do that
> 
> I really don't want to describe 502 that way.  If, for example, you
> connect to a public read-only server, POST is going to return 502 in the
> common case because the server *supports* POST, it's just been configured
> to deny that particular client access to the command.  But it's going to
> keep returning 502 forever.

I don't disagree - the "wrong choice" here is to come in from the wrong IP
address. So this is a 502. (Do I need to rephrase the definition of 502 to
include this case?)

> It's really:
>   502: permission denied, at least in this mode
>   503: command not supported

503 's not really that either; it's more "this feature of this command not
supported".

> That being said, given the above explanation, I'm okay with IHAVE in
> reader mode or POST in transit mode being 503.

502 still feels the right thing to me.

What's current practice?

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather  | Work:  <[email-masked]>   | Tel:    +44 20 8495 6138
Internet Expert     | Home:  <[email-masked]>  | Fax:    +44 870 051 9937
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Thus plc            |                            |

---

From: Russ Allbery <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 10:29:01 -0800

> What's current practice?

502.  I thought you were arguing for 503; if you're happy with 502, that's
fine by me.  That's the one that makes the most sense to me as well.

-- 
Russ Allbery ([email-masked])             <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>

---

From: "Clive D.W. Feather" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2004 13:55:37 +0000

> fine by me.  That's the one that makes the most sense to me as well.

I thought *you* were arguing for 503! Okay, that's settled.