[patch] SLP support (+ question)

[jw schultz]

On Mon, Sep 23, 2002 at 12:38:14AM +1000, Brad Hards wrote:

> The attached patch adds "first draft" support for service location protocol, 
> using OpenSLP  (http://www.openslp.org). This allows you to automagically 
> discover all the rsync servers on your network (which is defined in terms of 
> your SLP configuration - typically equal to multicast scope, but you can 
> change it around with Directory agents).
> Here is an example:
> bradh at squirt rsync-2.5.5 $ slptool findsrvs service:rsync
> service:rsync://192.168.0.22:873:/,65535
> service:rsync://192.168.0.22:873:,65535
> service:rsync://squirt.cuneata.net.(none):873:,65535
> service:rsync://squirt.cuneata.net:873:,65535
> 
> [OK, so these are really all the same server, but there is no reason why a 
> real network wouldn't have a selection]
> 
> It has at least one major problem - Doesn't report name and comment 
> attributes. I don't think I understand when the config file is being read. 
> AFAICT, lp_numservices should be set up when I'm running the SLP routines in 
> clientserver.c (see patch, with // style comment lines), but it isn't. If 
> anyone can find a better spot to do the service registration, please hack 
> away, or let me know.
> 
> Other known problems:
> * shouldn't hardwire the portnum, instead should read from rsync_port. 
> * needs to have a standard set of attributes defined. I'll chase this up with 
> Erik Guttman.
> * Needs to do smarter things if hostname or domainname are broken.
> * Probably needs to do smarter things for multi-homed hosts.
> 
> If anyone was in doubt after all that: DON"T APPLY THIS TO A PRODUCTION BOX.
> 
> Any comments - let me know.

Why?  This looks like bloat to me.  SLP is really meant for
GUI client support.  Are their any GUI interfaces that are
using rsync that also want SLP?.  Use of an rsync server
is by invitation only.  I don't recall seeing anyone ask for
this in at least the last 6 months.  

With the value in doubt we could at least wait until the
"final draft" of SLP.

Having said all that.  If the various file-managers (As used
in KDE, GNOME etc), actually start supporting rsync
transfers and SLP it might be worth adding.  The time to add
it, if ever, would be when we get requests from the
file-manger developers who can show us the advantage in their
source trees.



-- 
________________________________________________________________
	J.W. Schultz            Pegasystems Technologies
	email address:		jw at pegasys.ws

		Remember Cernan and Schmitt