Subject: Re: PIN BOF

From: [email-masked] (Igor Faynberg)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 11:54:37 -0500

I am back with the PITs!

A notification--I am proposing a definition--is what is sent because it
was requested.  These things have been dealt with in PINT.

What is happening in PIN is triggers, that is events that were not
specifically requested to be reported by the means of the protocol.
Thus, the PIN services are invoked by the triggers that came from the
PSTN.

To illustrate the difference, I offer the following example. When I
order a salmon stake in a restaurant, what will come on a plate will
be notification.  When I fish in New Jersey bay, see the float triggered
(and feel what the Internet feels when it sees the PSTN trigger for
ICW), and then pull out the line, the fish at its end is the sort of
a PIN service.

Could we, maybe, agree on terminology?

Respectfully,

Igor

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From: Scott Petrack <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 10:24:05 -0500 (EST)

The distinction seems to be between:

 a server which is listening on some port in case a client wishes to
send it a request, 

 a specific request from one host to receive notifications about some
events.

As far as I know, IN triggers are truly requests for notification -- they
must be "armed" in order to be active. So the process of triggering begins
when an SCP sends a request to arm a trigger. It would be far too slow to
have an SCP listening in on a port for every single call attempt and then
decide what to do.

An example of the other type would be a mailbox or post office box that
you have in order to receive notice of specials at the fish store, should
there be any.

Of course, you are correct that in the PIN BOF there was also discussed
the service where the PSTN sends one of these "unsolicited invitations".

Scott

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