    Network Working Group                                         P. Hoffman
    Request for Comments: 4157                                VPN Consortium
    Category: Historic                                           August 2005

                            The prospero URI Scheme

    Status of This Memo

       This memo defines a Historic Document for the Internet community.  It
       does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
       this memo is unlimited.

    Copyright Notice

       Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).

    Abstract

       This document specifies the prospero Uniform Resource Identifier
       (URI) scheme that was originally specified in RFC 1738.  The purpose
       of this document is to allow RFC 1738 to be made obsolete while
       keeping the information about the scheme on standards track.

    1.  Introduction

       URIs were previously defined in RFC 2396 [RFC2396], which was updated
       by RFC 3986 [RFC3986].  Those documents also specify how to define
       schemes for URIs.

       The first definitions for many URI schemes appeared in RFC 1738
       [RFC1738].  Because that document has been made obsolete, this
       document copies the prospero URI scheme from it to allow that
       material to remain on standards track.

    2.  Scheme Definition

       The prospero URL scheme is used to designate resources that are
       accessed through the Prospero Directory Service.  The Prospero
       protocol is described in the original Prospero specification [PROSP].

       Historical note: The Prospero protocol was not widely implemented and
       almost no Prospero servers are in use today.

       A prospero URL takes the form:

       prospero://<host>:<port>/<hsoname>;<field>=<value>

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    RFC 4157                The prospero URI Scheme              August 2005

       If :<port> is omitted, the port defaults to 1525.  No username or
       password is allowed.

       The <hsoname> is the host-specific object name in the Prospero
       protocol, suitably encoded.  This name is opaque and interpreted by
       the Prospero server.  The semicolon ";" is reserved and may not
       appear without quoting in the <hsoname>.

       Prospero URLs are interpreted by contacting a Prospero directory
       server on the specified host and port to determine appropriate access
       methods for a resource.  The access methods might themselves be
       represented as different URLs.  External Prospero links are
       represented as URLs of the underlying access method and are not
       represented as Prospero URLs.

       Note that a slash "/" may appear in the <hsoname> without quoting,
       and no significance may be assumed by the application.  Though
       slashes may indicate hierarchical structure on the server, such
       structure is not guaranteed.  Note that many <hsoname>s begin with a
       slash, in which case the host or port will be followed by a double
       slash: the slash from the URL syntax, followed by the initial slash
       from the <hsoname> (e.g., <URL:prospero://example.com//pros/name>
       designates a <hsoname> of "/pros/name").

       In addition, after the <hsoname>, optional fields and values
       associated with a Prospero link may be specified as part of the URL.
       When present, each field/value pair is separated from each other and
       from the rest of the URL by a ";" (semicolon).  The name of the field
       and its value are separated by a "=" (equal sign).  If present, these
       fields serve to identify the target of the URL.  For example, the
       OBJECT-VERSION field can be specified to identify a specific version
       of an object.

    3.  Security Considerations

       Many security considerations for URI schemes are discussed in
       [RFC3986].  [PROSP] uses passwords in the clear for authentication,
       and offers no privacy, both of which are considered extremely unsafe
       in current practice.

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    RFC 4157                The prospero URI Scheme              August 2005

    4.  Informative References

       [RFC1738]  Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., and M. McCahill, "Uniform
                  Resource Locators (URL)", RFC 1738, December 1994.

       [RFC2396]  Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R., and L. Masinter, "Uniform
                  Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax", RFC 2396,
                  August 1998.

       [RFC3986]  Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R., and L. Masinter, "Uniform
                  Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax", STD 66, RFC
                  3986, January 2005.

       [PROSP]    Neuman, B. and S. Augart, "The Prospero Protocol",
                  USC/Information Sciences Institute, June 1993.

    Author's Address

       Paul Hoffman
       VPN Consortium
       127 Segre Place
       Santa Cruz, CA  95060
       US

       EMail: paul.hoffman@vpnc.org

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    RFC 4157                The prospero URI Scheme              August 2005

    Full Copyright Statement

       Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).

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    Acknowledgement

       Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
       Internet Society.

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