On Mon, 27 Jan 2003, Andreas Aardal Hanssen wrote:
> Then I think you don't understand my question.. Should STORE _always_
> return an untagged FETCH response, even if the flags were _not_ updated?

No.  STORE does not return an untagged FETCH response when you use
".SILENT".

Perhaps your question should have been:

"Should STORE always return an untagged FETCH response when ".SILENT" is
not used, even if the flags were not altered?"

In that case, the answer is: "Yes, because there is nothing in the
specification to indicate otherwise."

If you now wish to ask:

"What should the client do if the server fails to return an untagged FETCH
response from STORE"?

The answer is: "The client should only change its assumptions about the
state of the flags when it receives an untagged FETCH response.  What that
means depends upon earlier activity in the session.  If the client has
never received an untagged FETCH response from the server for that
message, then the flags state was, and remains, undefined.  If the client
had earlier received an untagged FETCH response, then may be reasonable
for the client to assume that the flags are the same as before.
Nevertheless, since the server should have sent the untagged FETCH
response, a cautious client would assume that the state of the flags is
undefined until such time as it receives an untagged FETCH."

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.

Reply via email to