[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [Handle-info] Handle identifier and URN - what about the slash?

Hi Jakob,

Here are my two cents to your questions:

URN is generally considered a subset of URI and its syntax very much follows the URI syntax, as described in RFC1630. According to RFC1630, both '/' and '.' character are reserved for delimiting of substrings whose relationsip is hierarchical. The DOI-URN syntax you mentioned confirms to such practice. I don't see any problem with the way it uses '/' or '.' in its scheme definition.

We also have some other applications that refers handles as URI/URL directly, under the "hdl:" URI scheme. But it's still unclear if we shall register the "hdl:" URI scheme, the "urn:hdl:" URN scheme, or both. Eventually, I think it's the application that will determine which way to go. Note that handle systems provides a name service that doesn't rely on the use of URI, URN, or URL. It provides an infrastructural service just like DNS, which operates independently from any web-application.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
Sam


----- Original Message ----- From: "Jakob Voss" <jakob.voss@gbv.de>
To: <handle-info@cnri.reston.va.us>
Cc: "Konstantin Rekk" <konstantin.rekk@gbv.de>
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 7:59 AM
Subject: [Handle-info] Handle identifier and URN - what about the slash?


Hi!

We think about using handle but we also need to create URNs so we must
conform to RFC 2141 [1]. In RFC 2141 URN syntax is defined as

<URN> ::= "urn:" <NID> ":" <NSS>

<NSS> ::= 1*<URN chars>

<URN chars> ::= <trans> | "%" <hex> <hex>

<trans> ::= <upper> | <lower> | <number> | <other> | <reserved>

<reserved> ::= '%" | "/" | "?" | "#"

But it is also stated that reserved characters should not be used:

2.3.2 The other reserved characters

RFC 1630 reserves the characters "/", "?", and "#" for particular
purposes. The URN-WG has not yet debated the applicability and
precise semantics of those purposes as applied to URNs. Therefore,
these characters are RESERVED for future developments.  Namespace
developers SHOULD NOT use these characters in unencoded form, but
rather use the appropriate %-encoding for each character.


However handle (RFC 3650 [2]) uses the slash ('/') to seperate Handle
Naming Authority and Handle Local Name:

<Handle> ::= <Handle Naming Authority> "/" <Handle Local Name>

For instance DOI as an application of Handle includes a slash in its
identifier but there is also an URN representation of DOI, although it
does not seem to be official [3], but known for years [4]. The syntax is

<DOI-URN> ::= "urn:" "doi:" <Handle Naming Authority> "/" <Handle Local
Name>


My questions:
1) Is it a problem to use such handle-based URNs with slash in it?
2) Do you know of other uses of handle beside DOI that also use URN?

Greetings,
Jakob

References:
[1] http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2141.txt
[2] http://www.handle.net/rfc/rfc3650.html
[3] http://www.doi.org/factsheets/DOIIdentifierSpecs.html
[4] http://www.dlib.org/dlib/may99/05paskin.html


_______________________________________________
Handle-Info mailing list
Handle-Info@cnri.reston.va.us
http://www.handle.net/mailman/listinfo/handle-info 


_______________________________________________
Handle-Info mailing list
Handle-Info@cnri.reston.va.us
http://www.handle.net/mailman/listinfo/handle-info