Affect on client/server interactions

[Mike_Spreitzer.PARC@xxxxxxxxx]

The possibility of conflicts and resolutions may affect the applications (LDAP
clients and whatnot).  I can imagine at least four positions on this issue; the
requirements and architecture drafts should explicitly say which is taken.

1.  Completely unmodified clients and users.  Clients use "plain" LDAPv3, and
nothing else, to access the data.  Users use only these plain clients.

2.  Unmodified clients plus administrative side doors.  Clients use "plain"
LDAPv3 for data access.  Additionally, there are administrative side doors that
allow special clients to set conflict detection and resolution policies for
various parts (exactly what constitutes a "part" is open to design) of the data
space.

3.  Modified clients tunnel extra information through LDAPv3.  Using additional
entries and/or attributes, clients can indicate how they want conflicts
detected and resolved.

4.  Modified clients use new data access protocol.

My initial impression is that 3 and 4 are distinguished only by a spurrious
conservatism, but that doesn't reflect a lot of thought.

The above is focused on how clients affect conflicts and resolutions (supposing
this is possible at all).  A related issue is how information about conflicts
and resolutions (if any is to be made available) gets back to the clients.
Similar options present themselves.