Re: OpenSRS API Question

[inbox]

On Wed, 15 Jan 2003 14:10:15 -0500
 Colin Viebrock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Agreed, but I have a Tucows reseller account in order to purchase and manage domain names. I do not have a Tocows account because I like to "[do] a bit of work" to implement their API spec.

My point is that *TOO MUCH WORK* is required to implement the spec as currently documented.

I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this. I didn't
find it too much work, and neither have others.

Agreed.

As for the "basic operations" a reseller needs to perform, I think that
the default client is adequate for 95% of resellers. As for the other
5%, I suspect the majority of them are running a flavour of server that
OpenSRS supports (*nix, Win32), or that PHP supports (pretty much
everything) and they use my PHP class.

You clearly fall into a very specialized niche, so complaining that
OpenSRS doesn't support you is a bit quibblesome.

I would wonder (rhetorically, please) why you didn't check if OpenSRS
supported your platform/software before signing on.

I did.

I stated such in my initial post here.

Not according to the 2 samples I have been provided thus far.

I to thought your statement was "the way it is" but both example clearly show there is an initial security dialog which ends with a cookie. This cookie is then provided with each command / message.
Where is this stuff documented and pulled together so one know how the coreography is to be perfromed?????

Perhaps I am again confused???

There is no "cookie" in the HTTP sense of the word. Some of the OpenSRS
commands require you set a "cookie" before performing changes on a
domain. This, like everything else, is all detailed in the API spec.

Guess I'm just dumb .... Or just impatient .... ;-)

What possible use would this be? To check your encryption algorhythm?

Yup!

I don't work for OpenSRS, but I'm pretty sure they will tell you that
that level of support is *way* outside their scope. Join a cryptography
newsgroup for this.

I again disagree.
But the real argument here is "support philosphy". I think OpenSRS's claim of "open support" incures far more liability than the DOCs currently address.

Compare the output of your class against the default Perl class.

Again, Perl is not a simple step for me and the purpose of the DOCS is to be language agnostic. Your statement is true becasue the DOCS are insufficient for the task at hand.

The specs *are* language agnostic. Unless you consider XML a high-level
language. Personally, I understand XML better than random binary bytes.

Then why does everyone keep refering me to the Perl code instead of a document?

Or better yet, how come people aren't RTFM'ing me with a page number *IN* a document?

My answer is, again, the provided stuff is myopic and lacks the big "language agnostic picture" to tie it all together. *PLEASE* remember that I do keep saying the Docs looks fine as a referance to a working system .... I don't have a working system nor is it easy for me to set one up and understand it.

The required information has been blown though a shot gun into a bunch of disconnected documents ....

Colin, I'm in the Domain business not the software business. I expect fast and simple support so I can make money.

See,

http://www.netcraft.com/survey/

which cleary shows Microsoft is implemented on approximantly 30% of the 35 million sites surveyed.

Tucows is refusing to properly support its customer base though direct support of the Windows Platform..

Who cares what 30% of 35 million sites run? What matters is what your
site runs.

Exactly!

Perhaps you missed the part where I said I'm using Windows?

You say OpenSRS doesn't support Windows? So bug OpenSRS support. If
they can't meet your needs, and you can't code your own solution, go
elsewhere.

As I stated in my first post I did contact OpenSRS tech support by phone before I ever started posting here. In fact I had no idea this "forum" even existed until OpenSRS told me about it.

*THEY* told me to ask the question here.

Or ask if anyone else has got OpenSRS's scripts and/or Perl/PHP running
on a Windows 98 box without IIS. Don't ask for a TCP-IP dump of the
encoded XML packets.

As I previously stated, I have a custom Windows application that needs an automated registration feature via Tucows. Nothing more and nothing less.

The stuff you recommended does not help me.

Again, it's overkill of overkill.

Agreed, but that is what a good spec does. A good spec address a very low standard of the "unit stardard fool" (otherwise known as fool proofing).

Okay. Pretend the spec says "once you have the XML, encode it using
DES/CBC encryption. For more information on DES and CBC, go here:
{link}". Use Google to find that link.

I did and that is how I found,

http://www.counterpane.com/blowfish-download.html

But your "plan" in no way reveals the unique OpenSRS Private key Hash,

http://www.opensrs.org/archives/dev-list/0202/0078.html
http://www.opensrs.org/archives/dev-list/0202/0081.html
http://www.opensrs.org/archives/dev-list/0111/0075.html

Once you do, suggest to OpenSRS they add it to their spec.

You've got the spec. You've got the default code. You've got all the
tools and information required to build your own client.

1) Yes I can read

2) Yes I have code that I do not understand and whos language is completely foriegn to me.

Perhaps I should send you some of my MatLab code to prove my point. MatLab is a true parallel processing language and thus virtually all coding is done without any need for loops or while statements (but is does have them). Using MatLab you can code multimensional pointers into your data thus completely avoiding the need for loops.

If I coded Blowfish in MatLab I'll bet dollars to doughnut you'd have no clue how to follow the code .... Unless of course you have experiance with MatLab. So I could say you are the problem when I give you the MatLab code and you can't follow it, but I personally would never do such a thing. I'd pull up a chair and walk you through it.

I would admit that I don't understand MatLab, and go searching for the
Blowfish website, and see how they implement it. Or I'd dig up Perl's
Crypt::CBC class, try and figure it out, and write it in a language I
did understand (which I did, BTW:
http://pear.php.net/package-info.php?pacid=48).

One one hand you claim to have been programming since 1986. On the
other, you claim not to be able to follow a fairly self-evident API spec.

Yup, I've allways admitted I'm a very ignorant person. And I live by the following:

It has been truely observed that when a wise man does not understand he will say,

"I do not understand"

Only the ignorant and uncultured are ashamed of their ignorance and so remain silent when a question would bring wisdom .....

Sorry, but I've now given you all the help I can. Good luck.

Nothing to be sorry about!
You gave me just what I wanted and I appreciate your effort *VERY MUCH*!

Thank you Colin! You've been a great help!