[Libvirt-cim] [PATCH] [RFC] Enhance handling of association's references

[Heidi Eckhart]

Dan Smith wrote:
> HE>          return NULL;
> HE>  }
> HE> @@ -144,9 +165,6 @@ static CMPIStatus do_assoc(struct std_as
> HE>          handler = std_assoc_get_handler(ctx, ref);
> HE>          if (handler == NULL) {
> HE>                  CU_DEBUG("No handler found.");
> HE> -                cu_statusf(ctx->brkr, &s,
> HE> -                           CMPI_RC_ERR_FAILED,
> HE> -                           "Unable to handle this association");
> HE>                  goto out;
> HE>          }
>
> HE> @@ -243,9 +261,7 @@ static CMPIStatus do_ref(struct std_asso
>
> HE>          handler = std_assoc_get_handler(ctx, ref);
> HE>          if (handler == NULL) {
> HE> -                cu_statusf(ctx->brkr, &s,
> HE> -                           CMPI_RC_ERR_FAILED,
> HE> -                           "Unable to handle this association");
> HE> +                CU_DEBUG("No handler found.");
> HE>                  goto out;
> HE>          }
>
> Why should we not return error in these cases now?  Currently, these
> signal the case of someone trying to do something like:
>
>   wbemcli ain -ac Xen_SystemDevice http://...:Xen_MemoryPool
>
> (i.e. resolving a particular association with an invalid reference)
Because this is only a request the provider is not responsible for, but 
not an error case. There exists the possibility that another provider is 
called by the same request and this on is responsible for this request, 
returning valid instances that are revoked, because our provider only 
wants to tell "I'm not responsible for this request". The behavior of an 
association provider in the case he figures out that he is not 
responsible for a certain request is to be "silent". On the other hand - 
avoiding such invalid requests is the responsibility of the client.

-- 
Regards

Heidi Eckhart
Software Engineer
Linux Technology Center - Open Hypervisor

heidieck at linux.vnet.ibm.com

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