The 'file' URI Scheme
draft-kerwin-file-scheme-07

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Network Working Group                                          M. Kerwin
Internet-Draft                                                       QUT
Intended status: Standards Track                          September 2013
Expires: January 02, 2014

                         The 'file' URI Scheme
                      draft-kerwin-file-scheme-07

Abstract

   This document specifies the file Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
   scheme that was originally specified in [RFC1738].  The purpose of
   this document is to keep the information about the scheme on
   standards track, since [RFC1738] has been made obsolete, and to
   promote interoperability by resolving disagreements between various
   implementations.

Note to Readers

   This draft should be discussed on its github project page [github].

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted to IETF in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on January 02, 2014.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents

Kerwin                  Expires January 02, 2014                [Page 1]
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   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     1.1.  History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     1.2.  Conventions and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   2.  Scheme Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     2.1.  Components  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     2.2.  Syntax  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   3.  Implementation Notes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     3.1.  Hierarchical Structure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     3.2.  Absolute and relative file paths  . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
     3.3.  Drive Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
     3.4.  UNC File Paths  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     3.5.  Namespaces  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   4.  Encoding and Character Set Considerations . . . . . . . . . .  10
   5.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   6.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     6.1.  URI Scheme Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     6.2.  Status  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     6.3.  URI Scheme Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     6.4.  URI Scheme Semantics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     6.5.  Encoding Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     6.6.  Applications/Protocols That Use This URI Scheme Name  . .  11
     6.7.  Interoperability Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     6.8.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     6.9.  Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     6.10. Author/Change Controller  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     6.11. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
   7.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   8.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     8.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     8.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13

Kerwin                  Expires January 02, 2014                [Page 2]
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1.  Introduction

   The 'file' URI scheme has historically had little or no
   interoperability between platforms.  Further, implementers on a
   single platform have often disagreed on the syntax to use for a
   particular filesystem.  This document attempts to resolve those
   problems, and define a standard scheme which is interoperable between
   different extant and future implementations.  Additionally, it aims
   to ease implementation by conforming to a general syntax that allows