From: david@mks.com (David Rowley)
Newsgroups: comp.std.unix
Subject: Your chance to contribute to new POSIX archive format
Date: 24 Jul 1992 16:39:01 -0700
Organization: Mortice Kern Systems Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
NNTP-Posting-Host: ftp.uu.net
X-Submissions: std-unix@uunet.uu.net

Submitted-by: david@mks.com (David Rowley)

Here is your chance to enlighten and improve the world.  Help us to
create and standardize the best archive format in the known universe,
and maybe even get your name in a future IEEE Standard.

The IEEE POSIX.2 working group is currently undertaking an effort to
create a new PAX archive format to support the additional file
information that historical utilities such as tar and cpio cannot
represent.

We intend to make this a 3rd archive format for the PAX utility, which
currently provides an interface to the tar and cpio formats.

The group is working with ISO 1001 as a starting point, trying to retain
full compatibility with that format, while extending it as required.
ISO 1001 is a tape-based record-oriented format, historically used by
large systems to store data on 9-track tape.  It is an ASCII,
80-character per record based format, allowing data portions to be
arbitrary data, and of arbitrary length.  The compatibility with older
environments, the fact that it is a well-recognized format that many
installations and engineers have familiarity with along with the
format's extensibility were the reasons for the group initially choosing
this format.

While some work has been done on this format, the group is by no means
unanimously sold on the suitability of ISO 1001 format.  It is large,
contains wasted space due to the fixed-length header and volume records,
discusses media-specific notions such as tape marks (although these are
not used in the proposed PAX format), and has been around since the
early fixed-length record-based days of computing.

In order to make sure we are not overlooking something better, we are
soliciting alternate proposals for this archive format.  The following
requirements should be addressed:

	- Support for >32 bit systems

	- Be extensible, to allow for future support of security information,
	  contiguous files, system management information, special files,
	  larger field sizes for dates, times, file lengths, etc.

	- Support portability of file, user, group names and other
	  file information across machines of differing codesets and/or
	  locales (i.e. it should work on ASCII, EBCDIC, ISO 10646 and
	  Shift-JIS systems alike).

	- The archive must be able to be stored on as many media types
	  as possible, including but not limited to 9-track and streaming 
	  tape, diskette, CDROM, ftp files, etc.

Non-Goals:

	The following are *not* goals of this format, but requests to
	increase the scope of this effort will be entertained to include
	items of interest.

		- Encryption of individual files in the archive

		- Compression of individual files in the archive

		- Translation of file contents between differing
		  codesets (i.e. format only needs to handle translation
		  of file *names*, etc)

		- Storage of filesystem specific information (such as inodes)

		- Direct mailability of the archive file (without translation,
		  such as through uuencode)

NOTE:  PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS FROM THE   I  E  E  E

	In order for the working group to consider a proposal, IEEE must
	have full rights to freely copy, reproduce and otherwise make use
	of, the written and intellectual contents of the proposal.  IEEE
	must then, if the proposal is adopted, be able to copyright the
	work as part of an approved standard.  So, if you want to retain
	*any* exclusive rights to the format, don't submit it!

	While we would like to see as many proposals as possible, the
	IEEE and the POSIX.2 working group make no commitments to
	support any or all of the proposals offered.

	(This legalese courtesy of an overly litigious society)

Format of Proposals:

	Please include the following in your proposal:

		- Your name and contact information (e-mail if possible)

		- The intellectual property status of the proposal and
		  the format described in the proposal

		- Technical information on the format, including
		  definition of terms, data formats, etc.

		- A description of how the proposed format could be
		  extended to handle new, and as yet unknown, file
		  types, etc.

		- Comments on experience with the format, including
		  strong points, weaknesses, etc.

		- A brief description of the history of the format and
		  current users.

		- Any known comparison between the suitability of the
		  proposed format and ISO 1001

While comments on the suitability of the ISO 1001 format will be
welcomed, we would much prefer constructive proposals of alternate
formats.

Timeframe:

	While the process of standardizing the format will take a fair
	bit of time (likely finished by Fall '93, early '94), the sooner
	the proposal is received, the sooner it will sway the collective
	opinion of the working group.   So hurry, send now, send often.
	All proposals received in time for the October POSIX meeting
	(see below) will be considered at that meeting.

Please send all comments, questions and of course, proposals, to 

		David Rowley
		MKS, Inc.
		35 King St. North
		Waterloo, Ontario
		CANADA
		N2P 2W9 
		david@mks.com
		Tel: 519 884-2251
		Fax: 519 884-8861
or
		Mark Brown
		IBM
		11400 Burnet Rd.
		Austin, Texas 78758
		Mailstop: 9582
		mbrown@testsys.austin.ibm.com
		Tel: 512 838-3926

Other/additional ways of participating:

	Join the POSIX.2 Working Group!  Come out to POSIX meetings and
	contribute your insight and knowledge.  The next meeting will
	be held in Utrecht, The Netherlands on October 19-23.  POSIX.2
	will be meeting on October 22nd and 23rd.  (Most POSIX meetings
	are held in the US).  For more information, please contact:

		Secretary
		IEEE Standards Board
		445 Joes Lane, PO Box 1331
		Piscataway, NJ
		08855-1331

-- 
David Rowley
Mortice Kern Systems Inc.
35 King Street North, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2J 2W9
519/884-2251, FAX 519/884-8861, david@mks.com

Volume-Number: Volume 28, Number 59