xeps/xep-0259.xml

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<xep>
<header>
  <title>Message Mine-ing</title>
  <abstract>In servers that deliver messages intended for the bare JID to
  all resources, the resource that claims a conversation notifies all
  of the other resources of that claim.</abstract>
  &LEGALNOTICE;
  <number>0259</number>
  <status>Experimental</status>
  <type>Standards Track</type>
  <sig>Standards</sig>
  <approver>Council</approver>
  <dependencies>
    <spec>XMPP Core</spec>
    <spec>XEP-0030</spec>
    <spec>XEP-0045</spec>
    <spec>XEP-0115</spec>
  </dependencies>
  <supersedes/>
  <supersededby/>
  <shortname>mine</shortname>
  &hildjj;
  <revision>
    <version>0.1</version>
    <date>2009-01-21</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark><p>Initial published version.</p></remark>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <version>0.0.1</version>
    <date>2008-10-22</date>
    <initials>jjh</initials>
    <remark><p>First draft.</p></remark>
  </revision>
</header>
<section1 topic='Introduction' anchor='intro'>
  <p>At the time of original writing of this XEP, many XMPP servers
  handle message stanzas sent to a user@host (or "bare") JID with no
  resource by delivering that message only to the resource with
  the highest priority for the target user.  Some server
  implementations, however, have chosen to send these messages to all
  of the online resources for the target user.  If the target user is
  online with multiple resources when the orginal message is sent, a
  conversation ensues on one of the user's devices; if the user
  subsequently switches devices, parts of the conversation may end up
  on the alternate device, causing the user to be confused, misled,
  or annoyed.</p>

  <p>This XEP proposes an approach for cleaning up the leftover
  conversation shards on alternate devices, paving the way for servers
  to deliver messages to multiple devices.  As the basic approach, the
  receiving server asks all of the resources of a user "whose message
  is this?".  The first resource to say "mine!" wins.</p>
</section1>
<section1 topic='Requirements' anchor='reqs'>
  <ul>
    <li>Large changes SHOULD NOT be required to existing servers</li>
    <li>Clients that do not implement the new protocol MUST be able
    participate in conversations</li>
    <li>All messages MUST NOT be delivered to all devices at all
    times, due to scale concerns</li>
    <li>Clients that do not own the message MUST be notified
    when a different device claims ownership of the message</li>
    <li>Multiple clients MUST be able to uambiguosly decide which of
    them owns a given message.</li>
  </ul>
</section1>
<section1 topic='Use Cases' anchor='usecases'>
  <section2 topic='Determining Support: Servers' anchor='disco_server'>
    <p>If a server implements the Mine capability, it MUST specify the
    'urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' feature in its service discovery
    information features as specified in &xep0115; or &xep0030;.
    Clients MUST NOT send ownership changes if their server does
    not support this feature.</p>
    <example caption='Client requests information about its own server'><![CDATA[
<iq type='get'
    from='romeo@montague.net/orchard'
    id='info1'>
  <query xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/disco#info'/>
</iq>]]></example>
    <example caption='Server responds with mine feature'><![CDATA[
<iq type='get'
    to='romeo@montague.net/home'
    from='montague.net'
    id='info1'>
  <query xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/disco#info'>
...
    <feature var='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'/>
...
  </query>
</iq>]]></example>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Determining Support: Clients' anchor='disco_client'>
    <p>Clients that support this protocol MUST support <cite>XEP-0115</cite>, and MUST add the
    'urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' feature to their entity capabilities, in
    order to allow for potential server optimizations.</p>
    <example caption='Romeo publishes his capabilities'><![CDATA[
<presence from='romeo@example.net/home'>
  <c xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/caps' 
     hash='sha-1'
     node='http://example.com/clients/Mine'
     ver='j+5eLRCz6NP6IEPob80JB6sWR3Y='/>
</presence>
]]></example>
    <example caption='Romeo responds to capabilities inquiry from his server'><![CDATA[
<iq from='romeo@example.net/home'
    id='disco1'
    to='example.net' 
    type='result'>
  <query xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/disco#info'
         node='http://example.com/clients/Mine#/WmLAKHhB87dOqn5NUgxrr5NbfE='>
    <identity category='client' type='pc' name='Mine'/>
    <feature var='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'/>
  </query>
</iq>]]></example>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Receving a message to the bare JID' anchor='receiving'>
    <p>When a server that implements the Mine capability receives a
    message addressed to a user's bare JID, it MUST:</p>
    <ul>
      <li>Ensure that no "whose" element is already on the message.
      See the <link url="#errors">Errors</link> section for processing.</li>
      <li>Add a whose element to the message, containing an id
      attribute with a new value</li>
      <li>Ensure that the the same value of the "id" attribute is
      never sent to the same session </li>
    </ul>

    <p>Messages that have been processed to include a valid "whose"
    element, are now also considered an "ownership request"</p>

    <example caption='Juliet sends Romeo an undirected message'><![CDATA[
<message
    from='juliet@example.com/balcony'
    to='romeo@example.net'
    type='chat'>
  <body>Wherefore art thou, Romeo?</body>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
</message>
]]></example>

    <example caption='The ownership request, before broadcasting'><![CDATA[
<message
    from='juliet@example.com/balcony'
    to='romeo@example.net'
    type='chat'>
  <body>Wherefore art thou, Romeo?</body>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='4'/>
</message>
]]></example>
  </section2>

  <section2 topic='Broadcasting ownership requests' anchor='broadcast'>
    <p>The receiving server MUST send a copy of the ownership request
    to each of that user's non-negative priority resources.  Each copy
    of the message MUST contain a whose element, each of which has the
    same id attribute.</p>
    <example caption='Romeo&apos;s server forwards copies of the
                      message to all of his resources'><![CDATA[
<message
    from='juliet@example.com/balcony'
    to='romeo@example.net/home'
    type='chat'>
  <body>Wherefore art thou, Romeo?</body>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='4'/>
</message>

<message
    from='juliet@example.com/balcony'
    to='romeo@example.net/work'
    type='chat'>
  <body>Wherefore art thou, Romeo?</body>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='4'/>
</message>

<message
    from='juliet@example.com/balcony'
    to='romeo@example.net/mobile'
    type='chat'>
  <body>Wherefore art thou, Romeo?</body>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='4'/>
</message>
]]></example>
  </section2>

  <section2 topic='Claiming ownership' anchor='claim'>
    <p>When one client for a receiving user detects that the user's
    attention has been directed to a given message, that client MUST
    send an ownership claim (mine!) to the bare JID of the receiving
    user.  If there was a thread element in the original message, it
    MUST be included in the acceptance notification.  There MUST NOT
    be a body element in the message, and the message SHOULD use the
    same message type as the ownership request.  The mine element MUST
    include an id element for each of the messages that the client
    wants to accept.  The mine element MUST include at least one
    id.</p>
    <example caption='Romeo&apos;s &quot;work&quot; client claims ownership'><![CDATA[
<message
    to='romeo@example.net'
    from='romeo@example.net/work'
    type='chat'>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <mine xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'>
    <id>4</id>
  </mine>
</message>
]]></example>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Notification of ownership claim' anchor='notification'>
    <p>As with all messages sent to a bare JID at a server
    implementing the Mine feature, the acceptance message MUST be
    forwarded to all of the non-negative priority resources.</p>
    <example caption='Each of Romeo&apos;s clients receives the claim'><![CDATA[
<message
    to='romeo@example.net/home'
    from='romeo@example.net/work'
    type='chat'>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <mine xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'>
    <id>4</id>
  </mine>
</message>

<message
    to='romeo@example.net/work'
    from='romeo@example.net/work'
    type='chat'>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <mine xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'>
    <id>4</id>
  </mine>
</message>

<message
    to='romeo@example.net/mobile'
    from='romeo@example.net/work'
    type='chat'>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <mine xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'>
    <id>4</id>
  </mine>
</message>
]]></example>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Claim processing' anchor='processing'>
    <p>When a client receives an ownership claim that was sent from
    that client for an ID that has not been previously claimed,
    the client MUST note that the message associated with the ID has
    been confirmed, and ignore any further ownership claims for
    that ID.</p>
    <p>When a client receives an ownership claim that was sent from
    a different client of the same user for a ID that has not
    been previously received, the client MUST note that the message
    associated with the ID has been retracted, and ignore any further
    ownership claims for that ID.  Retracted messages SHOULD
    be removed from the client's user interface, or otherwise marked
    in some way as retracted.</p>
    <p>Clients MUST ignore ownership claims for IDs for which they
    have no corresponding message.</p>
    <p>Assuming that messages are delivered and processed in order,
    these rules should ensure that exactly one client resource has a
    confirmed copy of the message</p>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Claims for Multi-User Chat rooms' anchor='muc'>
    <p>The same approach that has been described for one-to-one
    messages above can also be used by &xep0045; (MUC) rooms.
    Rooms that want to participate MUST send the
    'urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' feature in the room's disco info.  The room
    MUST then perform the role of the server in the above
    descriptions, ensuring that unique ID's are assigned to all
    outbound groupchat messages that were addressed to the bare JID of
    the room.  Ownership claims MUST be sent to the bare JID of the
    <strong>room</strong>, not the receiving user.</p>
    <p>This capability might be used to distribute questions to
    multiple experts in a room, such that a single expert answers a
    question.</p>
    <example caption='Message is sent to the room'><![CDATA[
<message
    from='hag66@shakespeare.lit/pda'
    to='darkcave@chat.shakespeare.lit'
    type='groupchat'>
  <body>Harpier cries: 'tis time, 'tis time.</body>
</message>]]></example>
    <example caption='Room forwards message to all participants as ownership request'><![CDATA[
<message
    from='darkcave@chat.shakespeare.lit/thirdwitch'
    to='crone1@shakespeare.lit/desktop'
    type='groupchat'>
  <body>Harpier cries: 'tis time, 'tis time.</body>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='5'/>
</message>

<message
    from='darkcave@chat.shakespeare.lit/thirdwitch'
    to='wiccarocks@shakespeare.lit/laptop'
    type='groupchat'>
  <body>Harpier cries: 'tis time, 'tis time.</body>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='5'/>
</message>

<message
    from='darkcave@chat.shakespeare.lit/thirdwitch'
    to='hag66@shakespeare.lit/pda'
    type='groupchat'>
  <body>Harpier cries: 'tis time, 'tis time.</body>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='5'/>
</message>
]]></example>
    <example caption='A participant claims ownership'><![CDATA[
<message
    to='darkcave@chat.shakespeare.lit'
    from='crone1@shakespeare.lit/desktop'
    type='groupchat'>
  <mine xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'>
    <id>5</id>
  </mine>
</message>
]]></example>
  </section2>
</section1>

<section1 topic='Error Cases' anchor='errors'>
  <section2 topic='Invalid "whose"' anchor='bad_whose'>
    <p>A server receives a message addressed to the bare JID of a
    user, from a different user than the one in the to address,
    containing a "whose" or "mine" element, it MUST NOT forward the
    message on to any clients.  This case is always either an attack,
    a misconfiguration, or the result of bad code.  If the user in the
    from address is already known to the user in the to address (for
    example, to user in the to address has a presence subscription to
    the user in the from address), the server MAY send back a helpful
    "bad-request" error.</p>
    <example caption='Romeo responds to a bad request from his friend Juliet'><![CDATA[
<message
    to='juliet@example.com/balcony'
    from='romeo@example.net'
    type='error>
  <thread>0e3141cd80894871a68e6fe6b1ec56fa</thread>
  <body>My client runneth over</body>
  <whose xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0' id='4'>
  <error type='modify'>
    <bad-request xmlns='urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:xmpp-stanzas'/>
    <text>Yours</text>
  </error>
</message>
]]></example>
    <p>However, if the user in the from address is not known to the user
    in the to address, or the server perfers not to send helpful
    errors, the server MUST treat the message as if it was addressed
    to an unknown user.  Otherwise, sending a message with an invalid
    "whose" or "mine" could allow an attacker to probe for valid users
    at a site.</p>
  </section2>
</section1>
<section1 topic='Business Rules' anchor='rules'>
  <section2 topic='Generating IDs' anchor='generate'>
    <p>The value of the id attribute sent by servers MUST be
    valid output from the NODEPREP profile of stringprep.</p>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic="ID Semantics" anchor="semantics">
    <p>The value of the id resource is completely opqaque;
    receiving clients MUST NOT use any apparent order or semantic in
    the value of the id to perform optimizations or business
    logic.</p>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Comparing IDs' anchor='compare'>
    <p>Clients MUST only compare the value of ID's for equality,
    never for order.  ID's MUST be compared for equality
    octet-for-octet or codepoint-for-codepoint; a basic string
    comparison with no extra canonicalization.</p>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Accepting Multiple IDs' anchor='multiple'>
    <p>A client MAY send multiple id elements in an accceptance.
    Clients that receive a notification with multiple IDs MUST process
    each ID individually, as if multiple claims had been sent.</p>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='When to send?' anchor='when'>
    <p>To avoid race conditions and edge cases (including
    invisibility), if both the client and server support the Mine
    capability, the client SHOULD send ownership queries regardless
    of whether or not the client sees other resources for the same
    user online, or the capabilities of those other resources.</p>
  </section2>
  <section2 topic='Legacy Clients' anchor='unsupported_clients'>
    <p>Clients that do not implement the Mine capability MAY be sent
    notifications by the server.  The server MAY be optimized to
    avoid these notifications, however.</p>
  </section2>
</section1>
<section1 topic='Implementation Notes' anchor='impl'>
  <p>Some examples of events that might lead to a client sending an
  ownsership claim:</p>
  <ul>
    <li>Clicking on a toast notification for the message</li>
    <li>Bringing the client window to the front within a short time
    after receiving the message, where the message is then displayed
    to the user</li>
    <li>Bringing the tab containing the message to the front</li>
    <li>Beginning to type a response to the message</li>
    <li>Closing the window containing the message at least several
    seconds after the message was received</li>
    <li>Clicking an accept button next to a message</li>
    <li>Shutting down the screen saver while the message is in the
    top-most window</li>
    <li>A camera notices the user's eyes directed at the message</li>
  </ul>
</section1>
<section1 topic='Accessibility Considerations' anchor='access'>
  <p>Some care should be given to the events that can cause ownsership
  claims, particularly in the MUC client implementations, such that
  users with different abilities all have a chance to claim ownership.</p>
</section1>
<section1 topic='Security Considerations' anchor='security'>
  <p>Clients MUST ignore acceptance notifications received from other users.</p>
</section1>
<section1 topic='IANA Considerations' anchor='iana'>
  <p>This document requires no interaction with &IANA;.</p>
</section1>
<section1 topic='XMPP Registrar Considerations' anchor='registrar'>
  <p>This XEP proposes the new namespace 'urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'.</p>
</section1>
<section1 topic='XML Schema' anchor='schema'>
<code><![CDATA[
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' ?>

<xs:schema
    xmlns:xs='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema'
    targetNamespace='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'
    xmlns='urn:xmpp:tmp:mine:0'
    elementFormDefault='qualified'>

  <xs:element name='whose'>
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:attribute name='id' type='xs:string' use='required'/>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>

  <xs:element name='mine'>
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element ref='id' minOccurs='1' maxOccurs='unbounded'/>
      </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>

  <xs:element name='id'>
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:simpleContent>
        <xs:extension base='xs:NMTOKEN'/>
      </xs:simpleContent>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>
</xs:schema>
]]></code>
</section1>
</xep>