Re: LDAP C API: error handling

[Mark Wahl <M.Wahl@INNOSOFT.COM>]

> This change doesn't help standardize error handling, but
> it allows implementations to use whatever error handling
> reporting mechanisms are suitable. ... In reality, there are
> many and the choice depends upon the implementation.

Again, this would prevent interoperability using this API.  

A standards-track document can't say that the client SHOULD use an 
implementation-specific mechanism to obtain this information.   Either
we define the behavior, we use operating-specific mechanisms (where
applicable), or we say that obtaining additional information is the 
subject of future standards work.  Where the first option is too 
difficult at present, I would lean toward the second option.  Implementation
specific error reporting doesn't work when the run-time LDAP library is not 
the same as the build-time LDAP library, and many modern operating environments
support dynamic linking.

> If it's acceptable to allow for ldap_init/ldap_open error
> reporting to be implementation specific, I would same
> would apply to ber_*(), ldap_msg*() routines, ldap_count_*(),
> ldap_*free*(), ldap_explode_*dn(), ldap_dn2ufn().

I think it would be premature to discuss this when we have not worked out
what the error conditions would be.  

Mark Wahl, Directory Product Architect
Innosoft International, Inc.