[TAP] sync vs async - time outs

[Patrick Dowler]

For async queries, UWS specifies a resource under the job:


.../async/<jobID>/termination

whose value is the amount of time (in sec) that the service is willing to 
spend executing the job (presumably before killing it). In UWS one can try to 
negotiate a longer value by POSTing a new value to that resource, eg

POST .../async/<jobID>/termination
TERMINATION=600

to request 600 seconds. In all the UWS job controls, the web resource and the 
parameter to set it are the same: you address the we resource but http still 
needs a parameter. The service does not have to accept your request, but I 
would assume that accepting a smaller value would usually work (re: one of 
Gerard's examples)

So, on the surface TAP already has a web resource to find out the timeout and 
a parameter called TERMINATION which can be used with a specific async job to 
request a specific timeout (but in a specific way noted above).


I propose that we also include TERMINATION as a parameter for sync queries 
with exactly the same meaning and semantics. It is really an omission of 
necessary explanatory text that it is not in the document already and this is 
a very small addition. As with UWS, it has a default value and services can 
ignore the param (eg ignore the reqeust to change from the default) if they 
like so it is optional from both ends.

PS-There is a related issue with UWS that I will post to the gws list asap.

-- 

Patrick Dowler
Tel/Tél: (250) 363-0044
Canadian Astronomy Data Centre
National Research Council Canada
5071 West Saanich Road
Victoria, BC V9E 2M7

Centre canadien de donnees astronomiques
Conseil national de recherches Canada
5071, chemin West Saanich
Victoria (C.-B.) V9E 2M7