Foreword
The Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium (“CalConnect”) is a global non-profit organization with the aim to facilitate interoperability of technologies across user-centric systems and applications.
CalConnect works closely with liaison partners including international organizations such as ISO, OASIS and M3AAWG.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the CalConnect Directives.
In particular the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the CalConnect Directives.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CalConnect shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the CalConnect list of patent declarations received (see www.calconnect.com/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee CALCONNECT.
Introduction
CalConnect Conference XXXIII took place on May 20-22, 2015, hosted by 11 in Buchares, Romania. The CalConnect Conference was attended by 21 people from 9 members, and two non-member observers. The Interoperability Test Event was held immediately prior to the Conference on May 18-20, 2015, and had 12 participants onsite from 6 members, respectable attendance numbers for our first event in eastern Europe.
At this Conference we again used our redesigned CalConnect Conference format, originally tried at the January 2015 Conference, to provide sessions of broader interest. Instead of our usual Technical Committee sessions, workshops and BOFs, several sessions on broader topics and at a higher level were offered, with the intent of providing more value to our participants. Some of the very detailed discussions formerly part of a conference TC session were moved to earlier in the week, during the Interoperability Test Event. The Conference finished with the CalConnect Plenary Session on Friday afternoon. The Conference agenda, with notes on the discussion topics, may be found at CalConnect XXXIII Schedule.
Report on CalConnect Conference XXXIII, May 20-22, 2015
1. Documents since Last Conference
Much of the ongoing work in CalConnect is focused on specifications to become internet draft submissions to the IETF and ultimately be progressed to become RFCs (Proposed Standards), rather than be directly published by CalConnect itself.
1.1. Published Documents
Report on CalConnect Conference XXXII in San Jose, California
Report on Interoperability Test Event XXXII
2. Update on Technical Committee Work and Initiatives
2.1. CALSCALE Ad Hoc
The Ad Hoc was closed upon the publication of RFC 7529, Non-Gregorian Recurrence Rules in iCalendar (RSCALE)
2.2. TC API
TC API spun off its data model discussion to TC DEVGUIDE. Much of the discussion has been on simplified JSON data formats and benefits/issues with REST APIs, and the need for a media type that defines a JSON document that describes collection contents. Going forward the TC will focus on mapping WebDAV multistatus to a JSON data format with its own media type.
2.3. TC AUTODISCOVERY
The TC has produced an initial draft of a mechanism for multiple service discovery via a single protocol for client setup and submitted to the IETF: Aggregated Service Discovery. The protocol has been implemented in at least one server and one client. The TC is now dormant waiting for an opportunity to move this forward at the IETF.
2.4. TC CALDAV
Work over last 4 months:
Shelved calendar resource drafts until/unless we see more client interest. We will refactor Managed Attachments to use Server Info Document once it stabilizes. Focused primarily on Server Info Document which now has an initial draft: draft-douglass-server-info.
Decisions:
Initial spec will probably punt on including per-service DAV properties/values
Define a Server-Info-Token response header that servers can use to notify clients of a change to server capabilities (rather than relying on clients to poll)
Need a way for clients to specifically request that the server return Server-Info-Token response header — currently If-Not-Server-Info-Token request header
Open Issues:
Should we use Server-Info-Token as both a request and response header or use a If-Not-Server-Info-Token request header as in current draft? Should we include “features” that are currently only discoverable via DAV properties, e.g. sync-collection, add-member, current-user-principal
Should we include a Link header with server-info-href and newly defined reltype in OPTIONS responses? Some investigation into a small number of clients yields that clients typically do a PROPFIND on .well-known before ever doing an OPTIONS, so a client could fetch server-info-href property in initial PROPFIND and potentially bypass OPTIONS completely
Should server-info-href be available on ALL resources or limited to just a sub-set of resources (e.g. .well-known, calendar-homeset, user principals)
Work for next 4 months:
Finish up the serverinfo document. Work on a public version of the CalDAV server matrix. Plan on a client version of the matrix.
2.5. TC DEVGUIDE
The TC was established as a spin-off from TC API. Over the last four months it has had initial discussions on topics that need to be covered in the Developer’s Guide. Over the next four months we will pick three high level topics and create a detailed description of each. Additionally alternative publication means such as github will be evaluated.
2.6. TC EVENTPUB
The TC became active to work on using QRCODE and data-uris to distribute events without the need for network connections. An initial draft was created for discussion. Over the next four months the TC will continue with the QRCODE work and clarify the use case for embedded data. Additionally a decision must be made as to whether a new URI scheme is the best way forward.
2.7. TC FREEBUSY
The TC has been working on the VPOLL specification: VPOLL: Consensus Scheduling Component for iCalendar. The basic specification is mostly complete and the TC started work on other poll-modes such as task assignment and signup mode. Task assignment would be associated with project management. Signup would, for example, allow a simple signup to (probably social) events, perhaps indicating what the signee would bring to the event.
Over the next four months the TC will continue work on defining the sign-up poll mode and work on restructuring the draft.
2.8. TC FSC
TC FSC (Federated Shared Calendars) has been working on the invitation flow for shared calendars and published calendars (e.g. enhanced webcal) and will continue its work in this area, and has run into some issues on how to deliver the invites over a secure connection without reinventing iSchedule.
Over the next four months the TC will mock up the invitation flow and upgrade process, make more progress on authentication flows, and plan for interop testing. It is jointly working with TC SHARING to resolve ambiguities in how invitations are managed and sharing is handled in different circumstances.
2.9. TC IOPTEST
The TC planned for and conducted the interop testing event at CalConnect XXXIII, reported on at CalConnect Interoperability Test Event Reports Reports once completed. The TC will now begin planning for the testing at CalConnect XXXIV this autumn.
2.10. TC ISCHEDULE
TC ISCHEDULE discussed the relationship to TC FSC and whether the DKIM model used in iSchedule might be applicable to TC FSC, or whether a different security model could be used for both FSC and iSchedule. Over the next four months, the TC will wait for the IETF TZDIST working group to conclude, then update the iSchedule draft to use the scheduleto: URI scheme and start encouraging the IETF to initiate a working group to take the iSchedule draft forward.
2.11. TC PUSH
The TC has finished an initial specification of the Push Discovery and Push NOtificaiton Dispatch Protocol, thought the draft still requires updating. Members have implemented the application server portion, Push Gateways, and a client that supports Push on Android. Over the next four months the TC will continue to work on the spec.
2.12. TC RESOURCE
TC RESOURCE is dormant, waiting on its drafts to begin progression at the IETF.
2.13. TC SHARING
The base specifications for webdav resource sharing and webdav notifications have been published to the IETF: WebDAV Resource Sharing and WebDAV Notifications. CalDAV sharing is almost complete. Over the next four months the TC will continue to wor on the CalDAV sharing spec and continue discussions of contacts sharing.
2.14. TC TASKS
Over the last four months the TC looked into what is necessary to get client support for the new properties, etc. A thorough review was completed of all thenew items that might need to be included in interop testing. The TC also reviewed time tracking aplications, and decided the first step would be a new duration property to allow a record of time spent on a task. Also looked at various ways task assignment is being done, and how overdue tasks might be presented to users.
Over the next four months the TC will work on an event type taxonomy and continue working on tests for the new drafts.
2.15. TC TIMEZONE
The TC is on hold pending the progression of its two drafts at the IETF via the TZDIST Working Group: Time Zone Data Distribution Service and CalDAV: Timezones by Reference. The Time Zone Data Distribution Service draft is now in last call, and the Time Zones by Reference draft has completed working group last call.
4. Future Events
CalConnect XXXIV: September 28 — October 2, 2015, Gershon Janssen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
CalConnect XXXV: January 25-29, 2016, AOL, Palo Alto, California
CalConnect XXXVI: Spring 2015, TBA
The general format of the CalConnect week is:
Monday morning through Wednesday noon, CalConnect Interoperability Test Event
Wednesday noon through Friday afternoon, CalConnect Conference (presentations, TC sessions, BOFs, networking, Plenary)
The format for European events is to move TC sessions to the afternoon, offer symposia and BOFs during Thursday and Friday mornings, and continue through Friday afternoon.
5. Pictures from CalConnect XXXIII
Figure 1 — The Skytower in Bucharest; CalConnect was on the 34th floor
Figure 2 — View from the 34th floor of the Skytower
Figure 3 — CalConnect XXXIII Conference
Figure 4 — The Conference dinner at Caru' cu bere