[OpenAFS-devel] IBM public license code (from OpenAFS) in samba/examples/nss ok?

[Simo Sorce]

On Thu, 2004-08-26 at 17:53, Volker Lendecke wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 26, 2004 at 11:46:54AM -0400, Jeffrey Hutzelman wrote:
> > For a couple of years now I've been maintaining a registry of AFS protocol 
> > constants, including RPC opcode numbers (http://grand.central.org/numbers); 
> > a side goal is to eventually completely document the various AFS protocols. 
> > To that end, it has always been my intent to provide .xg files and opcode 
> > headers which can be freely used by any AFS implementation.
> 
> How do you make sure that this information is not tainted by any license?
> 
> Completely reverse-engineer the way the Samba developers do? This is probably
> not possible for anybody ever having looked at OpenAFS code and who has gained
> knowledge of the inner workings. Probably someone without any prior knowledge
> has to look at (encrypted) network traces and try to work out the inner
> workings of the protocol, the way Samba has been developed over the years.

You can also just run the clean room approach even yourself or made by 2
people A & B.
If you do your self just let at least 2-3 weeks pass before point B.

A) read the original code and describe the protocol detailing only what
is indispensable to implement it, not a single line of code must be put
in this document, you should describe and name everything with your own
fantasy, do not follow the original code naming convention.

B) implement the protocol basing your work only on the description
produced by point A. Never look at the original code to avoid being
influenced too much.

Said that I've never done such thing and I don't think it is worth of in
many case, it seem a very difficult and boring job, looking at traces is
much more funny :-)

Anyway, that works for copyright, with patents it doesn't matter what
method you use, even looking only at network traces doesn't.

Simo.
-- 
Simo Sorce    -  idra@samba.org
Samba Team    -  http://www.samba.org
Italian Site  -  http://samba.xsec.it