The file URI Scheme
draft-kerwin-file-scheme-00

Network Working Group                                          M. Kerwin
Internet-Draft                                             June 20, 2013
Intended status: Standards Track
Expires: December 22, 2013

                          The file URI Scheme
                      draft-kerwin-file-scheme-00

Abstract

   This document specifies the file Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
   scheme that was originally specified in [RFC1738]. The purpose of
   this document is to keep the information about the scheme on
   standards track, since [RFC1738] has been made obsolete.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   2.  Scheme Definition  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   3.  References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
     3.1  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
     3.2  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   Author's Address             . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3

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1. Introduction

   URIs were previously defined in [RFC1738], which was updated by
   [RFC3986]. Those documents also specify how to define schemes for
   URIs.

   The first definition for many URI schemes appeared in [RFC1738].
   Because that document has been made obsolete, this document copies
   the file URI scheme from it to allow that material to remain on
   standards track.

2. Scheme Definition

   The file URL scheme is used to designate files accessible on a
   particular host computer. This scheme, unlike most other URL schemes,
   does not designate a resource that is universally accessible over
   the Internet.

   A file URL takes the form:

     file://<host>/<path>

   where <host> is the fully quilified domain name of the system on
   which the <path> is accessible, and <path> is a hierarchical
   directory path of the form <directory>/<directory>/...<name>

   For example, a VMS file

     DISK$USER:[MY.NOTES]NOTE123456.TXT

   might become

     <URL:file://vms.host.edu/disk$user/my/notes/note12345.txt>

   As a special case, <host> can be the string "localhost" or the empty
   string; this is interpreted as `the machine from which the URL is
   being interpreted'.

   The file URL scheme is unusual in that it does not specify an
   Internet protocol or access method for such files; as such, its
   utility in network protocols between hosts is limited.

3. References

3.1 Normative References

3.2 Informative References

   [RFC1738]  Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., and M. McCahill, "Uniform
              Resource Locators (URL)", RFC 1738, December 1994.

   [RFC3986]  Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R., and L. Masinter, "Uniform
              Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax", STD 66,
              RFC 3986, January 2005.

Author's Address

   Matthew Kerwin

   Email: matthew@kerwin.net.au

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