Re: [Elwyn Davies] Gen-art review: draft-ietf-secsh-break-04

[Jacob Nevins <jacobn+secsh%chiark.greenend.org.uk@localhost>]

> s2: para 4: The text says 'If the BREAK-length parameter is 0 *or not
> present*, the BREAK SHOULD be interpreted...'. As far as I can see no
> other ssh message has optional parameters in this way. Although it would

To save anyone else grovelling round:

I wondered if it was a backwards compatibility measure. However, the
"break-length" parameter has been present in every published draft from
"draft-ietf-secsh-break-00" (according to tools.ietf.org), and the "or
not present" language only appeared in the latest draft (-04).

That language doesn't appear to have come from any of the suggested
changes from the WG that fed into -04 (e.g., from Ben Harris or
der Mouse); it doesn't appear to have been proposed before the
publication of -04.