In order to search an ZeeRex database satisfactorily, it is necessary to use some attributes not defined in any existing attribute set conformant to the Z39.50 Attribute Architecture.
Accordingly we define the ZeeRex Attribute Set, consisting of the following access points to be used in conjunction with the attributes in the utility set and the cross-domain set.
The OID of the ZeeRex attribute set is 1.2.840.10003.3.19.
| Type | Value | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | explainAdmin | Searches against this ``special'' access point
must be for one of the following set of special terms:
|
| 1 | 2 | hostName | The search term should be the name of a
particular host whose ZeeRex record is requested.
The name may be specified either as a symbolic name (e.g. muffin.indexdata.dk) or a literal IP address (e.g. 213.150.43.12) but each case will find only records which contain the host name in the specified form: for example, a search for muffin.indexdata.dk will not find a record which only specifies a host name of 213.150.43.12. |
| 1 | 3 | portNumber | The search term should be the number of the port on which the server whose details are requested listens. This may be specified in conjunction with the hostName access point to locate information on one of a variety of Z39.50 servers that reside on the same host. |
| 1 | 4 | databaseName | The search terms should be the name of a database; the search is for all records which include information about a database with that name. |
| 1 | 5 | recordSyntax | The search term should be the symbolic name or
dot-separated OID of a record syntax; the search is for all
records representing databases capable of
supplying records in that record syntax.
As with host names, although there is a choice in how the search term is represented - either as a symbolic name (e.g. USMARC) or as an OID (e.g. 1.2.840.10003.5.10) - each case will find only servers which are specified as being able to supply the record syntax in the specified form: for example, a search for USMARC will not find a record which only specifies a record syntax of 1.2.840.10003.5.10. |
| 1 | 6 | protocol | Searches against this access point must be for one of the terms Z39.50 or SRW. This search finds only databases which are provided by means of the specified protocol. |
| 1 | 7 | attribute | Finds databases which have a map that supports
searching with the specified attribute.
Attributes are specified by a combination of attribute set, attribute type and attribute value. These three elements are glued together into a single search term of the form attributeSet:type=value, where the attribute set is expressed as in the attributeSet attribute in the DTD, the type is a number and the value may be a number or a string. For example, BIB-1:1=21 represents the BIB-1 attribute set's ``subject'' access point. |
It may be that some of these attributes - particularly hostName - have wider applicability outside of ZeeRex. If this is the case, then we should try to have them accepted into the utility or cross-domain set as appropriate.