Actions and Return Codes

The module syntax allows for the module return codes to be over-ridden on a per-module basis. The actions section allows for section return codes to be over-ridden on a per-section basis.

Syntax

actions {
	fail = 1
	ok = handled
	reject = return
	retry {
		max_rtx_time = 1
		max_rtx_count = 3
		max_rtx_duration = 3
	}
}

section priority overrides are specified in an actions block, which must be the last thing in a section. Actions can be set in blocks for the following keywords:

case
if
else
elsif
foreach
group
limit
switch
timeout
transaction

The actions block cannot be used for redundant, redundant-load-balance, or load-balance keywords. Those sections already have default actions to take for the various return codes. Allowing the actions block to over-ride those default actions would cause those sections to operate incorrectly.

Priorities

Higher numbers mean higher priorities. An rcode of fail with priority 3 will over-ride an rcode of ok with priority 1,

Override Syntax

The format of an override is <rcode> = (<integer>|<action>) - That is, a number greater than or equal to 0, or a named action.

Table 1. Named Actions
Action	Description
break	"break" out of the parent block and stop processing it.
default	Use the default priority for this rcode.
reject	return a `reject` rcode.
retry	re-run the section, as given by the the `retry` subsection.
return	return out of the parent block and stop processing it.

Return code Description

Return code	Description
`fail`	The operation failed. Usually as a result of an external dependency like a database being unavailable or an internal error.
`handled`	The request has been "handled", no further policies in the current section should be called, and the section should immediately exit.
`invalid`	The request, or operation, was invalid. In the case of requests this usually indicates absent or malformed attribute values.
`noop`	The operation did nothing.
`notfound`	A 'lookup' operation returned no results.
`ok`	Operation completed successfully but did not change any attributes in the request.
`reject`	The operation indicates the current request should be 'rejected'. What this actually means is different from protocol to protocol. It usually means that access to the requested resource should be denied, or that the current request should be NAKd. Usually returned when provided credentials were invalid.
`updated`	The operation completed successfully and updated one or more attributes in the request.
`disallow`	Access to a particular resource is denied. This is similar to `reject` but is the result of an authorizational check failing, as opposed to credentials being incorrect.
`yield`	Returned by an operation when execution of a request should be suspended.

fail

The operation failed. Usually as a result of an external dependency like a database being unavailable or an internal error.

handled

The request has been "handled", no further policies in the current section should be called, and the section should immediately exit.

invalid

The request, or operation, was invalid. In the case of requests this usually indicates absent or malformed attribute values.

noop

The operation did nothing.

notfound

A 'lookup' operation returned no results.

ok

Operation completed successfully but did not change any attributes in the request.

reject

The operation indicates the current request should be 'rejected'. What this actually means is different from protocol to protocol. It usually means that access to the requested resource should be denied, or that the current request should be NAKd. Usually returned when provided credentials were invalid.

updated

The operation completed successfully and updated one or more attributes in the request.

disallow

Access to a particular resource is denied. This is similar to reject but is the result of an authorizational check failing, as opposed to credentials being incorrect.

yield

Returned by an operation when execution of a request should be suspended.

In versions ≤ v3.2.x the disallow rcode was called userlock. disallow and userlock have an identical meaning. disallow will be returned in any instance where userlock was returned in v3.0.x or v3.2.x

Retry subsection

The retry subsection is optional, and is only used when the right-hand side of an action is retry.

Table 2. Retry Configuration
Configuration	Description
max_rtx_count	maximum number of times this section is retried.
max_rtx_time	maximum time for one try before it is time out, and another retry made.
max_rtx_duration	maximum time for all retries before the section returns `fail`

All times and durations are parsed as the data type time_delta.

If no value is given, it is assumed to be zero.