[Samtools-devel] SAM v1.2 specification : Header : the @RG PL and PU tags

[Chambers, J. <jer...@ro...>]

Re: the @RG PL tag ...

Examples of this tag don't appear in the v1.2 (version 0.1.2-draft) SAM Format spec.  However, in the unofficial v1.3 draft there are a few instances described as 'valid values': 

	ILLUMINA, SOLID, LS454, HELICOS, and PACBIO.

How necessary will it be to use these values versus what are the consequences if we used a different set of values that fit better with our corporate requirements? 

Are there specific requirements on the syntax, such as not starting with a number and/or not including spaces (or if there is no such requirement currently, is there one implicitly understood and expected in the future)?

Same question for the @RG PU tag.

Thanks,
Jeremy