Subject: Comments on draft-ietf-ipv6-scope-api-00.txt

From: Roy Brabson <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 15:57:17 -0400

While working on supporting and exploiting the scoped address 
architecture, I've noticed I need several new APIs to implement the 
support within applications and library routines.  For instance, I've 
found that I need versions of inet_pton() and inet_ntop() which support 
scoped addresses.  I guess one option here would be to deprecate both of 
these APIs and instead use getnameinfo() and getaddrinfo() to perform the 
function, but that just doesn't feel right when processing link-local 
addresses or multicast addresses.  I've also found a need for APIs to map 
a scope zone index to a scope zone name and vice-versa, similar to how 
if_nametoindex() and if_indextoname() work for interface indices and 
names.

How are others dealing with supporting scoped addresses within their 
applications and library routines?  While I could define proprietary API 
extensions to support these functions (and will have to if there are no 
standard ones available), it seems to me that others who implement the 
scoped address architecture will need similar APIs.  Is this something 
which needs addressing, and if so should the APIs be standardized?  If the 
answers are yes, then it would seem to me the logical home would be the 
new scoped address API draft.  Is anyone actively working to update this 
draft to include new scope-aware APIs?  If not, and if there is interest, 
I'd be willing to take a stab at defining the API extensions needed to 
support the scoped address architecture.

Roy
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