Subject: Re: Comments on draft-ietf-atommib-atm2-12.txt

From: Randy Presuhn <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 12:10:09 -0800 (PST)

Hi - 

> Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 07:54:58 -0800 (PST)
> From: Gary Hanson <[email-masked]>
> To: Peter Jones <[email-masked]>
> Cc: [email-masked], Kaj Tesink <[email-masked]>,
>         John Neil <[email-masked]>
> Subject: Re: Comments on draft-ietf-atommib-atm2-12.txt
...
> I am not sure I fully understand how an SMIv2 compiler should treat an
> object SYNTAX that is then specified either as DisplayString (0..255)
> or as DisplayString (SIZE(0..255)).  I would think that these macro
> conversions would have to result in the following weird results.

This may be the source of the confusion.  They are not macro conversions.
They are type definitions / references.  An ASN.1 type may be subjected
to constraints.  The (SIZE(0..255)) is an example of such a constraint.

> In source SMIv2:
>   SYNTAX  DisplayString (0..255)
> After macro conversion:
>   SYNTAX  OCTET STRING (SIZE(0..255)) (0..255)

Clearly wrong.

> In source SMIv2:
>   SYNTAX  DisplayString (SIZE(0..255))
> After macro conversion:
>   SYNTAX  OCTET STRING (SIZE(0..255)) (SIZE(0..255))

Clearly from the department of redundancy department. :-)

> Do EITHER of these usages of DisplayString and their macro conversions
> make sense?  Or am I mistakenly trying to apply my understanding of C
> preprocessor rules in the context of SMIv2 macro conversion, where it
> may not be appropriate?  (Maybe we aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto....)

You're right, it's not a macro conversion.

> Can someone explain how an SMIv2 compiler is expected to treat either
> of the above cases?
...

"DisplayString (SIZE(0..255)" means exactly the same thing as
"DisplayString", which, from a protocol SYNTAX (but NOT MIB semantics)
perspective, means exactly the same thing as "OCTET STRING (SIZE(0..255)"

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