Subject: [Hubmib] FW: HubMib & IF Charter

From: Dan Romascanu <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 08:40:28 +0200

Please find below an e-mail received from the Chair of the IEEE 802.3
Working Group, Geoff Thompson.
 
My understanding is that Geoff and the IEEE 802.3 WG would like to become
aware about the cases where our WG defines SNMP management objects which
have no support in the Ethernet HW defined by the IEEE. 
 
I would like to hear your opinions on this issue. Do we want to request an
update of the Charter according to the request of the IEEE 802.3 WG Chair? I
think that we might want to add a short discussion on this issue during our
meeting in London.
 
I also would like to hear the advice of our AD. I know that the interaction
between the IETF and the IEEE WGs, may sometimes raise interesting issues.
 
My opinion is that we are already meeting the IEEE request, though this is
not specified explicitly in the Charter. A good coordination between our MIB
standardization effort and the IEEE 802.3 effort is part of our mode of
operation. Mentioning the goal explicitly in the Charter would commit us to
feeding the exception cases that require HW changes to the IEEE 802.3 WG.
 
I also note, that as far as I know there is no such case in the existing
chartered work for 802.3ae or 802.3af. This does not mean it cannot show up
later, or if we introduce and keep such text in the Charter, in later work
items.
 
Regards,
 
Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff Thompson [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 1:02 AM
To: Dan Romascanu
Cc: [email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked]
Subject: RE: HubMib & IF Charter

Dan-

Version 2 of the previous message, this time I have the charter text in
hand.

I would suggest the following:
*****************************************************
The Ethernet Interfaces and Hub MIB WG is Chartered to define a set of
managed objects that instrument devices, MAUs and interfaces that conform to
the IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet. This set of objects should be largely
compliant with, and even draw from IEEE 802.3, although there is no
requirement that any specific object be present or absent. When objects are
added that require hardware support IEEE 802.3 shall be requested to add
them to the draft/standard Close with coordination with hardware standards
development in IEEE 802.3 is an integral activity of the group. The MIB
object definitions produced will be for use by SNMP and will be adequately
consistent with other SNMP objects, standards and conventions. The WG will
define new MIB objects to cover the following 802.3 technologies:
 P802.3ae - 10 Gb/s Ethernet
 P802.3af - DTE Power via MDI
*****************************************************

At 09:56 AM 7/10/01 -0700, Thompson, Geoff [SC5:321:EXCH] wrote:

Dan-

(Written during your presentation to EFM)

I would like to request a revision to your group's charter.
(informally but we can reformulate this as a formal liaison if you like.)

It mentions that there is no requirement for a particular object to be
present or absent.

I have no problem with non-use of an 802.3 object
I have no problem with the creation of software only higher level or
aggregation objects.
However, if objects are added that require hardware support there can be a
problem in that hardware which is minimally compliant in the hardware sense
may not support the SNMP MIB.

Therefore I would ask that the charter be amended to provide for

        1) Close communication and cooperation with 802.3 (Just like we
actually do have)

        2) That specific action be taken to advise 802.3 of any MIB objects
put into your MIBs which require hardware support. In that way 802.3 will be
able to quickly consider the addition to its own Standard to support such
objects.

Thanks as always for your support of the close cooperation between our
groups.

Geoff