Subject: RE: Cable modem spec(s) sites - lookie here

From: "Francois D. Menard" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 16:06:48 -0500

What are the details on DOCSIS 2.0 and the upcoming effort on
implementing open access on DOCSIS?  More partcularly, what are the IP
protocol implications on the nature of open access that cablelabs
members are proposing?

-=Francois=-
[email-masked]

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]] On Behalf Of Ed
Heffernan
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2001 3:19 PM
To: [email-masked]
Cc: Ed Heffernan
Subject: Re: Cable modem spec(s) sites - lookie here

Hello, 

The DOCSIS 1.0/1.1 specs are broken out into several categories.  Major
categories of interest would be:

RFI:  Radio Frequency Interface - Details the PHY/MAC layer of DOCSIS
focusing on CM to CMTS protocol interop.

OSSI: Operation Support System Interface Spec - Details SNMP protocol
interopability and MIB specific issues. 

BPI/BPI+: Baseline Privacy Spec - Details CM to CMTS encryption and BPI+
includes certificate based authentication. 

There are additional specification categories such as:  CMCI (Cable
modem to CPE Interface Spec), NSI (CMTS Network side interface spec), TR
- Telco Return spec, etc..

Cablelabs also maintains ATP's (Acceptance Test Plans) which detail the
sets of tests performed to verify DOCSIS 1.0/1.1 interoperability. these
will be of interest to vendor wishing to submit a device (CM or
CMTS) to a Cablelabs test wave for certification or qualification.  Also
maintained is a PICS/proforma conformance check list. 

All DOCSIS specifications (which can be found at: 
http://www.cablemodem.com/specifications.html) begin with an 'SP' in the
document identifier.  The specification naming convention is:

SP-<Category>-<interim_spec_number>-<date>.pdf

So, SP-RFI-I06-010829.pdf is the DOCSIS 1.0 Radio Frequency Interface
Specification, interim release 06 dated 2001-08-29. 

Many of the DOCSIS 1.1 specs will have a '1.1' appended to the category
identifier. 

The above specs are all for North American cablesystems, Cablelabs also
has a 'EURO-DOCSIS' initiative as well and information on this can be
found at: http://www.tcomlabs.com

Cablelabs also has a PacketCable initiative which is an attempt to
develop interface specs for 'real-time' delivery of content over 2-way
HFC. See: http://www.packetcable.com/

A DOCSIS interim specification is developed around Cableslabs ECR's
(Engineering Change Requests) which become (after approval) ECN's
(Engineering Change Notifications).  At the end of most spec's you will
find a list of ECN's which were added to the spec from the previous
release.  To get access to ECN's/ECR's I believe you have to be a
Cablelabs member. 

Under IETF there is the IPCDN working group:

http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/ipcdn-charter.html

With the following RFC's of interest:

RFC 2669 - Cable Device MIB
RFC 2670 - RF MIB
RFC 3083 - BPI MIB

Under the ITU-T:

ITU-T J.83: Details transmission signalling, MPEG transport, FEC, etc..
for digital television signals.  J.83 Annex A/B are contained within. 

Hope this helps, 

Regards, 

-Ed. 

On Fri, 30 Nov 2001, Dan Kolis wrote:

> >hi,
> >
> >Cablemodem means you would like info on DOCSIS (Data
> >Over Cable Systems Interface Specs) right!! Well i
> >guess DOCSIS 1.1 is currrent. Following are the MIBs
> >for DOCSIS:
> >
> 
> Hi
> Probably full specs in PDF (about 800 pages in pieces by ISO layer) 
> at:
> 
> http://www.cablelabs.org
> but you have to poke around. Some detailed stuff is at:
> 
> http://www.scte.org/standards/standardsavailable.html
> 
> 
> and less detailed stuff is at:
> 
> http://www.cablelabs.com/about_cl/publications.html
> 
> 
> If you think how this interacts with the RFC's and ANSI, IEC, CCITT, 
> SCTE, etc it would be unlikely a pickup truck would hold all the 
> 'specs' on paper, so expect to piece together what you need. If you 
> want more help I can try to help (no promises).
> 
> good luck
> Dan K
>