Subject: [Ipoverib] AD review of IPoIB specs

From: Thomas Narten <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 15:03:21 -0400

In response to the WG's request to advance the following documents, I
have completed my preliminary review of the following documents:

     draft-ietf-ipoib-dhcp-over-infiniband-02.txt
     draft-ietf-ipoib-link-multicast-02.txt
     draft-ietf-ipoib-ip-over-infiniband-01.txt

General questions/comments.

I think it would be preferable to merge the following two documents into
a single document:

     draft-ietf-ipoib-link-multicast-02.txt
     draft-ietf-ipoib-ip-over-infiniband-01.txt

One can't implement the second without the first, since it makes use
of the multicast stuff. There is also very little text in the
multicast document that is needed to describe the implementation
requirements. Given the overall length of the two documents (both
under 15 pages) I don't see keeping them separate to be particularly
important.

There is also a fair amount of background/info text in the multicast
document that doesn't need to be part of the spec. I think the
information is useful to have (as background), but some of it also
talks about possible implementation choices for IPoIB, which doesn't
make so much sense now that those choices have been made.

Then, there is the expired document:

      draft-ietf-ipoib-architecture-01.txt

Has the WG decided to just drop that document? I ask because it seems
like much of the background info in the above documents above might
better be in a general architecture/background document (unless that
document has been dropped completely). But having some
background/overview info seems useful, since I gather  there is no
such similar document available via IBTA.

Specific comments on the various documents will go out in separate
messages.

Thomas
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From: "H.K. Jerry Chu" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 21:20:09 -0700 (PDT)

COmments are embeded in the text below (again speaking as a co-author,
not as a co-chair).

>requirements.

The draft covers not only multicast, but also how to define IP subnets
and link attributes on top IB, which is itself a network. (See my other
mail.) All the sections from 5.0 forward are needed for IPoIB. The only
background info is section one through four.

>Given the overall length of the two documents (both

More materials will be added to the link and multicast draft once
the 1.1 spec is released. So the draft will likely to grow a few
pages.

>document that doesn't need to be part of the spec. I think the

See my previous mail. the draft must describe how to define IP link/subnet 
boundary otherwise one doesn't even have a well-defined link layer to
work with, given the gazillion layer-2/3 parameters provided by IB.

>make so much sense now that those choices have been made.

An alternative to merging the two standard tracked drafts is to
subsume all the background info from the requirement/architecture
draft. We haven't paid much attention to the requirement and
architecture draft so far. Now that the two standard tracked drafts
are completed, the "requirement" part is not needed any more. There
is also a logistic reason for folding the third draft into the first
two. It will be one less draft to review and scrutinize. Also it seems
odd to have standard tracked drafts dependent on an informational
draft.

The above is only my personal opinion though.

Jerry