Subject: PPPoE Proxy & Relay Drafts

From: "W. Mark Townsley" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 14:49:31 +0200

> "Mistretta, Tom" wrote:
> 
> Hi Reinaldo,
> 
> OK, I can see the value taken in those contexts.  As I implied, I would do a
> proxy draft if there was sufficient interest (not seeing it right now
> though).
> 
> I think I'd like to see Mark weigh in on this direction.  Let us know how/when
> you are moving forward with it and if you want any input from me.

Finally weighing in after a long hiatus. I think this was the last email posted
to the list on this thread.

After re-reviewing the thread, consensus seems to be that the "Proxy Method" and
"Relay Method" are overlapping solutions for a certain set, but not all,
situations. Cases have been cited where the Relay method falls short compared to
the Proxy method, and vice-versa. I think either method, as clearly defined
extensions to L2TP, falls within the l2tpext charter as integration with other
PPP tunneling protocols. As such, I would personally be inclined to accept both
in the WG to individually live or die based on their own merit and support.
However, I think that the approaches are different enough that trying to tie
them together in a framework draft would turn out to be a daunting task -- one
that would certainly stretch the limits of the l2tpext charter as one began to
get into the definition of "PPPoE Service Selection" in general.

Thanks,

- Mark

> 
> Tom
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Reinaldo Penno [mailto:[email-masked]]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 6:40 PM
> To: Mistretta, Tom; 'Ron da Silva'; [email-masked]'
> Subject: RE: Relay Draft Issues Summary (#1 design goal of draft)
> 
> Hello Tom,
> 
> But we still need to mention it on the framework draft, maybe some 6 months
> from now we find out proxy was a much better solution, or a better solution
> for some kind of deployment. I think the exercise of writing the framework
> draft is going to give us much more knowledge to discuss the two solutions.
> 
> Borrowing some terms from the PPVPN WG, the framework draft is a "horizontal
> draft" discussing not in-depth all the available solutions. Now, If nobody
> wants to write a "vertical" draft about the Proxy idea, that's another
> decision.
> 
> The "vertical" draft about relay is the one Ron has been working one.
> 
> regards,
> 
> Reinaldo