Subject: [rrg] starting from the abstract...

From: Dow Street <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 00:07:35 -0700

At the risk of making things even more confused...it seems we have at  
least the following things that we are trying to talk about:

1.  landscape - an object or system with a notion of distance

2.  a point on a landscape

3.  a name for a point on a landscape

4.  an object that is attached to a point on the landscape

5.  a name for an object that is attached to a point on a landscape

6.  a map of a landscape describing which points are named what

7.  a name for a section of a landscape (i.e., a collection of points  
on a landscape)

In the current system (I think) we have a physical topology (landscape  
A) and the IP topology (landscape B).  There is an implicit map for  
landscape B - i.e. for the names of points in landscape B.  This  
implicit map is captured in the proximity semantics of the IP address  
- that is, by default, locations with names that are numerically close  
to each other are assumed to be topologically close to each other in  
the IP landscape.  This same property allows us to name sections of  
the IP landscape, where the section name is implicitly related to the  
names of the points comprising that section.

There is an explicit map (the routing system state) that relates  
locations in landscape B to locations in landscape A.  This explicit  
map (I think) also sometimes overrides the implicit map in landscape B.

If an object attached to landscape A with a name in landscape B  
changes location in landscape A, either the explicit map relating A to  
B must change, or the object's name in B must change to (or retain) a  
name in B that (i) conforms to the implicit map for landscape B and  
(ii) does not violate the current relation of A to B.

Ok - going to sleep...

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From: Scott Brim <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:16:44 -0400

Starting my replies with this thread ...

Dow Street allegedly wrote on 04 09 2009 3:07 AM:
> 7.  a name for a section of a landscape (i.e., a collection of points on
> a landscape)

I like this list.  It is a superset of the one I sent out.  However, in
addition, you need a name for "a thing that forwarding uses", for
example Noel's forwarding selector: a "field in the packets which the
routers look at to decide where to send the packet next".  Something can
"name a location" (i.e. point of attachment) but not be present in the
packet as the packet crosses the Internet.  Even if it is present a
forwarder might not use it in deciding how to forward the packet.

I think we can all agree now that the term 'locator' is terribly
confusing.  A sensor senses, a resistor resists ... but a 'locator' does
not locate, rather it is a name that may or may not be used by a
function that actually does locate.  But we're stuck with it.  Now let's
be sure to limit how 'locator' is used so that it is actually useful.
It names an attachment point (not an endpoint).