Subject: Need for TSP? RE: Tunneling scenarios and mechanisms evaluation

From: "Soliman Hesham" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 23:45:02 -0500

> > I do have another, somewhat more of my own 'problem' with TSP
 > > and that is that I can't seem to make it fit the model of the
 > > SixXS tunnelbroker we are running, which is why we described
 > > our own protocol + tools for configuring clients. Draft not
 > > ready yet though. For configuration only the serverside of
 > > TSP could be implemented, but I guess it would be more reading
 > > the older drafts and the sources of tspc to make that work.
 > 
 > As I said earlier, I view TSP as an existence proof, not 
 > necessarily as 
 > the final solution.
 > it may be, but it is not proven.

=> I have a question that is somewhat related to this 
thread. Why isn't L2TP a credible, secure, tunnelling 
mechanism to be used? Do we really need a brand new
protocol? L2TP is widely implemented and deployed.

If this question was raised before I'd appreciate a pointer
to the discussion.

Hesham

 > 	- Alain.

---

From: Pekka Savola <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 09:38:29 +0200 (EET)

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004, Soliman Hesham wrote:
> => I have a question that is somewhat related to this thread. Why
> isn't L2TP a credible, secure, tunnelling mechanism to be used? Do
> we really need a brand new protocol? L2TP is widely implemented and
> deployed.
> 
> If this question was raised before I'd appreciate a pointer to the
> discussion. Hesham

It was raised before, when I first sent a pointer to STEP.

I'm not 100% sure of the conclusion.  It seems like L2TP architecture
is relatively heavy-weight (UDP tunneling, PPP, L2TP service
architecture, etc.), except when the ISP and the client is already
using it for some other purpose.

I think it's a scenario worth recommending, to those who have already
deployed the requisite architecture, but I have a feeling that for
ISPs that just want to set up something quickly and simply, with as
little overhead as possible, it may be a bit too heavy.

Now -- if I (personally) had to choose between the current TSP and the 
current L2TP architecture, I think the set-up etc. is in the same 
order of magnitude.  But (personally) I'd like to have a more 
zero-config solution for the tunnel service..

-- 
Pekka Savola                 "You each name yourselves king, yet the
Netcore Oy                    kingdom bleeds."
Systems. Networks. Security. -- George R.R. Martin: A Clash of Kings