The MPLS WG Archive

[Cheenu Srinivasan <csrinivasan@tachion.com>]

Title: RE: LSR MIB comments and questions

> > >Joan's question in ():
> > >(why? don't you think you need these other
> > >ways of configuring for completeness of this object?)
> >
> >          What the intent was with this object was to
> > identify either the signaling protocol, policy agent
> > (i.e.: COPS), agent (SNMP) or "other" configuration of this
> > object. The point here was to let external sources know
> > that if they did not create an object, that they may not
> > be allowed to delete/modify it depending on the implementation.
> > We distinguished SNMP since it seemed obvious. We also provided
> > "other" for managers who did not want to use "SNMP", but wanted
> > to note that something else configured the object (i.e.: cli,
> > web, etc...).
> >
> > >Also, why is policyAgent one of the choices, this is
> > >a MIB and it was my understanding that policyAgent's used
> > >PIBs.  PolicyAgents can't support RowStatus, so I believe
> > >that choice should be removed.
> > >
> > >         The PIB may not support RowStatus, but the agent which
> > >interacts with the PIB/PolicyAgent may create an entry. It
> > >is our intent for this enumeration to note this case.
> > >
> > >Joan's comments in ():
> > >(This may or may not be the case, it is not yet
> > >defined what the interactions between the Policy Agent and
> > >the SNMP Agent are going to be.  You have no way to know
> > >if the Policy Agent will be able to inform the SNMP Agent
> > >to create a Row or any other MIB entries for that matter.
> >
> >          As you pointed out, it may or may not be the case. We
> > are focusing on the "may" case. I believe the original request
> > for this object came from one of the reference implementations.
>
>
> It is not acceptable to put enums like this in a standard mib
> which "may" be defined.  If the interaction between a policyAgent
> and an SNMP Agent for row-creation is ever defined, it is a long
> long way off (YEARS).  By then this MIB will be on its 57th
> revision :)

Let me try to clarify before we drift too far afield (if we haven't already).

The intent of this object is to indicate the owner/creator of this
conceptual row. Just because we expose something via an SNMP interface
does not mean that these are/should be manipulated via SNMP. This is
true of all the standard MIBs we have out there. The
interaction/interface between the owner of the object and the LSR is
irrelevant here. This applies equally to any of the signaling protocols,
a policy agent etc. Any of them can and probably will use a proprietary
interface to create objects inside the LSR. Do you imagine that
LDP or RSVP is going to issue SNMP protocol requests to create/configure
anything? The concept of a PIB is also irrelevant here for the same reason
and only governs the interaction between the policy server and policy
agent.

Cheenu