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Last call comments

  • From: Shahram Davari <Shahram_Davari@pmc-sierra.com>
  • Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 13:19:50 -0700
  • Cc: "MPLS Mailing List (E-mail)" <mpls@UU.NET>

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your comments. Here are my response:

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Eric Gray [mailto:EGray@zaffire.com]
>Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 7:51 PM
>To: 'Shahram Davari'
>Cc: MPLS Mailing List (E-mail)
>Subject: RE: Last call comments
>
>
>Shahram,
>
>	Please understand that I am not attacking the
>current version of the draft.  George gave us a short
>amount of time in which to 'give it our best shot'.
>
>	Bang.  :-)
>
>	Please see below.  For the sake of brevity, I
>have heavily edited included text without inserting
>appropriate <snip> indications...
>
>> >
>> >   "(1) Tunneling Model 1 (either Uniform or Pipe)
>> >
>> >   "(2) Tunneling Model 2 (same as Tunneling Model 1 or 
>> >different Model)"
>> 
>> This is a useful statement. We just need to change the 
>> wording. For example
>> to:
>> 
>>   "(1) Tunneling level 1 (either Uniform or Pipe)
>> 
>>   "(2) Tunneling level 2 (either Uniform or Pipe)"
>> 
>> Do you see anything wrong with this new wording?
>> 
>
>Part of the problem, is that I do not believe that
>two models are needed.  I mention that in separate
>mail, so I will suspend disbelief for most of this 
>reply.  This is NOT the same as placid acceptance 
>of the 2 models.
>
>This wording is not much clearer.  I might suggest 
>
>   "(1) Tunneling level 1
>    (2) Tunneling level 2
>
>   "The relationship between the two levels may be
>    based on either the Pipe or the Uniform model."
>
>Note that the model relates to how the two levels
>INTERACT and therefore is not a characteristic of
>the levels themselves.
>
>The problem that still remains with the suggested 
>text is that it still does not convey the meaning
>you want.  Thus I would further suggest
>
>   "(1) Tunneling level 1
>    (2) Tunneling level 2
>    (3) Tunneling level 3
>
>   "The relationship between levels 1 and 2, and
>    between 2 and 3 may be based on either the
>    Pipe or the Uniform model. The relationships 
>    need not be the same in all cases."
>

Sure. It looks fine.


>> 
>> >Or at the bottom of page 16, top of page 17:
>> >
>> >   "LSRs at different levels of LSPs are expected to operate 
>> >in the same 
>> >    or in different Tunneling Models."
>> >
>> >I believe these may be examples of an earlier comment 
>> >on mixing of example deployments and normative text.
>> >
>> 
>> This is actually a normative text. Let me re-write it and see 
>> if you agree:
>> 
>> "It is not necessary for the LSRs at different 
>>  levels of LSPs to operate in the same tunneling 
>>  mode".
>
>An interestingly complicated statement.  If an
>LSR is used to carry (perhaps tunneled) labeled
>packets, even when it does not see the (tunneled)
>labels, is the LSR _at_ the level of these labeled 
>packets?
>
>Maybe
>
>   "In multilevel LSP tunneling, there is no
>    requirement for consistent tunneling modes
>    at all levels."
>

Sure. It looks fine.


>Note that this is not phrased as a positive
>statement (DO ... as opposed to DON'T DO ...)
>and I'm not sure how it could be.
>
>> >	There are many repeat definitions of Acronyms
>> >(places where the expanded version is followed by the
>> >Acronym in parentheses).  This makes the draft look 
>> >as if it was glued together from many pieces.  Either
>> >the acronyms should be collected, or only the first 
>> >instance should show both.  Currently, there are many
>> >cases where the acronym is first used before being 
>> >defined.
>> 
>> There are many new concepts in this draft, that are not 
>> published in any document before. Besides this is a large 
>> document, and finding the first instance of an acronym 
>> is not easy. I don't see any harm in writing the expanded 
>> version, if it makes reading the text easier. 
>> However, this is an editorial issue and if others object, 
>> we can easily remove the expanded versions.
>
>Or you could add a section that defines the acronyms.
>I think somebody may have thoughtfully provided you
>with the text for this section.

Sure we will do that.

>
>BTW - the fact that there are many new concepts in
>this draft (notably the two models) is part of the
>problem I'm having with the fact that it is going
>through 'last call' right now.
>
>  ... <text justifying redundancy moved to new thread> ...
>
>> 
>> >	Section 1.6 - can signaled bandwidth also be used 
>> >for policing packets associated with a PSC?  How does an
>> >implementation know if it is supposed to use signaled
>> >bandwidth to perform any of the functions mentioned in
>> >this section (adjusting scheduling weights, admission
>> >control and, possibly, policing)?
>> 
>> Signaled BW can potentially be used for all of the above. 
>> The way to identify which one, and how, is out of the 
>> scope of this document (New extensions to signaling may 
>> be required). All we have tried to do is to not preclude 
>> BW signaling in MPLS+Diffserv operations the way that CoS 
>> object did), that is all. If you like we can write that 
>> the details are outside the scope of this document. 
>
>My opinion: it is not particularly useful to declare work
>that MUST be done before the current work is useable as
>"out of scope" unless it is not important HOW it is done.
>Otherwise, a likely result of the current work is that it
>will succeed only in making more new work than it manages 
>to complete.  This - I believe - is in the category of
>diminishing returns and should be discouraged.  In this 
>case, it is important HOW it is done.  Otherwise, signaling
>bandwidth will not be both useful and interoperable.  Plus,
>one of the points I am making is that at least one possible
>case was omitted.
>

I have addressed this issue in my previous email. I hope you are convinced.

>> 
>> >
>> >	In section 2.1, this statement:
>> >
>> >  "Obviously, to enforce the Diff-Serv service 
>> >   differentiation the LSR MUST also apply the 
>> >   forwarding treatment corresponding to the
>> >   Outgoing PHB."
>> >
>> >makes no sense, given that - in the bullets that precede
>> >it - determination of the outgoing PHB is optional.  The
>> >bullet - based on following text - should say something to
>> >the effect that determination of a change in outgoing PHB
>> >is optional.
>> >
>> 
>> Off course determining the outgoing PHB is mandatory. The 
>> optional part is determining it through local policy and 
>> traffic conditioning. 
>> How about this new wording for the 2nd bullet:
>> 
>>  - Outgoing PHB Determination, which may be a copy of the 
>>    incoming PHB or may be via optional Local Policy and 
>>    Traffic Conditioning (B).
>
>Okay.
>
>> >	The statement "Based on these considerations ..." in
>> >the last paragraph of section 2.6.2 seems to be a non-sequitur
>> >- I cannot see the connection between the "considerations"
>> >and the conclusion.  For one thing, it seems almost to conclude
>> >that - because there is PHP in MPLS, and this makes it hard to
>> >determine what the EXP field was at the egress, then the uniform
>> >model (which makes it necessary to recover this information) is
>> >justified.
>> >
>> 
>> May be we should say "based on these observations...".
>> But I can't understand why you can't see any connection 
>> between the first 3 bullets and the conclusion? In the 
>> first 3 bullets We have shown that from the Diffserv 
>> perspective an MPLS tunnel basically is a tunnel, very 
>> similar to IP tunnel. So for Diffserv purpose we can use 
>> the same tunneling modes as the IP tunnel.
>
>Help me out here, by pretending I'm really very stupid.
>
>Are the Pipe and Uniform models characteristic of IP
>tunnel support for DiffServ that is documented in one
>or more of the references listed in this draft?  If
>so, which reference?
>
>The first 3 bullets do indeed show that MPLS support
>of DiffServ is in some ways like IP tunneling support
>of DiffServ.  The second set of 2 bullets shows that
>MPLS support of DiffServ may be unlike IP tunneling 
>support of DiffServ in one way (see BTW below).  From
>these considerations, I would conclude that DiffServ
>over MPLS may be like and unlike DiffServ support over
>IP Tunnels.  Not a very useful conclusion.
>
>Is one of the two models intended to represent DiffServ
>support over MPLS that is identical to DiffServ support
>over IP Tunnels?  If so, this is far from clear.
>
>BTW - the fact that there is no standard way to do PHP
>for IP tunneling is not the same as saying it cannot be
>done.  You could look at it as proxy termination of an
>IP tunnel.  Also, as it is possible for IP-in-IP tunnels
>to be nested, it is also possible to terminate more than
>one level of IP-in-IP tunneling at the same point in the 
>network.  To say that the fact that LSPs are used in MPLS 
>(nested or otherwise) makes MPLS different from IP tunnels
>is not a particularly interesting tautology.
>
>So, how do you arrive at the conclusion that two models
>are required based on the (boiled down) observation that
>MPLS support of DiffServ is like IP Tunnels support of
>DiffServ?  Please spell it out for me.
>

I believe Francois has covered this.

>> 
>> >	I believe that the uniform model should receive the same
>> >treatment as "other models" - i.e. - it should be treated as out
>> >of scope.  This removes a lot of seeming unjustified complexity 
>> >and about two pages of text.
>> 
>> Why? What would you do if you hadn't had MPLS? the Diffserv 
>> operation in Uniform model is exactly identical to Diffserv 
>> over non-MPLS network. Do you also think that we should 
>> remove the support of Diffserv transiting non-MPLS networks? 
>
>I haven't seen a draft or RFC on supporting DiffServ over IP
>Tunnels.
>

I think you have found now.

>I do not see one listed as a reference in the MPLS-DiffServ
>draft.  
>
>Therefore, I have to go with what I have seen for IP in IP 
>tunneling.  The RFC (RFC 2003) for this states that the IP
>header in the tunneled IP packet is left alone except for
>changing the TTL value.  This implies to me that - for IP 
>in IP tunneling at least - the combination of DiffServ and 
>IP in IP tunneling results in what we are currently calling 
>the Pipe model.  This makes a surprising amount of sense to
>me.  From this, I conclude that the "Uniform" model is an 
>aberration and I ask for better justification for it than I 
>have seen so far.  At the most, it may be necessary to state
>that the EXP bit values may be derived from corresponding 
>values in a popped label.  See other mail for wording on this.
> 
>> >
>> >	The draft needs a list of acronyms and/or a glossary.  
>> >The acronyms used (and, in some cases, introduced) in this 
>> >draft include:
>> >
>> >BA		Behavior Aggregates
>> >DSCP		Differentiated Services Code Point
>> >EXP		EXPerimental (bits)
>> >E-LSP		EXP-Inferred-PSC LSP
>> >FEC		Forwarding Equivalency Class
>> >FTN		FEC-To-NHLFE Map
>> >ILM		Incoming Label Map
>> >LSP		Label Switched Path
>> >LSR		Label Switch Router
>> >L-LSP		Label-Only-Inferred-PSC LSP
>> >MPLS		Multi-Protocol Label Switching
>> >NHLFE		Next Hop Label Forwarding Entry
>> >OA		Ordered Aggregate
>> >PHB		Per Hop Behavior
>> >PSC		PHB Scheduling Class
>> >
>

Fine.

>Oh, wait.  What's this?  it looks like a partial list 
>of acronyms.  :-)
>
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> -Shahram
>> 
>

Regards,
-Shahram