The MPLS WG Archive

[Marcus Brunner <brunner@ccrle.nec.de>]

> The items are:
>
> 1) The indexing of the in/out/XC
>     tables has changed from Unsigned32s
>     to Octet Strings of up to 24 bytes
>     in length.
>

I find the 24 byte octet string as index really wired. The Unsigned32 was 
exactly the right thing for me. So I can not support the change.

>     The reason this was done was to facilitate
>     LSRs that support multiple applications of
>     MPLS in a distribute fashion. Use of a
>     flat 32 bit indexing space on these platforms
>     ends up with VERY slot N^2+ GetNext searches
>     due to the fact that labels are distributed
>     among different applications. The GetNext
>     routine must then query each application's
>     "bag" of labels to determine the next index.
>

This sounds like a problem of information management on the box and has 
IMHO nothing to do with a MIB design to be useful for Management 
Applications.

Indexing always has implications on sorting in the management application. 
If the sorting based on different applications is needed I would favor the 
approach with an app index. I assume the app index will be coded into the 
24 octet string anyway so why not making it explicit?

>     This change is compatible with implementations
>     that wish to remain with the 4 byte indexing;
>     they just use a 4 byte octet string, while others
>     are free to use the more specific indexing.

Sounds like an offer for incompatible implementations.

> 2) The addition of a RowPointer to the in/out/label
>     stack tables to support "long" or GMPLS-style
>     labels. The RowPointer is normally set to zeroDotZero
>     except when the MIB needs to refer to an external
>     table that defines labels that exceed the 32bits
>     of space alloted in the tables today.  This
>     in essence, future-proofs the MIB and makes
>     it compatible immediately with the GMPLS MIBs
>     defined in CCAMP.

I like this approach the most from the three listed by Adrian some time 
ago. All have some problems, but this one works for me.

Marcus
--------------------------------------
Marcus Brunner
Network Laboratories
NEC Europe Ltd.

E-Mail: brunner@ccrle.nec.de
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