Subject: [Diffserv-interest] diffserv control plane

From: Kathleen Nichols <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 11:46:34 -0700

We've been working toward a possible IETF BoF on diffserv control plane
elements to be under the Operations and Management Area. Our in-progress
Background and Goals for the BoF:

It's been some time since the Diffserv forwarding path elements were
standardized. At that time, the approach was to get the mechanisms
deployed in routers so that approaches to service creation and control
plane could be attempted. Before closing, the Diffserv WG defined the
concept of Per-Domain Behaviors (PDBs) in RFC 3086, but left the
approach to controling PDBs open.

Now Diffserv forwarding elements are available in most routers and are
in use to create services in some networks. A variety of approaches are
being used for control and management of Diffserv but there appears to
be some commonality. A possible path for IETF work is to enumerate and
classify the common elements and to work toward some best common
practices. Additionally, it may be useful to present specifications for
a range of diffserv control plane elements using common interfaces.

The major issues to deploying Diffserv-based services are primarily
operational. The deployment must be cost-effective, be secured against
vulnerabilities and not become a vehicle for denial of service attacks.
Standardization should result in existing toolsets being either expanded
to cover more needed functionality or to interact with other tools. A
standardization effort should cover how to secure the architecture to
mitigate vulnerabilities. Standards for a control plane QoS agent for
routers may be useful. A desired outcome of IETF efforts is to make
multiple products available to network operators, obviating the time and
personnel expense of individual solutions. The end goal is to enable
more services, both for network customers and for control of the
network, without taxing personnel.

The starting point for a BoF is to look at what's out there, determine
if there is indeed some uniformity of approach useful as a starting
point, and determine what's missing.

The intial focus would be the intradomain control plane moving to
interdomain or AS under same provider and finally to interprovider or
interoperator.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire in-progress proposal for the BoF can be viewed at
www.pollere.com under Resources, then Current Work.

If you are interested in helping to further shape the proposal, please
sign up for the email list [email-masked] through
www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/dcpel and comment on the list.

	thanks,
		Kathie Nichols
		Scott Bradner

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