Subject: [Diffserv] datapath question for the diffserv MIB

From: Harrie Hazewinkel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2000 13:29:30 -0700

HI all,

Currently, I am helping Kwok out with the DIFFSERV-MIB.
Therefore, I have a question regarding the datapath
and its elements.

What is the minimum requirement for a datapath??
Would it be possible to have no elements at all
in the datapath??

Would this not be the case that for a specific
interface and interface direction the traffic
is totally not marked, drop, classified, etc..
Is there a particular naming for this??

Harrie 
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From: "Kwok-Ho Chan" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2000 23:09:59 -0400

Harrie:
Thanks for initiating this on the list.
For DiffServ's purpose, since Best Effort have a code point and considered
as a PHB, if one uses the DiffServ MIB, then each diffServDataPathTable
entry can point to a diffServClassifierTable entry, this
diffServClassifierTable
entry have to be a complete classifier, meaning it must provide a next path
for all possible packets, even if it means just giving it to normal packet
forwarding
path.
For a none-DiffServ purpose, as in SNMPCONF purpose, one may want to have
a zeroDotZero meaning for the diffServDataPathStart attribute, as there may be
zero number of traffic treatment elements within a data path.
Currently, I am trying to get more concensus with multiple Working Groups to
agree on using the DiffServ MIB as the building blocks for other higher
level MIBs
and PIBs, and making the necessary changes prior to publishing DiffServ
MIB-05.
More detail discussions will be forth coming with the release of MIB-05.
-- Kwok --

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From: Harrie Hazewinkel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2000 10:20:49 -0700

> for all possible packets, even if it means just giving it to normal packet

Thus, the minimal datapath is a BA consisting of a classifier
forwarding all traffic??

> and PIBs, and making the necessary changes prior to publishing DiffServ

Which requirements do we all have to fullfil??

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From: "Kwok-Ho Chan" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2000 23:51:32 -0400

>Thus, the minimal datapath is a BA consisting of a classifier

IMHO, I think the minimal is an interface that does not support DiffServ
and will not
have a datapath entry relating to this interface.  Other part of the same
device may
contain DIffServ interfaces.  For example, instrumenting an edge device with
large fan-in feeding into a DiffServ core, one may want to think of the
DiffServ edge
starts at the egress port going into the core.  This simplifies the
configuration of
such a device if the use of DiffServ is to protect the core network, with
this edge
device providing best effort services to a free ISP with ads on its portal
page.
Just a quick example.

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From: "Joel M. Halpern" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2000 11:07:23 -0400

It seems to me the obvious minimal case is a diffserv supprting device 
which may be doing diffserv classification and operation in one direction, 
and not in the other.  So for example, the outbound direction on a customer 
facing interface may have no diffserv processing to do.  The table pointer 
for that interface and direction would be 0.0.  Thus, there is not even a 
classifier in this data path.
Yours,
Joel M. Halpern