Subject: Re: [midcom] Protocol Eval Documents

From: Melinda Shore <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 12:38:48 -0400

At 09:16 AM 4/25/02 -0700, Rohan Mahy wrote:
>Are we going to also compare the "existing protocol" approaches with just
>rolling our own on top of a reliable transport (TCP or TLS).  

The charter sez: 
The working group will evaluate existing IETF protocols 
for their applicability to this problem, using the framework 
and requirements documents developed during the working group's 
first phase as criteria for the evaluation. If a protocol is 
found to be suitable it will be used as the basis for the 
development of a middlebox communication protocol. In the 
unlikely case that one is not found to be suitable, the working 
group will undertake development of a new protocol. 

Also, whether we find an existing protocol or end up having to
roll our own, I hope that we won't restrict ourselves to TCP
for transport.

Melinda

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From: Rohan Mahy <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 12:44:37 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)

> group will undertake development of a new protocol.

My interpretation of this is that to be suitable, an existing protocol
has to be better in some way than writing our own, as opposed to merely
working.  Some of the applicability documents seem to take this approach.

> roll our own, I hope that we won't restrict ourselves to TCP

agreed, i mentioned TCP and TLS as examples only.

thanks,
-rohan

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From: Melinda Shore <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 16:03:53 -0400

At 12:44 PM 4/25/02 -0700, Rohan Mahy wrote:
>working. 

That wasn't the intent.  The only circumstance under
which we'd be allowed to go off and develop something
from scratch would be if every existing protocol proposed
were shown to be completely unsuitable.

Melinda