
Hi all, I'm cross-posting to NMC. Please reply to NML. The NML is currently defining a few subtopics for network description: domain/topology; adaptation/layer; and identifiers. What is not covered yet is the description of cross connects. My question to the group: to what extend do we want to define cross connect details in NML as well? If we're going to do that, we will bump into problems on labels (VLAN, timeslot, wavelength, ...), multi-cast, broadcast, backup/protected cross-connects, etc. I these details are required. Now we can either dive into this topic as well or leave it up to other standards. In particular, I was wondering if it would be useful to look at NETMOD [1], and have the following scopes: * NETMOD: focus on configuration in a device. * NML: focus on topology between devices and domains. * NM/NMC: focus on monitoring information. So link status, packet loss, bit error rate, etc. are in scope of NM; cross connects are in scope of NETMOD; link description is in scope of NML. The advantage of relying on other work is that we avoid duplicate work, and NML is more likely to be picked up elsewhere. The disadvantage is that it requires more work to cooperate. I suspect problems for topics which overlap. For example, identifiers in NETMOD and NML are different; path description (needed for NSI) relies on both link and cross connect descriptions; I have some doubt that adaptations and/or capabilities are clearly described in NETMOD, so we should either push that group or add that in NML after all. So what's your opinion? I like to speed up the NML, and wondered if we can gain speed by a bit more focus. Regards, Freek Dijkstra (with my co-chair hat off) [1] FYI: NETCONF is a replacement protocol for SNMP. While NETCONF describes the protocol, NETMOD describes the data model. NETMOD is still in development in the IETF.

On 21/01/2010 12:11, Freek Dijkstra wrote:
I like to speed up the NML, and wondered if we can gain speed by a bit more focus.
I fully agree that we need to narrow the focus of the NML so that we can have a standard soon. I really feel that it is important that we have something workable in the near future so that implementations can be created. In my opinion we can try see whether NETMOD is a viable solution to describing the configured cross-connect information. If it turns out not to be suitable, we can always go back to the drawing board and create something ourselves. Jeroen.
participants (2)
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Freek Dijkstra
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Jeroen van der Ham