RE: netconf WG charter proposal

[Andy Bierman <abierman@cisco.com>]

At 09:15 PM 4/4/2003 +0200, Wijnen, Bert (Bert) wrote:
>AD hat off
>
>W.r.t.
>> >Andy>   - Provides support for multi-device configuration transactions
>> >Andy>     (with locking and rollback capability)
>> >
>> >So I probably mis-understood what the robust transaction model above
>> >was. This probably indicates a need for clarification. Anyway, does
>> >this item imply that locking and rollback capabilities are a required
>> >feature? If yes, I applaud (and look forward for an xmlconf revision
>> >that actually makes this mandatory).
>> 
>> These features are optional. Not all devices will be
>> capable of supporting them.
>> 
>And so... We could still make them REQUIRED and those (few I hope) 
>devices that cannot support then can then not claim compliance with
>this new protocol. Is that so bad? It would motivate such device
>vendors to re-evaluate if they want to add a bit of power
>to their device, no?

Locking and checkpoint/rollback capabilities can be expensive
to implement, and/or expensive to retrofit into existing
devices.  I would rather see these features not be mandatory, 
and let the market decide if products without them should be
used.  AFAIK, there are few (if any) router vendors shipping
these capabilities today.  I think it would be reasonable
to make these features mandatory if very few vendors were
not supporting them today, rather than the other way around.

There are alternatives to these features today -- the NMS
application has to provide rollback or check for multiple
config-writers.  I agree a device is more manageable if
these are embedded features.  I would prefer to see multiple
conformance levels rather than one bar, set way too high.


>Or are you telling me that there are MANY such devices out there 
>(that we consider part of our target set of devices to be configured)?
>
>Bert 

Andy


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