STDCONF WG charter proposal

[Andy Bierman <abierman@cisco.com>]

Hi,

I was asked by Randy Bush awhile back to write a charter proposal
to continue discussion on the xmlconf list titled "where do 
we go from here". The following rough draft is intended to do 
just that.

I avoided many technology specifics, because I didn't
want to presume specific directions or solutions.
I am including the OPS-NM list because this
proposal is not specific to XML in any way.

Andy

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Standard Configuration (STDCONF) Working Group Charter

There is a need for standardized configuration of networks
and network devices, which meets the existing and emerging
requirements of network operators and network equipment
developers. 

The working group will adopt existing technological standards
and/or define new specifications for the purpose of advancing the
quality of standards based network configuration technology
within the Internet community.  The working group will start
with a clean slate, an is not required to build upon existing 
technology or be constrained to use specific technology for any 
reason.  Technology reuse is a goal, but not nearly as important
as the deployment of interoperable, standards-based technology 
which meets the needs of the Internet community.

Several efforts have been made over the last two years to
determine the requirements of network operators. The working 
group will consider the output of these efforts, and may
conduct further investigations, to determine how to best
meet the network configuration needs of the Internet community.
This community is comprised of several different types of
constituents, and the working group is not bound to create
a single solution to meet the needs of everybody.  There
may be a need to specify multiple coordinated technologies 
to meet specific requirements of the entire community.

The working group will specify mechanisms for the configuration
of multiple devices within a network, as well as the configuration
of a single network device.  A management framework which 
can support operations across multiple devices, and operations
initiated by a management application, a human operator,
or a managed device, will be developed.

The working group may choose to deploy these standards in a
phased manner, by modularizing the problem space instead of
addressing every detail at once.  For example, the specification
of management protocol transport(s), protocol operations,
and security mechanisms may be developed before a standard
data definition language or standard data definitions for 
specific protocol feature configuration are developed.

The working group will specify the deployment plan and describe
the document deliverables within 6 months of being chartered.
The phased delivery of specifications will take between 12 and
24 additional months to complete.


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