Re: Question: draft-ops-operator-req-mgmt-00.txt

[Harrie Hazewinkel <harrie@covalent.net>]

Bill Woodcock wrote:
> 
>       Harrie Hazewinkel wrote:
>     > I read this and I am not an operator, so it is maybe not my requirement.
>     > But I was wondering if there was a reason why this document is
>     > focused so much on the system level and not on the application level.
> 
> Can you expand upon your question a little?

OK. As you describe below. The document is (IMHO) a bit to much focussed
on device management. I was wondering what the requirements would be
for management of applications that for instance run on systems.
I mean here applications like, DB, DNS, Web servers, etc...
These application run on top of the infrastructure as provided 
by the managed network equipment. After all, a network without
applications
is not usefull. The network is just a matter of getting data from
A to B were it is usefull to some application. (Where the application
can be directly handled by a user)

I believe that is different from what you mean here as the application
layer. I would not call routing so quickly an application. That is much
more a network function/equipment. And those are seen as the typical
managed device, like you have defined 'device' in the draft.

   The word "device" is used herein to describe any piece of managed
   network equipment, such as an IP router, an Ethernet switch, or a
   fiber DACS.

> The document is intended to focus on operator requirements for the _mode
> of interaction_ between the operator and the device.  We assume that
> different vendors will provide different application-layer functions, like
> routing or switching or caching.  Inasmuch as they share functionality,
> we'd like to address it in an identical fashion, but it's not the place of
> this document to either specify what the functionality should be, or the
> specific syntax by which we address it.

Also what happens with the management of applications is that
they are sometimes more spread over different systems.
It could well be that this kind of focus belongs to the application
area. Although, the applications still need to be operated and managed.


Hope this helps,
Harrie
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