RE: Please Clarify Doubts regarding RGT & RNC

[neil.2.harrison@bt.com]

Frank Hujber [mailto:fhujber@hotmail.com] asked 30 March 2001 14:43

> Neil,
> 
> Is it your opinion, then, the the equipment providers that 
> predominate the
> IETF are missing the boat vis a vis OA&M?
NH=> The trite answer is 'yes'....but this really need qualifying.  And note
that Shahram Davari, one of the co-authors, works for PMC Sierra who supply
chips to many equipment manufacturers....and he wants to sort this besides
the carriers I mentioned.  We tried (in the principles section of our ID) to
explain what the requirements were....but if I can summarise some of the key
ones it would be as follows:
-	detect/handle all defects in consistent and simple manner;
-	defect detection must not be a function of user-traffic activity;
-	be able to measure avialbility....ideally both directions from a
single-end....and this requires a very clear up-front vision of defect
handling if the result is to be simple/consistent;
-	stop nested stack alarm storms;
-	give simple diagnostic tools to my Ops people
-	give simple perf metrics (esp avail) to my products people so they
can define services and SLAs which my Ops people can then measure;
-	protect customers from any security concerns wrt traffic leaking
in/out of (for example) a VPN and, protect ourselves from any misbilling
assertions (ie when an SLA is broken)....
-	....which I could put more generally as....don't use customers as
the 'detector' mechansism, ie we want to know before the complaint arrives
if possible;

Now if these requirements can be satisfied some other way (than what we have
described) then I am receptive to look at any such proposals.

neil