Re: SNMP improvements

[Wes Hardaker <wjhns1@hardakers.net>]

>>>>> On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 11:03:56 -0400, "Harrington, David" <dbh@enterasys.com> said:

David> The NM Workshop identified a number of long-term goals and
David> which technologies were preferred by the operators to get us
David> there. I recommend we take RFC3535 as a starting point and
David> chart a course forward, with long term goals and a strategy of
David> developing the necessary technologies to reach those goals.

David> I'm willing to help drive this effort and/or help edit and review
David> documents.

Ok, sounds like a good informational RFC.  Note: it was needed last
year, so its already late ;-)

So if we're at:

    SNMP <----------> We're here <-------------------------------> Netconf

We need some concrete suggestions to get us forward (safely).  I
listed a bunch in my presentation in SF and I can reiterate them here.
This is a cut-n-paste of my previous thoughts on the subject:

    In order to avoid pain, we MUST:

	Move to XML in as short a time frame as possible

	Make SNMP last till XML can fill its (size 4) shoes


    Switching to XML quickly

	We have the starting momentum, but there is much to do:

		Security

                Data Modeling Language
		
                Data Models
		
                Monitoring

	We must start on these NOW 

    Keeping SNMP alive that last few miles

	SNMP has many known problems.

	A few things are needed to fill the gap:

		SMIv2.1

		Bulking Fixes

		Security infrastructure utilization

		Better Encryption Support 


Most importantly, however, what this does not mention is that we need
to get the word spread about *how* we still need to use existing
technologies in the interim.  I think it should be formally stated
that in the future one of the goals netconf will be to make use of
pre-existing SMIv2 documents such that it's still a suitable
documentation mechanism for today while we wait for something better.
IE, its the gaps that need documenting for how people should jump over
them.

-- 
"In the bathtub of history the truth is harder to hold than the soap,
 and much more difficult to find."  -- Terry Pratchett