Re: LLDP MIBs

["David T. Perkins" <dperkins@dsperkins.com>]

HI,

Ok, let's open the SMI and address the issue. (I'm being sarcastic,
if you cannot tell.) Randy will go back to ASN.1 and say that the
way enums are done in the SMI is really just associating labels
with integer values and that ASN.1 allows use of numeric values
or labels. (However, see the note in section 14.10 of X.208/ISO 8824)
And I'll point out that this is true, but the SMI's
enumerated integers is patterned after the ASN.1 enumerated type, and
for the enumerated type values can only be expressed as "labels".
(see section 15.4 of X.208/ISO 8824)
We have gone through this discussion gazillion of times.
At this time, I don't believe that it is worth spending too
much time on the issue, and suggest that the lintSMI maintainers
modify their program to require that defvals for enumerated
values can specify only the value. (And the review guidelines
be updated.)
Note that if you want to follow Randy's argument, then one
should allow SYNTAX clauses like the following, since they
are valid ASN.1:
  SYNTAX Integer32 { negone(-1), zero(0), ninety(90) } (-100..100)

At 10:52 AM 4/14/2004 -0700, Randy Presuhn wrote:
>Hi -
>
>> From: "Harrington, David" <dbh@enterasys.com>
>> To: "Wijnen, Bert (Bert)" <bwijnen@lucent.com>
>> Cc: "Mreview (E-mail)" <mreview@ops.ietf.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 9:55 AM
>> Subject: RE: LLDP MIBs
>...
>
>> It appears to me that the issue is whether an enumerated value MUST be
>> specified in a DEFVAL by its name rather than its value. I don't see why
>> it should make a difference as long as the value is one of the defined
>> enumerations.
>>
>> Is this really an error?
>...
>
>I don't think so.
>
>Although the examples of DEFVALs in RFC 2578 use names rather than
>values, I don't see anything there or in the MIB review guidelines
>that would make it a requirement.
>
>I think one could even argue that page 27 of the MIB
>review guidelines provides some motivation for preferring numbers
>to names, even though the names are less human-hostile.
>
>However, common practice seems to be to use the names.
>
>Randy

Regards,
/david t. perkins