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RE: Meaning of "backward compatible" WAS RE: Consensus Call on RADEXT WG re-charter



Can you guys try to agree on a paragraph which explains what 'backward
compatibility' means in the context of this charter? 

It seems to me that this is the principal item of disagreement in this
debate. 

Dan
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-radiusext@ops.ietf.org 
> [mailto:owner-radiusext@ops.ietf.org] On Behalf Of Glen Zorn
> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 9:37 AM
> To: 'Alan DeKok'
> Cc: radiusext@ops.ietf.org
> Subject: Meaning of "backward compatible" WAS RE: Consensus 
> Call on RADEXT WG re-charter
> 
> Alan DeKok <mailto:aland@deployingradius.com> scribbled on 
> Tuesday, April 15, 2008 3:46 PM:
> 
> > Glen Zorn wrote:
> >> OK, since RFC 2865 only defines RADIUS in terms of UDP, it 
> must not 
> >> be the authoritative reference for "RADIUS *at all*".  
> What is? I'd 
> >> like to read it...
> > 
> >  The authoritative reference for RADIUS is this WG.  If the 
> consensus 
> > is to add bells, whistles, or flying monkeys to RADIUS, 
> then that is 
> > our perogative.
> > 
> >  The alternative is to worship at the holy shrine of the existing 
> > RFC's, which were handed down from on high by the holy priests of 
> > RADIUS.  As mere mortals, we are incapable of changing holy 
> writ, and 
> > must confess that the RFC's are perfect.
> > 
> >  I shall therefore submit a request to the RFC editor 
> admitting that 
> > RFC 5080 is blasphemy, as it points out
> > *errors* in the original RFC's.
> > It should therefore be withdrawn immediately, before the 
> holy priests 
> > of RADIUS burn me at the stake.
> 
> Could we just try to stay on topic, please?  My assertion was 
> that to claim "backward compatibility" between 2 protocols 
> which can only communicate through a translating gateway is 
> essentially meaningless.
> That has nothing to do with "priests" or "holy writ", even 
> less with the ludicrous claim that this WG is some kind of 
> global help desk for RADIUS developers.  Back to the subject 
> at hand, you managed to define "backward compatibility" in a 
> slightly different context a couple of months ago (see 
> https://ops.ietf.org/lists/radiusext/2008/msg00000.html
> for the complete message): "Everyone accepts that 
> implementations have to be updated to handle new standards.  
> One of the major efforts in RADIUS has been to maintain 
> backwards compatibility with existing deployments.  i.e. if a 
> product doesn't implement the new standard, it can still 
> communicate with products that do implement that standard."  
> A RadSec implementation doesn't also listen on UDP 1812 
> pretty obviously flunks that test (not that I think it's a 
> particularly good one, but it's yours).  If there is to be 
> _any_ interoperability between RADIUS and RadSec, then the 
> definition of the protocol gateway behavior is at least as, 
> if not more, important than the standardization of RadSec.
> Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be reflected in the 
> charter that everyone seems in such a hurry to rubberstamp; 
> maybe because RadSec is by definition "backward compatible"?  
> 
> > 
> >  Alan DeKok.
> 
> 
> 
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