iFCP work in the IPS WG

[Black_David@emc.com]

After quite a bit of consultation and consideration
of comments both from the mailing list and those
sent directly to Steve Bellovin and myself, the
two of us along with the Transport Area Directors
have reached the following decision on the subject
of working on iFCP within the IP Storage Working
Group ...

There is both sufficient technical merit in iFCP
and interest within the ips WG in working on iFCP
to justify adding iFCP to the official work items
of the WG.  Hence iFCP will be added to the list of
protocols that the WG is working on -- the following
directions and conditions apply:

- iFCP is subject to the directions, scope, constraints,
	etc. in the IPS WG's charter, as is the case for all
	work in the WG.  This includes requirements for
	good transport and security designs.

- FCIP and iFCP are to use a common encapsulation format, so
	that there is one way to encode a Fibre Channel (FC-2)
	frame for transmission over an IP network.  The header
	must be extensible as needed by protocols that use it
	(e.g., iFCP requires protocol-specific extensions in
	some cases) and the header must incorporate a protocol
	number to distinguish FCIP, iFCP, and any future protocols
	that use it so that a recipient of an encapsulated FC
	frame can unambiguously determine which protocol is being
	used.

- The existing WG rough consensus that iFCP and FCIP should
	not be merged is to be respected.  The result should
	be three related specifications - the common
	encapsulation format, and specifications
	for how each of iFCP and FCIP employ it.

- T11.3's role as the authority on Fibre Channel and
	Fibre Channel architecture is to be recognized
	and respected.  Fibre Channel work in the ips WG,
	including iFCP, will endeavor to respect and
	follow T11.3's guidance in a fashion similar
	to iSCSI work following T10's analogous guidance
	on SCSI.  A specific area in which T11.3 should
	be consulted is iFCP's modifications to the
	S_ID and D_ID fields in Fibre Channel frames.

The next steps from here are:
- Addition of iFCP milestone(s) to the charter.  While we're
	at it, we'll add iSNS milestone(s).  Guesstimates from
	the various document authors would be appreciated.
- Appointment of an iFCP technical coordinator.  Send
	suggestions/nominations to me directly.
- Submission of new FC encapsulation, iFCP and FCIP
	drafts in accordance with the above.

From a procedural standpoint, this decision is not
open to debate on the mailing list, although
clarification questions are welcome, as I continue
to discover that I don't always write the clearest
text despite my best efforts.

Thanks,
--David

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David L. Black, Senior Technologist
EMC Corporation, 42 South St., Hopkinton, MA  01748
+1 (508) 435-1000 x75140     FAX: +1 (508) 497-8500
black_david@emc.com       Mobile: +1 (978) 394-7754
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