iSCSI: Framing Steps

[Black_David@emc.com]

I want to attempt to make some steps towards resolving
the framing issues.  In reviewing the recent discussions
on framing, I have a couple of conclusions:

(1) I do not believe that WG consensus (rough or otherwise)
	can be obtained for a "MUST implement" requirement
	for any form of framing.
(2) The COWS mechanism has a lot of potential, but
	its newness, the multiple versions that
	have been mentioned, and the desire for some
	sort of alignment with new work on DDP/RDMA
	suggest that COWS is premature to specify as
	part of iSCSI.

I suggest that these conclusions form the
basis for further ips WG consideration of framing.

Please think carefully before objecting to these
conclusions on the list (I'm happy to respond to
private questions/expressions of concern).  If the
framing issue cannot be driven to closure in
the next few weeks, I will be forced to conclude
that the entire topic is experimental, and hence
needs to be removed from the iSCSI specification
and handled in separate drafts intended to become
experimental RFCs.

Thanks,
--David

p.s. A desire to build NICs that never behave in
accordance with an important SHOULD in RFC 1122
(out-of-order segments SHOULD be queued) does not
strike me as a good reason for changing the first
conclusion above.

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David L. Black, Senior Technologist
EMC Corporation, 42 South St., Hopkinton, MA  01748
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