RE: iSCSI: Some proposed vendor-specific (X-) keys

[pat_thaler@agilent.com]

Paul,

I agree. This would also create a testing nightmare for initiator
developers. If the initiator has adapts itself for n targets then 
it has n different personalities that all need to be tested.

We have interoperability testing to help us find and fix
spec ambiguities that cause interoperability problems. 

The way to build market for iSCSI is to have interoperability - 
not to have cases wher Brand_x Target doesn't work with Brand_y 
Initiator because Brand_y doesn't have the tweak profile for 
Brand_x.

Regards,
Pat

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Koning [mailto:ni1d@arrl.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 1:06 PM
To: bmastors@allocity.com
Cc: ksandars@eurologic.com; ips@ece.cmu.edu
Subject: Re: iSCSI: Some proposed vendor-specific (X-) keys


>>>>> "Bob" == Bob Mastors <bmastors@allocity.com> writes:

 Bob> I like it.  Otherwise the user has to configure the initiator
 Bob> with the target type and the target with the initiator type.  It
 Bob> is unlikely that this problem will disappear for a long time if
 Bob> ever.  As the threads on the C bit has shown there will be lots
 Bob> of ways to implement the spec and probably no device will
 Bob> correctly support all possibilities.  I am already putting "if
 Bob> (vendor)" code in my implementation. Maybe in a few years I will
 Bob> not need it. But until then it would be nice if I could
 Bob> dynamically determine vendor information for iscsi so the user
 Bob> does not have to configure it. 

Oh boy, now I'm well and truly frightened.

I read your message as saying that there isn't going to be
interoperability for several years.  Sorather than create a serious
incentive for implementers to fix their defects, we should implement a
way to have them report which collection of defects they implement so
we can invoke workaround collection #42.  Of course, the larger the
collection of crocks we work around, the larger the number of bugs in
implementations that everyone else will have to work around.

In the words of a well known American, "Just Say NO".

     paul