Subject: RE: [midcom] Protocol Eval: Section 1.5 COPS

From: "Mary Barnes" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 11:16:40 -0500

Martin,

I think it does say this:

In section 1.5.1, there's a statement:
    COPS is a simple query and response protocol that can be used to  
    exchange policy information between a policy server (Policy 
    Decision Point or PDP) and its clients (Policy Enforcement Points 
    or PEPs). 

And then in section 1.5.2,  the applicability of COPS to MIDCOM is described
as:
    In the MIDCOM framework, the Middlebox enforces the policy   
    controlled by an application-aware Agent. Thus, when compared to 
    the COPS architecture, the Middlebox serves as the PEP and the 
    Midcom Agent serves as the PDP.

I think the point you're making is that this is perhaps a model that is the
inverse of what one might expect for MIDCOM.  And I think this is quite
clear in that the COPS protocol fails to meet the 1st requirement 2.1.1
"Ability to establish association between Agent and Middlebox". 

Mary. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Martin Stiemerling [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 6:36 AM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [midcom] Protocol Eval: Section 1.5 COPS

The protocol overview doesn't mention the diffence of who is client and 
who is server. In my opinion this difference should be mentioned, since 
the COPS server is the MIDCOM client/agent and the COPS client ist the 
MIDCOM server/middle box. Especially in the context that the MIDCOM 
framework defines the server/client relationship different to COPS.

-- 
Martin Stiemerling

NEC Europe Ltd. -- Network Laboratories  [email-masked]
IPv4: http://www.ccrle.nec.de  IPv6: http://www.ipv6.ccrle.nec.de

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From: Martin Stiemerling <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 10:06:52 +0200

> inverse of what one might expect for MIDCOM.  And I think this is quite

Not "might expect". The framework says how the architecture looks like. :-)

> "Ability to establish association between Agent and Middlebox". 

That's right. My point is that readers that are not that familiar with 
the COPS architecture may be confused. Since using a lot of 
abbreviations, like PEP and PDP, do not always highlight the fact that 
the architecture is reversed.

Martin

-- 
Martin Stiemerling