Subject: [RTG-DIR] Routing Directorate QA Review of draft-ietf-trill-smart-endnodes-02

From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2015 14:37:57 +0200

Hello,

I have been selected as the Routing Directorate QA reviewer for this 
draft. For more information about the Routing Directorate, please see 
http://trac.tools.ietf.org/area/rtg/trac/wiki/RtgDir

At this stage, the intend of the following is not to discuss the WG's 
decision about the I-D, but rather to help improving its content.

Please not that I am deeply familiar with TRILL, but this was an 
interesting opportunity for me to browse a few RFCs from the WG and 
learn about the technology. Bottom line: I may raise some rookie's 
comments, feel free to educate me if appropriate.

_Summary_

The I-D is well focused on a protocol specification, addressing a 
requirement with clear motivations. I must acknowledge a strong 
improvement from 01 to 02, both in terms of readability and 
specification. Beyond the list of minor issues below, I have one major 
concerns with 02. All the same, from where I stand, it does not look 
like a deep change and may not be that difficult to address.

_Main Issue_

As far as I understand, the I-D now defines a new protocol among those 
to be carried within the RBridge Channel. This is consistent along 
sections 4.1 (encapsulation) and 8 (IANA allocations). What is now 
inconsistent is the use of IS-IS TLVs and sub-TLVs, probably because the 
former version seemed more IS-IS based. Several related problems:
1- The TRILL GENINFO mentioned in the I-D is an IS-IS TLV, the way it 
should be used in the Smart-Hello protocol is unclear.
2- The I-D is requesting a new APPsub-TLV from the GENINFO above, i.e., 
within the IS-IS registry. (a) A new protocol being defined, if the 
IS-IS registry is to be used, this needs to be clarified. (b) It is not 
clear either why the GENINFO top TLV is still useful since the 
information is not conveyed using IS-IS.
3- The I-D specification reuses yet another IS-IS TLV (242) to be 
included in "Smart-Hellos". While defining a TLV content aligned on an 
existing IS-IS TLV seems reasonable (the PCE WG faces a same situation 
with PCEP sometimes pointing to RSVP registry), this TLV must have its 
codepoint allocated as part of the "Smart-Hello" protocol, and values do 
not have to match.
4- Note also that IS-IS registry associates TLV with messages types 
(i.e., IIH, LSP, SNP, etc), that IIH does not support TLV 242 and that 
Smart-Hellos are not part of the list. This is likely to be solved as 
part of addressing 3-, once that TLV is allocated in a Smart-Hello registry.

_Minor Issues_
------
Global
---
- The I-D is currently ST. For a protocol specification, there are too 
few occurrences of RFC 2119 keywords. Either the I-D is not really ST 
and the field should be updated, or the keywords, as well as RFC 2119 
reference (which got dropped from 01 to 02) and introductory quote, 
should be included.
- Capitalized 1st letters on "Smart Endnode" and "Smart-Hello" have been 
generalized, just a few ones were missed (e.g., in sections 2, 4.1, 
etc.). The choice is less clear on the "e/Edge RBridge" phrase: please 
make it consistent along the I-D.
- Some character spacing should be fixed.
------
Header
---
- All authors' first names have a trailing period to be dropped.
------
Section 2
---
- The section extensively use some of the acronyms only defined later. 
The terminology section should be moved before it.
- s/solution proposed/solution defined/
- s/the below figure/the figure below/
- s/attached RB/attached RBridge/
- s/if there was no endnode entry/in the same situation/
- Figure 1: acronyms are enough, full phrases useless and heavy.
- s/RB 1/RB1/ (on figure 1)
- s/issues a Smart-Hello/issues a message called "Smart-Hello"/
- required acronym expansions (fine since terminology if moved before): 
"LSP" (the Routing area loves RFC 5513!), "E-L1FS FS LSP"
------
Section 3
---
- To be moved and extended (see above and below)
- The "TRILL switch" phrase appears in various definitions: is it still 
needed beyond defining "RBridge"? I imagine it was required in early 
days of TRILL work, but now that has its own terminology, sticking to 
"[edge/transit] RBridge" looks clearer. Obviously, this should be 
enforced along the I-D, i.e., avoid "TRILL switch" in the remainder of 
the I-D.
------
Section 4
---
- s/smart end node/Smart Endnode/
- s/both for Smart-Hellos sent by Smart Endnodes and for Smart-Hellos 
sent by Edge RBridges/for Smart-Hellos sent by both Smart Endnodes and 
Edge RBridges/
- s/an 8-bit size and type field/an 8-bit size and 8-bit type fields./
- As pointed out as "main issue", RFC 6823 does not seem applicable here 
(though the idea may).
- s/Endndoes/Endnodes/
- s/APPsub-TLv/APPsub-TLV/
- I am rather used to 32-bit-aligned TLV figures, but the display format 
used here does not harm.
- I wonder why not choosing a fixed header format, using the larger 
size, i.e., 6-bit "RESV" and 24-bit "VLAN/FGL Data Label" in all cases. 
I see more trouble in handling 2 different sizes rather than carrying 
padded values. Moreover, the 2-bit RESV option may quickly become too 
small, since using one of these bits is already considered in section 6.
- s/IS/node/ (Note that if the IS acronym was really to be used, it 
should join the terminology section.)
------
Section 5
---
- RFC 2119 keywords to be considered all along.
- s/nicknamae/nickname/
- s/D either queries/SE1 either queries/ (if I understood well)
- s/DRB/designated RBridge/ (used once, no need for the acronym)
- In section 5.1, the very last sentence of the last paragraph should 
become penultimate: easier to read all expected behaviors first, and the 
crash/restart case only then.
- The phrase "port with a [S]mart [N]ode", used a couple of times, read 
weird. "Port connected to a Smart Node" would ease parsing.
- s/MAC (or Data Label)/MAC or Data Label/
- "would be dropped": an example of loose wording, RFC 2119 keywords are 
expected.
- s/TRILL encapsulation/TRILL packet/
- "Normal endnodes" is not defined (implying smart ones are abnormal?), 
"non-smart endnodes" should be preferred and used each time.
- s/decapsulate the frame/decapsulate the TRILL-encapsulated frame/
- s/two copies/two formats/
- s/A Smart Ennodes/a Smart Endnode/
- s/A normal (non-smart) endnode/A non-smart endnode/
- s/complexity/load/
- s/RECOMMENDED/recommended/ (That is deployment guideline, not protocol 
specification.)
- "Another solution is..." Again, does not fit ST.
------
Section 6
---
- Supposing that the I-D is actually on ST, not less than 3 possible 
solutions are listed! If there is relevant work in progress, then point 
to it and stop. If a mechanism is really missing, then define only one.
- s/RBridge RB1 and RB2/RBridges RB1 and RB2/
- s/multi- homing/multi-homing/
- S/RSV/RESV/
------
Section 8
---
- Including a value is usually a bad idea at this stage. Please use 
"TBD" or start an early allocation procedure to have a stable value to 
mention.
- As mentioned above:
     * Is it really an APPsub-TLV from IS-IS GENINFO that is needed?
     * IS-IS TLV242-like should be allocated as part of Smart-Hello.
------
Section 10
---
- Are those references all normative? I feel I have managed to 
understand the I-D without diving into all of them. (And beware of 
normative I-Ds...)
------

Best regards,

Julien

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