Capwap Mailing List: Re: Issue 166: Various IANA Issues

[Pasi.Eronen (Pasi.Eronen]

Pat Calhoun wrote:

> > > 15.10.  AC Information Type
> > > 
> > > The Information Type field in the AC Descriptor message element
> > > (see Section 4.6.1) is used to represent information about the
> > > AC.  The namespace is 16 bits (0-65535), where the value of zero
> > > (0) is reserved and must not be assigned.  The values four (4)
> > > and five (5) are allocated in this specification, and can be
> > > found in Section 4.6.1.  This namespace is managed by IANA and
> > > assignments require a Standards Action.  IANA will create the AC
> > > Information Type registry, whose format is:
> > > 
> > >  AC Information Type              Type Value  Reference
> > 
> > Is the intent to have something similar as for CAPWAP Message
> > Types (IANA manages registry for Enterprise Number 0; other
> > Enterprise Numbers are not controlled via IANA?)
> > 
> > Or is the AC Information Type independent of the AC Information
> > Vendor Identifier? (in that case, I'd expect vendors would want to
> > include vendor-specific information, and Standards Action perhaps
> > isn't the optimal policy.)
> > 
> 
> Currently, any vendor (or SDO) can define their own message elements
> through the vendor specific message element. This message element
> allows the vendor (or SDO) to include their Enterprise Code, and
> they can manage their own message element namespace.

This didn't really answer my question.

Which of the following is meant by this section and Section 4.6.1?

- The AC Descriptor message element MUST always contain exactly one
  Sub-Element with "AC Information Vendor Identifier"=0/"AC Information
  Type"=4, exactly one Sub-Element with Vendor=0/Type=5,
  MAY contain other Sub-Elements.

  (In this case, saying that the contents are "vendor specific"
  is a bit strange, since the message doesn't tell who the
  vendor is. Perhaps "printable UTF-8 string intended for the 
  administator" or something was intended?)

- The AC Descriptor message element MUST always contain exactly
  one Sub-Element with "AC Information Vendor Identifier"=SOMEV/
  "AC Information Type"=4, exactly one Sub-Element with Vendor=SOMEV/
  Type=5, and MAY contain other Sub-Elements.

(BTW -- this same question seems to apply to WTP Board Data message
element as well.)

Best regards,
Pasi