Capwap Mailing List: Issue 188: Need to specify encoding of AC and WTP Descriptor sub-elements

[Pat Calhoun (pacalhou) (pcalhoun]

All,

Pasi raised the following issue during the WG Last Call:

    Section 4.6.1 ("Hardware Version" and "Software Version"
    fields), Section 4.6.39 ("WTP Model Number" etc. fields):
    the text still doesn't say anything about how these fields
    are encoded (for most things, probably "printable UTF-8"
    was intended, but values like Base MAC Address are not that
    obvious.)

Pasi is correct - we should have specified the encoding of the
Data. I am proposing the following text:

<proposed text>
4.6.1.  AC Descriptor
[...]
      AC Information Type:   Vendor specific encoding of AC information
         in the UTF-8 format [RFC3629].  The following enumerated values
         are supported.  Both the Hardware and Software Version sub-
         elements MUST be included in the AC Descriptor message element.
         The values listed below are used in conjunction with the AC
         Information Vendor Identifier field, whose value MUST be set to
         zero (0).  This field, combined with the AC Information Vendor
         Identifier set to a non-zero (0) value, allows vendors to use a
         private namespace.

4.6.40.  WTP Descriptor
[...]
      Descriptor Type:   The Descriptor Type field identifies the data
         being encoded.  The format of the data is vendor specific
         encoded in the UTF-8 format [RFC3629].  The CAPWAP protocol
         defines the following values, and each of these types identify
         whether their presence is mandatory or optional.  The values
         listed below are used in conjunction with the Descriptor Vendor
         Identifier field, whose value MUST be set to zero (0).  This
         field, combined with the Descriptor Vendor Identifier set to a
         non-zero (0) value, allows vendors to use a private namespace.

</proposed text>

PatC