Service Applications Area

Director:


   o David Crocker:  dcrocker@mordor.stanford.edu


Area Summary reported by David Crocker/Silicon Graphics

The Service Applications Area encompasses support capabilities for
system configuration and query and for structured inter-process
communication.


Mail-Based File Distribution BOF (MAILFTP)

This BOF was tasked with discussing interest in developing a mail-based
file transfer capability.  It grew out of an initial effort by Marko
Kaittola.  The MAILFTP BOF started with a brainstorming on problems in
the area.  Identified issues were file name, size, type and structure,
application type, gateways, bulk distribution, update mechanisms and
file system hierarchies.  A number of tools and protocols were
identified which address some of the problems listed.  Limited user need
and expert time lead to the conclusion not to start a working group to
solve the open problems in a coherent way.


Domain Name System Working Group (DNS)

The DNS Working Group discussed the status of the DNS MIB documents, the
status of the DNS Security effort, the formation of the proposed DNS
security working group, and the status of current SIPP DNS efforts.  The
group heard presentations from Ed King on DNS Vendor Requirements, and
from Masataka Ohta on Dynamic Host Configuration.  The Service
Applications Area Director, Dave Crocker, also discussed a plan to
conclude the current working group with the publication of the DNS MIB,
and start the DNS Security effort as a newly-constituted working group.
He explained that this was part of the general IETF effort to limit use
of on-going, open-ended working groups, instead favoring ones with
specific focus.


Minimal OSI Upper-Layers Working Group (THINOSI)

The THINOSI Working Group is pursuing use of that portion of the OSI
stack which is above Transport and below specific user applications.  It
encompasses Session, Presentation, ACSE and ROSE. The THINOSI meeting
was small but effective.  As discussed on the mailing list, the present
cookbook will be split into two documents.  The profile aspects (i.e.,
subsetting of the OSI upper-layers as used by the basic communication
applications) would be split out as a small document that just cites the
OSI standards and other stable open documents.  This would be targeted
on the standards track.  The rest of the cookbook (most of it) would be
progressed as Informational.  Discussion also showed that as well as the
THINOSI target of reducing the processing needed to deal with the
standard OSI protocols, there was a requirement in many circles for
reduced bandwidth (i.e.  a different protocol) to support some of the
OSI upper-layer functions---many people had assumed this was what
THINOSI was doing.  The THINOSI mailing list will be opened for
discussion on this, at least until an appropriate forum is established.


Service Location Protocol Working Group (SVRLOC)

The SVRLOC Working Group is developing a resource location protocol.
The working group held two sessions at this IETF. The first went into
the details of the Internet-Draft that has been submitted by the chairs.
There were few comments about the wire specification as described except
for issues about the size of several fields and the scaling issues of
the protocol, and the use of the directory agent in the protocol.  These
issues were addressed in the afternoon session which was more design
oriented.  A proposal for directory agent discovery and use was worked
out and will be written up by the working group chair.  The issue of
directory agent and service discovery out of the campus was punted as
future work.