On 4/5/2011 12:02 AM, Eliot Lear wrote:
Bob, Joe,
Given this viewpoint, what guidance would you give, then, to protocol
designers who are writing specifications?
IMO, we have never really explained what we expect in a protocol
specification. We focus on required sections like "security
considerations" and "IANA considerations", but we've never explained
what we're looking for in a protocol spec.
Here's what I expect:
- description/format of "on the wire" messages
basically the I/O to the layer below
- state at the endpoints
if any (it's rare that there is none, even for so-called
'stateless' protocols), and whether it's hard or soft
- upper layer service
the I/O to the layer above
- event and action table
a list of events:
- message arrival
- upper layer service request
- timer event
- other event (queue overload, etc.; any other
condition that can act as a trigger)
for each event, in each state:
list the actions
e.g., messages to emit,
upper layer responses/signals
timers to set/reset
other state (e.g., queues) to manage
and whether the state changes
Overall, this is basically a Mealy machine description. That's what I
expect, and why it includes the upper layer service, IMO.
If this sort of thing is useful, I'd be glad to write it up - and keep
it short. I still expect that protocol designers are familiar with the
basics of protocols. ;-)
Joe
Eliot
On 3/30/11 8:09 PM, Bob Braden wrote:
+1
Bpb Braden
On 3/30/2011 1:11 AM, Joe Touch wrote:
Hi, all,
Perhaps we're not talking about an API, or even an abstract API, but
just the "application interface" (or just "upper layer service"
specification).
RFC793 is a great example that a protocol provides a service, and
that service needs to be explained - and that explaining it does NOT
need to be done in a specific language.
Joe
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