2.3.4 IP Over Fibre Channel (ipfc)

NOTE: This charter is a snapshot of the 44th IETF Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It may now be out-of-date. Last Modified: 08-Jan-99

Chair(s):

Murali Rajagopal <murali@gadzoox.com>

Internet Area Director(s):

Jeffrey Burgan <burgan@corp.home.net>
Thomas Narten <narten@raleigh.ibm.com>

Internet Area Advisor:

Jeffrey Burgan <burgan@corp.home.net>

Mailing Lists:

General Discussion:ipfc@standards.gadzoox.com
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Archive: standards.gadzoox.com/pub/archives/ipfc/ipfc

Description of Working Group:

The importance of running IP and ARP over Fibre Channels has reached a critical point wherein a standardized approach seems to be the only solution. Historically over the past few years, there have been a multitude of attempts and approaches to implementing IP and ARP over Fibre Channel (FC). This has resulted in islands of implementations with no interoperability. Several vendors from the Fibre Channel Association (FCA) have proposed taking this problem to the IETF with the intent of generating one "standard" specification.

This working group will be responsible for standardizing a specification that will allow IP and ARP to ride over various Fibre Channel topologies, which may include point-to-point, Loop, and Fabric.

The specification will include procedures and protocols for the broadcast of ARP packets between Fibre Channel devices and an encapsulation mechanism to carry IP payloads.

Objectives:

1. Specify a Standards Track procedure for broadcasting ARP packets and resolving IP to FC MAC address and FC MAC to FC port address

2. Specify a Standards Track encapsulation for carrying IP over FC.

Goals and Milestones:

Aug 98

  

Review progress at Chicago IETF meeting; resolve outstanding issues

Oct 98

  

Submit ARP/Encapsulation draft to IESG for consideration as Proposed Standard

Dec 98

  

Review status of WG

Internet-Drafts:

No Request For Comments

Current Meeting Report

IPFC WG

Number of Attendees: 46.

Discussed Items:

1. IP and ARP over Fibre Channel
</internet-drafts/draft-ietf-ipfc-fibre-channel-05.txt> (134547 bytes) draft Status
- Murali Rajagopal (Chair) Latest <draft-ietf-ipfc-fibre-channel-05.txt> has been advanced to IESG consideration. IESG expected to announce its decision for a PROPOSED STD by end of March

2. Definitions of Managed Objects for the Fabric Element in Fibre Channel Standard
</internet-drafts/draft-ietf-ipfc-fabric-element-mib-04.txt> (90181 bytes)
- Kha Sin (brocade Communications) indicated that the <draft-ietf-ipfc-fabric-element-mib-04.txt> is ready for advancement to a PROPOSED STD.

There were no objections from the meeting attendees going to the PROPOSED STD. Mail List will announce this to the rest of the WG. Kha Sin gave a brief presentation on the MIB and its differences with respect to the Fibre Channel Management Framework Integration MIB. Kha Sin used the presentation material from the Chicago 1998 Meeting

(http://www.ietf.org/proceedings/98aug/slides/ipfc-Interconnect-slides-98aug /index.html <http://www.ietf.org/proceedings/98aug/slides/ipfc-Interconnect-slides-98aug/index.html> )

3. Fibre Channel Management Framework Integration MIB -
<draft-blumenau-fcmgmt-int-mib-00.txt>
- Steve Blumenau from EMC gave a presentation of a newly submitted draft. Steve indicated that this was the work of a number of vendor companies (FiberAlliance) and the intent of submitting this to the IETF was to eventually make this a Proposed Standard. There was no objection from the WG attendees to adopt this as a work item for the group. Steve estimated that he would have "Simulation and Implementation proofs of base plus changes" by Sep 99 with a target date of Nov 99 for completion. Steve was advised that any interim meeting notice should be sent on the IPFC mail list.
<<ietf0399.ppt>>

4. Fibre Channel Interconnect MIB
</internet-drafts/draft-ietf-ipfc-interconnect-mib-00.txt> (23352 bytes)
- expired in Feb 99 and this work has been largely replaced by the draft-blumenau-fcmgmt-int-mib-00.txt.
- Kha Sin indicated that there was an intent to bring a 1c.txt version of the InterConnect MIB. Murali Rajagopal suggested that it would be better to bring in contributions to the draft-blumenau-fcmgmt-int-mib-00.txt rather than a MIB.

5. Murali Rajagopal requested volunteers for writing a Frame work document that described the relationship of the two MIBs that were presently considered. Furthermore, this Framework document will be required to show how future MIBs (FC-BB, FC-SW2, etc.) related to Fibre Channel may fit in. Gavin Bowly (Gadzoox Networks), Lee Hu (Vixel Corp.), and Mark Carlson (Sun Microsystems) volunteered to write the document. It was also tentatively decided that a draft would be ready for discussion during the Oslo meeting. Agenda for the Oslo meeting will focus on MIBs and the start an early discussion on the requirements for moving the IPFC document to the DRAFT STD level.

Slides

None received.