Subject: [eap] Re: [Issue 61] Support for EAP Sequences

From: [email-masked] (John Vollbrecht)
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 03:12:29 -0500

--On Tuesday, January 14, 2003 8:07 PM -0800 Bernard Aboba 
<[email-masked]> wrote:

> > I don't think the feature is useless.  I think being able to have
> > multiple methods talking between the AS and Client can be quite
> > powerful.  The ability to negotiate with the user directly about the
> > value of QoS features is an example.  There are others.
>
> EAP is supposed to be for authentication only. The link layer typically
> has the negotiation facilities. So it's not clear to me why QoS signalling
> is an important feature to enable in EAP.
>
I have never thought of it as for authentication only.  That is the primary 
initial use of it, but I see no reason to limit it to that.  My model is 
that it provides a way for a Client and AAA Server to have a conversation 
as part of access control.  Whether the conversation is strictly about 
authentication or about what parameters the client would like to have, or 
what parameters the Net is prepared to provide seems to me to be within the 
bounds of what is natural and reasonable, and not outside the intent of the 
original RFC.

I don't think we should make decisions on what it will be used for based 
only on what it has been used for.  We could be surprised - hopefully 
pleasantly.