Subject: [lmap] Information Model: Cycle Context Identifier Option or Tag?

From: "Carey, Timothy (Nokia - US)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2016 19:20:19 +0000

At the June 13, 2016 LMAP interim meeting we discussed whether the
Cycle-Context-ID should be passed as a tag or option from the controller to the MA.  The group asked if we could attempt to come to consensus on this over the email list.

The following background information should be considered when deciding if something should be a tag or option.

1)      Tags were meant to be used within the MA and were not intended to be "passed" to measurement functions.

2)      Tags are simply a list of free formatted strings

3)      Tags can be assigned to tasks, schedules and actions

4)      Tags were intended to be echoed by the results for the scheduled action.

5)      Options are be assigned by the controller and either used within the MA (e.g., Channel) or passed to the measurement function by the MA.

6)      Options are list of name value pairs where the name has meaning. Some option names are reserved (i.e., Role, Channel)

7)      Options can be assigned to tasks, schedules and actions

8)      Options are reported by the results for the scheduled action

With this background in mind - there are 2 ways for a controller to pass the Cycle Context Identifier - as a tag or an option.

If the identifier is used as a tag - the string value of the tag probably needs to have some format for the name (e.g., CycleContextId:<value>). As pointed out the value of the name portion of the tag could be an organizational construct.

If the identifier is used as an option -  we could reserve a name for the Option (e.g., CycleContextId). However it also could be an organizational construct as well.

So the choice is Tag or Option. If we use an option should we also reserve a name.

My opinion is to use an Option with a reserved name. This way every controller, agent, collector would understand the meaning.

BR,
Tim