Subject: Re: draft-ietf-zeroconf-reqts-08.txt

From: Stuart Cheshire <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 12:43:37 -0700

I'll let Myron, our document editor, answer the points in detail, but I 
have two quick comments of my own:

>This may be a minor nit, but it may be worth pointing out that DHCP
>*protocols* could be used in a zeroconf environment, so long as no
>user configuration were needed. One can imagine a DHCP server figuring
>out a lot of things on its own without being configured (and there has
>been talk on the list about this).

"Zeroconf" != "Zero User Admin"

If there's a DHCP server on the network, then it is acting as a central 
repository of authoritative configuration information for client hosts. 
It does't matter whether that DHCP server was configured by the end user 
or by the manufacturer, from the client host's point of view it's just a 
regular old configured network. This works today (e.g. the Apple AirPort 
base station, and many other similar devices, do this). If the answer to 
the Zeroconf problem is, "plug an AirPort base station into your network 
and carry on running your old host software," then the IETF didn't need a 
Working Group just to rubber-stamp Apple's AirPort base station with a 
cool "Zeroconf Compliant" logo.

No, the focus of Zeroconf is, "IP should work even if there *isn't* a 
DHCP server on the network."

>This text curiously doesn't mention the DNS. But, for the web server,
>isn't the DNS reverse lookup specifically what is assumed/required?
>Seems like the reqirement is much more specific than just "translate
>name to address" and vice versa, and involves integration with the
>DNS.

In practice, we believe that Multicast DNS will be the answer. However, 
from a strict requirements standpoint, the web server calls an OS or 
library API routine to map an address to a name -- whether that's done 
using DNS packets, or mDNS, or NetBIOS, is of no concern to the web 
server software.

Stuart Cheshire <[email-masked]>
 * Wizard Without Portfolio, Apple Computer
 * Chairman, IETF ZEROCONF
 * www.stuartcheshire.org

---

From: Thomas Narten <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 09:28:01 -0400

> using DNS packets, or mDNS, or NetBIOS, is of no concern to the web 

Is there any sort of requirement that whatever is developed is
transparent to existing applications? I.e., looks like DNS to (most)
applications?

I would think that requiring applications to be aware that they are on
a zeroconf network and then behave differently sets a pretty high bar.

Seems to me like the requirement could be specified with a bit more
detail.

Thomas