Subject: [ieee-ietf-coord] FW: New Non-WG Mailing List: 6lo -- Mailing list for discussion of a WG for Internet Area issues in IPv6 over constrained node networks

From: "Romascanu, Dan (Dan)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 26 May 2013 10:44:59 +0000

Hi, 

Please find below the announcement of the formation of the non-WG mail list for 6lo. We discussed the topic of this work in the previous virtual meeting on 5/2, and we decided that this activity should be under monitoring by now.  

Regards,

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]] On Behalf Of IETF Secretariat
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 9:19 PM
To: IETF Announcement List
Cc: [email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked]
Subject: New Non-WG Mailing List: 6lo -- Mailing list for discussion of a WG for Internet Area issues in IPv6 over constrained node networks

A new IETF non-working group email list has been created.

List address: [email-masked]
Archive: http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/6lo/
To subscribe: https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/6lo

Purpose: Since it was set up in 2005, the 6LoWPAN WG has created specifications for building IPv6 networks out of devices that use the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless network standard. This work has culminated in the recent publication of RFC 6775, 6LoWPAN-ND, and the 6LoWPAN WG is shutting down.

This does not mean the work in this space is done. Indeed, 6LoWPAN produced one more document that isn't even about 802.15.4:
draft-ietf-6lowpan-btle-12.txt, the equivalent of 6LoWPAN for the low energy mode of the Bluetooth 4.0 specification, is now in IESG processing, waiting for the assignment of a number from the Bluetooth SIG. A number of related drafts want to apply 6LoWPAN technology to other constrained node network layer 2 specifications:

-- draft-brandt-6man-lowpanz-00.txt
-- draft-ietf-6man-6lobac-01.txt
-- draft-mariager-6lowpan-v6over-dect-ule-02.txt

Also, some additional specifications are generally regarded as useful complements of the existing 6LoWPAN work:

-- draft-schoenw-6lowpan-mib-03.txt
-- draft-bormann-6lowpan-ghc-05.txt
-- draft-kelsey-intarea-mesh-link-establishment-05.txt
-- draft-bormann-6lowpan-roadmap-03.txt

Beyond that, some older proposals that the 6LoWPAN WG has not picked up are receiving new attention:

-- draft-thubert-6lowpan-backbone-router-03.txt
-- draft-thubert-roll-forwarding-frags-01.txt

Finally, there are some architectural issues raised by 6LoWPAN's use of adaptation layer fragmentation on top of a lossy radio:

-- draft-bormann-intarea-alfi-02.txt

As can be seen, these drafts have been addressed to a zoo of working groups, including the sunsetting 6LoWPAN WG, the 6MAN WG, INTAREA, and even ROLL, with the addressed WG often changing over the lifetime of a draft. It is probably more productive to focus most of this closely related work on a specific WG.

One clear candidate is the 6man WG. However, that WG has a number of other duties in maintaining IPv6 that make it subscribing to its mailing list too onerous to the group of experts interested in constrained node networking. It is probably worth separating out the 6man-related work that focuses on constrained node networks. There are, however, architectural aspects that are indeed best left in 6man or even INTAREA. The 6Lo mailing list has been set up to organize the discussion of a charter for a potential working group that focuses on IP-over-foo standardization (adaptation layers) for constrained node networks, working closely with the INT area working groups and other IETF WGs focused on constrained node networks.

For additional information, please contact the list administrators.