Subject: [nsc] NSC BoF Outcomes

From: "Adrian Farrel" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 12:20:57 +0100

Hi NSC list,

Sorry for the delay in this email - I took a short break after Berlin.

Thanks for the focus and effort that went into the NSC BoF in Berlin. Thanks in
particular to Thomas and Jim for their work herding the ducks and delivering the
BoF that the IESG asked for. Special mention for Jim in being so cool turning up
to chair the BoF after a complete travel nightmare.

I believe that the BoF delivered what the IESG had hoped to see. That is, it
allowed a number of network operators from a broad spectrum of network types to
describe the problem space that they are interested in.

It was clear to me that there is strong interest among network operators in
investigating the concept of service chaining, and among equipment vendors and
solution providers in addressing the requirements. This is very promising for
the potential of forming critical mass around working in this area.

However, it was less clear to me that there is agreement about the layer in
which service chaining has to be solved. I felt that some people were talking
about service chaining in the application layer, some about service chaining
based on flows, and some about per-packet services. The solutions are, I think,
likely to be very different for the different problems, and it would be wrong to
try to bunch them all together.

Since it is clear that a lot of people want to work on this, the next step must
be to get a little more focus. This could be a small amount of work, and we may
find that consensus comes quickly and easily. But it may also mean that some of
the use cases need to be discarded - that doesn't mean that they are not valid,
only that they don't fit into the focused effort that may become a working
group.

I suggest that the next steps (in no particular order) are as follows:
- Everyone should revise their drafts. Add clarity and focus. Merge with other
drafts if appropriate.
- Look for missing work. Is there a need for a simple and clear over-arching
document? Terminology? Figures? Work cooperatively to fill the gaps.
- Use the mailing list to narrow down and reach agreement on what you want to
work on.
- Start a thread on a potential WG charter. Maybe a couple of you (the BoF
chairs?) could agree to hold the pen and make a first draft? Try to get the text
lean and tight. Try to get consensus.
- Start to plan for a WG-forming BoF. Look carefully at the dates for the next
IETF (IETF-88, Vancouver) and decide whether the deadline is too tight. Recall
that going off half-cocked does no-one any favors. See whether you can get
everything ready in time.
- Apply to the IAB for a BoF shepherd. This is an IAB member who will give you
dedicated time and advice to help focus the technical effort and prepare for a
successful WG-forming BoF.

We do not, at this stage, need to worry about where within the IETF structure
this work will sit. Let's continue to pursue the effort within the Routing Area,
and defer discussion about where it will live until we have a better handle on
the description of the problem.

Don't forget that you can review the BoF via the Meetecho archive, the usual
audio archive, and the online materials.

Please come back to me with any questions.

Thanks,
Adrian