Subject: [P2PSIP] RELOAD compatibility

From: "DRAGE, Keith \(Keith\)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:20:27 +0200

I was searching the current document for any mention of compatibility,
and failing to find it.

I believe all protocols should be extensible (and there are plenty of
hints in RELOAD that this is indeed the case), and as such the
compatibility mechanisms should be defined.

Can I propose that a new section is added covering the mechanisms for
forward compatibility.

I assume the error handling rules will deal with backward compatibility,
although there may be some principles that need to be elucidated as a
result.

>From ITU-T Recommentation Q.1400:

"Forward compatibility mechanisms are defined as a scheme to enable a
version of a protocol to communicate effectively with and interwork with
future versions of the protocol. That is, a version of a protocol should
not restrict future protocols from providing extra capabilities.

Backward compatibility rules are defined as a scheme to ensure that
future versions of the protocol will be able to send protocol messages
to the previous version which will be understood and fully processed by
the node supporting the previous version. That is, future versions of a
protocol must allow earlier versions to operate with it and not reduce
the earlier version's service level."

There is additional material in this recommendation that you may want to
use a checklist in identifying the contents of such compatibility
material in RELOAD.

Regards

Keith
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