iSCSI over RDMA (iSER and DA) Internet Drafts

On the IPS list, Mallikarjun asked:

> Could you please recommend the most optimal course
> of action to request and enhance the WG charter?

IETF being IETF, the world of "rough consensus and
running code", I have no idea what "the most optimal
course of action" would be, or whether it even exists :-).

The scope of an IETF WG's activities and the items on
which it works are managed by the Area Directors and
the IESG via the WG's charter, among other means.  My
understanding of the Transport ADs' views is that the
IP Storage WG has been very successful in what the WG
set out to do, and the time has come to finish up the
current work, declare victory and move on (with the WG
either going dormant or being concluded).  Of course the
ADs always reserve the right to change their minds based
on new information, etc., and my understanding may be
less than perfect.

The people advocating addition of work on iSCSI over RDMA
seem to be spending a lot of energy on where the work should
be done (process) and much less on whether and why it should
be done (technical merits).  In my experience, these two topics
are best pursued in the opposite order.  Specifically, the first
decision (ADs and IESG as appropriate) should be whether the
work is to be done and with what scope; if that is decided
in the affirmative, then matters of where and how can then
be worked out in a reasonable fashion.

Given this, I do have some advice to offer:
(1) A promising path towards undertaking iSCSI over RDMA work
	in the IETF involves a BOF, e.g., in Seoul.  Those
	interested in such a BOF should approach the Transport
	Area Directors about organizing and holding one (but
	first read the material on BOFs in RFC 2418).  By the
	time of the Seoul meeting week, the rddp WG should be
	done or close to done with most of the drafts on which
	iSCSI over RDMA depends, providing a firmer foundation
	for the proposed work.
- One of the things that inclines ADs and the IESG towards
	approval of work is the existence of an open community of
	people interested in the work, the broader the better.
	IETF meeting weeks are a good opportunity to solicit
	interest in possible work towards forming/broadening such
	a community (e.g., hallway discussion).  In furtherance
	of this, in my role as RDDP WG chair I have already promised
	the iSER/DA draft authors a 5 minute slot in the RDDP WG
	meeting in Minneapolis to briefly describe what the drafts
	are about and solicit interest in working on them (e.g.,
	organize an informal meeting [aka "bar BOF"] to discuss
	further).
	
For those who are new to this topic, the iSER and DA drafts
on the topic of iSCSI over RDMA are:

http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ko-iwarp-iser-00.txt
http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-chadalapaka-iwarp-da-00.txt

Thanks,
--David (IPS WG co-chair, RDDP WG chair)
----------------------------------------------------
David L. Black, Senior Technologist
EMC Corporation, 176 South St., Hopkinton, MA  01748
+1 (508) 293-7953             FAX: +1 (508) 293-7786
[email protected]        Mobile: +1 (978) 394-7754
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