RFC 2215 (rfc2215) - Page 2 of 16

General Characterization Parameters for Integrated Service Network Elements

RFC 2215          General Characterization Parameters     September 1997


   Parameters are assigned machine-oriented ID's using a method
   described in [RFC 2216] and summarized here.  These ID's may be used
   within protocol messages (e.g., as described in [RFC 2210]) or
   management interfaces to describe the parameter values present. Each
   parameter ID is composed from two numerical fields, one identifying
   the service associated with the parameter (the ), and
   the other (the ) identifying the parameter itself.
   Because the definitions of the parameters defined in this note are
   common to all QoS control services, the  values for
   the parameters defined here are assigned from the "general
   parameters" range (1 - 127).

      NOTE:  in the range 128 - 254 name parameters
      with definitions specific to a particular QoS control service. In
      contrast to the general parameters described here, it is necessary
      to consider both the  and  to
      determine the meaning of the parameter.

      Service number 1 is reserved for use as described in Section 2 of
      this note. Service numbers 2 through 254 will be allocated to
      individual QoS control services. Currently, Guaranteed service
      [RFC 2212] is allocated number 2, and Controlled-load service [RFC
      2211] is allocated number 5.

   In this note, the textual form

                    

   is used to write a service_number, parameter_number pair.  The range
   of possible of service_number and parameter_number values specified
   in [RFC 2216] allow the parameter ID to directly form the tail
   portion of a MIB object ID representing the parameter. This
   simplifies the task of making parameter values available to network
   management applications.

   The definition of each parameter used to characterize a path through
   the network describes two types of values; local and composed.  A
   Local value gives information about a single network element.
   Composed values reflect the running composition of local values along
   a path, specified by some composition rule.  Each parameter
   definition specifies the composition rule for that parameter. The
   composition rule tells how to combine an incoming composed value
   (from the already-traversed portion of the path) and the local value,
   to give a new composed value which is passed to the next network
   element in the path. Note that the composition may proceed either






Shenker & Wroclawski        Standards Track