RFC 2477 (rfc2477) - Page 2 of 12

Criteria for Evaluating Roaming Protocols

RFC 2477              Evaluating Roaming Protocols          January 1999


   This document provides an architectural framework for the
   provisioning of roaming capabilities, as well as describing the
   requirements that must be met by elements of the architecture.

2.1.  Requirements language

   In this document, the key words "MAY", "MUST, "MUST NOT", "optional",
   "recommended", "SHOULD", and "SHOULD NOT", are to be interpreted as
   described in [4].

   Please note that the requirements specified in this document are to
   be used in evaluating protocol submissions.  As such, the
   requirements language refers to capabilities of these protocols; the
   protocol documents will specify whether these features are required,
   recommended, or optional for use in roaming.  For example, requiring
   that a protocol support confidentiality is NOT the same thing as
   requiring that all protocol traffic be encrypted.

   A protocol submission is not compliant if it fails to satisfy one or
   more of the must or must not requirements for the capabilities that
   it implements.  A protocol submission that satisfies all the must,
   must not, should and should not requirements for its capabilities is
   said to be "unconditionally compliant"; one that satisfies all the
   must and must not requirements but not all the should or should not
   requirements for its protocols is said to be "conditionally
   compliant."

2.2.  Terminology

   This document frequently uses the following terms:

   phone book
      This is a database or document containing data pertaining to
      dialup access, including phone numbers and any associated
      attributes.

   phone book server
      This is a server that maintains the latest version of the phone
      book.  Clients communicate with phone book servers in order to
      keep their phone books up to date.

   Network Access Server
      The Network Access Server (NAS) is the device that clients dial in
      order to get access to the network.

   Authentication server
      This is a server which provides for authentication/authorization
      within the roaming architecture.



Aboba & Zorn                 Informational