[6lo] SCHC HC over IEEE 802.15.4: 1. Generic vs IEEE 802.15.4-specific document

[Carles Gomez Montenegro <[e-mail]>]

Dear 6lo WG,

We would like to receive feedback about two potential discussion items
regarding the document on transmission of SCHC-compressed packets over IEEE
802.15.4 networks [1]. We will send one separate message for each item.

1. Generic vs IEEE 802.15.4-specific document

One question that has been raised on occasion is whether the document
should be written specifically to enable the use of SCHC header compression
over IEEE 802.15.4 networks (i.e., the current approach) or in a generic
way, independent of a specific underlying technology.

We (authors) followed the current IEEE 802.15.4-specific approach as it
seemed more straightforward, and focusing on IEEE 802.15.4 entailed
interesting opportunities. Coincidentally, this approach is similar to the
original 6LoWPAN approach, which was designed to enable IPv6 over, mostly,
IEEE 802.15.4. 6LoWPAN has been reused/adapted in 6lo to enable IPv6 over
several other technologies, by means of a technology-specific document for
each technology. Perhaps a similar approach could be followed if there is
interest to enable the use of SCHC header compression over other
technologies.

Notes:

- If we write a generic document, there will still need to be a
technology-specific document for each intended underlying technology.

- The document uses only the SCHC header compression component (i.e.,
6LoWPAN/6lo functionality is used for fragmentation).

Thoughts? Would you have any particular preference on this matter?

Thanks,

Carles and Ana (document authors)

[1] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-6lo-schc-15dot4/