[dhcwg] Review of draft-ietf-dhc-relay-agent-flags-02.txt

Here is my review of this document. I have not been following the
discussion on this document, so this is a "fresh eyes" review.

2007-03-06 review of -02 (in AD evaluation state)

Overall, I suspect this option is useful and a reasonable thing to
do. However, I think the document itself could make a better case for
why the option is needed. Some small text changes are probably all
that is needed to acheive this.

E.g.,

>    In general, DHCP servers may also make subtle (and sometimes not so
>    subtle) changes in their processing algorithms depending on whether
>    or not the DHCP server received the message as a unicast packet from
>    the DHCP client directly, a broadcast packet from the DHCP client on
>    a locally connected network, or a unicast packet from a DHCP Relay
>    Agent which has forwarded on a packet broadcast from a DHCP client
>    connected to a network local to the DHCP Relay Agent.

The document makes the general assertion above several times, but I
would find it helpful for the document to provide at least one
specific example. What would the server do differently and why/how
does this option solve the problem?

Later, the document says:

>    This option provides additional information to the DHCP server.  The
>    DHCP server MAY use this information to make processing decisions
>    regarding the DHCP Client's packet which it is processing.  For
>    instance, knowledge of the broadcast or unicast reception of a packet
>    by a DHCP relay agent is important when making the processing
>    decisions required to implement Load Balancing [RFC3074].

A single sentence here explaining how this information could actually
be used would be helpful. (Why leave this to the reader to figure
out?)

> 4.  DHCP Relay Agent Behavior
> 
>    A DHCP relay agent MUST include this suboption in every Relay Agent
>    Information Option [RFC3046] it adds to a forwarded DHCP request.  In

It seems to me like this MUST is too strong and unenforceable. Relay
Agent options are already defined, and this is a new one, so this
requirement is unenforceable. Moreover, why is this so important?  In
the absence of a compelling justification, SHOULD seems more
appropriate.

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