Re: [EME] First cut at eme requirements

I wonder whether an easy characterization of EME middleboxes couldn't be 
that they may modify IP packets.
("IP Packets" are no longer E2E. Only part of their semantics is.)

RD

Paul Francis wrote :
> These are all reasonable comments...happy to incorporate them in the next
> revision.
>
> PF
>
>  
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott W Brim [mailto:swb@employees.org] 
> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 2:39 PM
> To: Paul Francis
> Cc: eme
> Subject: Re: [EME] First cut at eme requirements
>
> On 11/28/2006 10:30 AM, Paul Francis wrote:
>   
>>    Middlebox:  A middlebox refers to a network element assisting
>>       endpoints to communicate through that network.  A middlebox may
>>       keep per-flow state or may be stateless.  Like endpoints,
>>       middleboxes may also have local policy governing which endpoints
>>       may communicate over the particular network.
>>     
>
> This isn't an easy definition.  Not all middleboxes "assist"
> communication -- some either restrict it or allow it.  Also I believe we want
> to exclude routers from the definition.  Finally, some middleboxes are pure
> control, some are pure data plane, some are mixed.  What about pure policy
> boxes?
>
>   
>   