Protocol Action: Version 2 of the Internet-standard Network Management Framework to Draft Standard

[IESG Secretary <[e-mail]>]

   The IESG has approved the publication of Introduction to Version 2
   of the Internet-standard Network Management Framework
   <draft-ietf-snmpv2-intro-ds-07.txt> as an Experimental RFC.


  The IESG has approved the following seven Internet-Drafts as Draft
  Standard:

 o Structure of Management Information for Version 2 of the Simple
   Network Management Protocol (SNMPv2)
   <draft-ietf-snmpv2-smi-ds-05.txt> for the status of Draft Standard.
   This document is an update to RFC1442, currently a Proposed
   Standard.

 o Textual Conventions for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management
   Protocol (SNMPv2) <draft-ietf-snmpv2-tc-ds-07.txt> for the status of
   Draft Standard. This document is an update to RFC1443, currently a
   Proposed Standard.

 o Conformance Statements for Version 2 of the Simple Network
   Management Protocol (SNMPv2) <draft-ietf-snmpv2-conf-ds-06.txt> for
   the status of Draft Standard. This document is an update to RFC1444,
   currently a Proposed Standard.

 o Protocol Operations for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management
   Protocol (SNMPv2) <draft-ietf-snmpv2-proto-ds-06.txt>  for the
   status of Draft Standard. This document is an update to RFC1448,
   currently a Proposed Standard.

 o Transport Mappings for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management
   Protocol (SNMPv2) <draft-ietf-snmpv2-tm-ds-05.txt> for the status of
   Draft Standard. This document is an update to RFC1449, currently a
   Proposed Standard.

 o Management Information Base for Version 2 of the Simple Network
   Management Protocol (SNMPv2) <draft-ietf-snmpv2-mib-ds-06.txt> for
   the status of Draft Standard. This document is an update to RFC1450,
   currently a Proposed Standard.

 o Coexistence between Version 1 and Version 2 of the Internet-standard
   Network Management Framework <draft-ietf-snmpv2-coex-ds-04.txt> for
   the status of Draft Standard. This document is an update to RFC1452,
   currently a Proposed Standard.

These documents are the product of the SNMP Version 2 Working Group.
The IESG contact person is Deirdre Kostick.

NOTE: The IESG is aware that minor editorial clarifications may be
      needed with some of the ASN.1 macro definitions in the SMI
      documents. However the IESG believes that these problems are not
      serious enough to prevent these documents from going to Draft
      Standard. We anticipate that any needed clarifications will be made
      before these documents go to Standard.

Technical Summary

These documents identify a set of updates to version 1 of the Simple
Network Management Protocol which are referred to as SNMP version 2
(SNMPv2).

Intro: This document identifies the single change to the SNMP message
wrapper: the version number is modified from (0) to (1). This single
update allows receiving entities to differentiate SNMPv2 from SNMPv1
messages, and process using the SNMPv2 protocol operations and SMI.

The Intro document also states that the use of the community based
administrative framework with SNMPv2 is commonly known as
"Community-based SNMPv2 (SNMPv2C)".

SMI: The Structure of Management Information identifies the subset of
OSI's Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) used to write Management
Information Base modules. Examples of the enhancements the SNMPv2 SMI
introduces are:

     o 64b counters which are used to model information that
       would "wrap" in less than an hour,
     o compliance statements for MIB modules, and
     o capability statements for agent implementations.

Textual Conventions:  Textual conventions are aids to refining the
semantics of object types. New SNMPv2 textual conventions include
RowStatus which is used to identify a standard approach for creation
and deletion of conceptual rows.

Conformance Statements: This document specifies how MIB writers can
define the acceptable minimal level of implementation functions. It
also defines how an Agent implementor can document that actual level of
implementation supported by an agent. No standard conformance statement
mechanisms were defined for SNMPv1.

Protocol Operations: Protocol operations refer to the processing
required in sending and receiving SNMP protocol data units (PDUs). This
document also defines and specifies the valid PDU formats. SNMPv2
introduces: the GetBulkRequest-PDU, InformRequest-PDU, SNMPv2-Trap-PDU,
and Report-PDU.

SNMPv2 provides enhanced exception and error reporting capabilities
which are specificed in the Protocol Operations document.

Transport Mappings: SNMPv2 may be used over a variety of protocol
suites. Although the preferred mapping is over UDP, this document
defines how SNMPv2 maps into an initial set of transport domains.

SNMPv2 MIB: This document describes the set of of managed objects for
SNMPv2 entities.

Coexistance: Provides improved documentation on coexistance between the
two SNMP versions: SNMPv1 and SNMPv2. Proxy agent and bi-lingual
manager approaches are described.

Working Group Summary

The SNMPv2 Working Group was chartered in November 1994 to develop a
recommendation on RFC1441 to RFC1452 (the SNMPv2 document set). The
SNMPv2 Working Group could not come to conclusion on the administrative
and security aspects of SNMPv2 as described in several proposals
submitted to the Working Group.

There was working group consensus on progressing the non-administrative
framework and non-security protocol related aspects of SNMPv2. These
aspects are specified in the set of documents.

Major Issues and Last Call Summary:


There was some disagreement over the Intro document. Some members of
the WG wanted the document to refer to SNMPv1.5, many stated that it
didn't matter what the name was, others suggested SNMPv3 was fine. The
originator of the term SNMPv1.5 posted mail against using the term in
the intro document. The solution of using SNMPv2C appeared to reflect
rough consensus.

There was disagreement from two members of the WG over how the
authorship of the documents is reflected. (Steve Waldbusser and Jeff
Case)

During Last Call there was concern over progressing the SNMPv2
documents without addressing security features.


Protocol Quality

Deirdre Kostick has reviewed the protocol for the IESG.

This set of SNMPv2 documents identify a subset of the functionality
that was specified in the original RFC1441-RFC1452 series. There were
several implementations of the original SNMPv2 specifications, and the
changes reflected in the current set of documents are based in part on
this experience. This set of SNMPv2 implementations, plus
implementations during the current design phase meet IETF criteria for
advancement from Proposed to Draft.