stds-802-16: 2 PARs submitted by 802.11

["Roger B. Marks" <marks@boulder.nist.gov>]

At the March 802 Plenary, 802.11 will be asking approval for the two 
PARs described below. If we have concerns or objections, we may 
submit them in written form by 5 pm on Tuesday, 7 March, 5:00 pm. 
Please bring any issues to my attention.

Roger
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(1) Medium Access Method (MAC) Enhancements 
http://www.ieee802.org/11/PARs/9273-r1-8W-PAR-and-5-Criteria-MAC-enhan 
cements.pdf

Scope:
Enhance the 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) to improve and manage 
Quality of Service, provide classes of service, and enhanced security 
and authentication mechanisms. Consider efficiency enhancements in 
the areas of the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) and Point 
Coordination Function (PCF)

Purpose is:
To enhance the current 802.11 MAC to expand support for applications 
with Quality of Service requirements. Provide improvements in 
security, and in the capabilities and efficiency of the protocol. 
These enhancements, in combination with recent improvements in PHY 
capabilities from 802.11a and 802.11b, will increase overall system 
performance, and expand the application space for 802.11.


(2) Recommended Practices for Multi-Vendor Access Point 
Interoperability via Inter-Access Point Protocol across Distribution 
Systems supporting IEEE P802.11 operation 
http://www.ieee802.org/11/PARs/9275-r1-8W-PAR-and-5-Criteria-IAPP.pdf

Scope:
To develop recommended practices for an Inter-Access Point Protocol 
(IAPP) which provides the necessary capabilities to achieve 
multi-vendor Access Point interoperability across a Distribution 
System supporting IEEE P802.11 Wireless LAN Links. This IAPP will be 
developed for the following environment(s): 1) A Distribution System 
consisting of IEEE 802 LAN components supporting an IETF IP 
environment; 2) Others as deemed appropriate.

Purpose:
IEEE P802.11 specifies the MAC and PHY layers of a Wireless LAN 
system and includes the basic architecture of such systems, including 
the concepts of Access Points and Distribution Systems. 
Implementation of these concepts where purposely not defined by 
P802.11 because there are many ways to create a Wireless LAN system. 
Additionally many of the possible implementation approaches involve 
concepts from higher network layers. While this leaves great 
flexibility in Distributions System and Access Point functional 
design, the associated cost is that physical Access Point devices 
from different vendors are unlikely to inter-operate across a 
Distribution System due to the different approaches taken to 
Distribution System design. As P802.11 based systems have grown in 
popularity, this limitation has become an impediment to WLAN market 
growth. At the same time it has become clear that there are a small 
number of Distribution System environments that comprise the bulk of 
the commercial WLAN system installations. This project proposes to 
specify the necessary information that needs to be exchanged between 
Access Points to support the P802.11 DS functions. The information 
exchanges required will be specified for, one or more Distribution 
Systems; in a manner sufficient to enable the implementation of 
Distribution Systems containing Access Points from different vendors 
which adhere to the recommended practices.