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RE: [802.1] TGi use of OUI 00-00-00




DJ,

The EUI in general is a relatively recent invention, a logical abstraction
of the EUI-64. The precise terminology is due to David James, he has been
working to tidy up and give form to the whole subject. The tutorials are
still under discussion by the RAC. They are the best gudelines we have to
the entire thought procedure of use and derivation of new identifiers.

Until recently information describing the OUI and the derivation of MAC
Addresses has been thought sufficient. Other derived identifiers have been
addressed on a case by case basis. There is a 40 bit identifier, for
example, in IEE Std 802.2 for the "SNAP SAP".

I for one, as a RAC member and from a technical point of view, can see no
reason why a cipher suite could not be identified by a valid OUI (3 octets)
concatenated with a single further octet. As I understand it the number of
further values is exceedingly small - 4 so far (skipping over an escape
value and a reserved value, but including all grandfathered in values), and
with every prospect that the rate of addition to the numbers will be
exceedingly small (less than one every 3 years) and declining. I can see no
reason why a further 24 bit field would be required to encode the 6 code
points. Opinions of other RAC members may differ, I don't believe we have
resolution on this point.

Mick

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-stds-802-1@majordomo.ieee.org
[mailto:owner-stds-802-1@majordomo.ieee.org]On Behalf Of Johnston, Dj
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 10:34 AM
To: Hal Keen
Cc: stds-802-11@ieee.org; IEEE 802.1; stds-rac@ieee.org;
stds-802-sec@ieee.org
Subject: RE: [802.1] TGi use of OUI 00-00-00



Hal,

I think I know the answer to this one. Two things need fixing.

1) There is a complete absense of a useful OUI/EUI/whatever to enable
standards to create selection tables with vendor proprietary entries. I
certainly hope that the RAC assign one for this purpose at the next
meeting since it's the least messy route to a solution for .11i, LinkSec
and anything else comes along.

2) The extreme cunning with which the information on the use and nature
of OUIs and EUIs has been hidden needs to be undone. Around the time
that this thread started, I went searching the IEEE site to educate
myself. I found the 802 document describing MAC addresses and OUIs and
the RAC pages which provided a submission form and a list of assigned
OUIs and not much else.

What I never found was any reference to an EUI or the rules for OUIs and
EUIs. In fact I didn't know an EUI existed until David James posted the
http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/tutorials/UseOfEUI.html address.
An hour searching with google and the IEEE search tool didn't reveal
this little gem.

So a link on the RAC pages to 'What the actually rules are' would at
least empower us (standards writers) to know the rules of the game we
are playing without invoking Sherlock Holmes mode.

Regards,
DJ

David Johnston
Intel Corporation
Chair, IEEE 802 Handoff ECSG

Email : dj.johnston@intel.com
Tel   : 503 380 5578 (Mobile)
Tel   : 503 264 3855 (Office)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Hal Keen [mailto:Hal.Keen@att.net] 
> Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 7:53 AM
> To: Geoff Thompson; David Halasz
> Cc: Mike Moreton; Tony Jeffree; Johnston, Dj; 
> stds-802-11@ieee.org; IEEE 802.1; stds-rac@ieee.org; 
> stds-802-sec@ieee.org; millardo@dominetsystems.com
> Subject: Re: [802.1] TGi use of OUI 00-00-00
> 
> 
> Dave:
> 
> Okay, I'll bite; I'm one (actually half) of the 802.2 committee in
> hibernation and a longtime student of the evolution of the 
> O&A. (Not by any
> means the most senior; quite a number of us in 802.1 remember 
> when the "OUI"
> term was invented.)
> 
> What do you imagine needs to be fixed, with regard to this 
> matter, in 802.2?
> and, for that matter, in the O&A?
> 
> Hal Keen
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "David Halasz" <dhala@cisco.com>
> Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 7:38 AM
> Subject: RE: [802.1] TGi use of OUI 00-00-00
> 
> 
> >
> > Thanks Geoff,
> >
> > I trust you will proceed to fix 802.2 and the 802 Overview and
> Architecture
> > document.
> >
> >          Dave H.
> 
> 

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