Hi Mark,
WDS is a typical 4-address format, we could use the concept of 4-address link to replace the WDS concept because you mentioned that it’s removed from the SPEC.
I believe the following graph is still alive in current SPEC, and 4-address format is defined in Multi-AP SPEC and extensively used in easy-mesh product.
A lot of chipset follows Multi-AP SPEC and use the 4-address format to set up backhaul link between APs in easy-mesh topology.
For instance, IPQ8174 and BCM43684 use such 4-address format to set up easy-mesh network. I don’t know why QCA and BRCM support this intention. It will be harmful to their own
product. It’s better we could find a better solution which is not harmful to current SPEC and products.
Therefore, I hope the group reconsider this SP.
Thanks
Best Regards
Jay Yang
Jay,
I believe WDS was removed from 802.11 in 2016.
However, there are other uses of “four address format”. In particular, for mesh (does 11be anticipate being used for mesh, I haven’t seen much (if any) discussion about how these
concepts map to mesh structures) and for GLK (11ak). It would be good to make sure the four-address frame format is considered in these addressing discussions.
All that said, I think the intent of the proposal, as I understood it, was to effectively say that where in the current spec we have the AP’s address/BSSID, for these frame types
that field would contain the MLD MAC address, rather than an affiliated AP’s MAC address. If we apply that consistently, I think it probably works.
Mark
Hi Yongho, Arbi,
I see you propose to reuse A3 for ML address on Group addressed frame, and individual mgmt. frame. I think it still need more discussion before we make such decision, see my explanation
below.
@Yongho Seok, As you know, WDS uses 4-address to indicate the RA/TA/DA/SA,
and RA is not equal to DA, TA is not equal to SA as well.
I’m afraid your SP will cause WDS link not works although it is passed. That’s why I said it will bring other issues in the meeting.
BTW, I understand the A3 used to indicate DA in SPEC, not SA, could you double confirm it?
I make the following example to illustrate this:
AP1 (WIFI MAC: 72:11:22:33:00:88)and AP2 (MAC: 6a:47:d0:2f:e1:db)set up WDS link, and then we set up two sessions in higher layer, and DA can be used to distinguish the two session.
AP1 sends these group addressed pkts to AP2. (We Convert grouped address pkt to unicast pkt in this case, so it’s shown with unicast RA). The sniffer log graph shown as below:
In this case, it’s not correct to reuse A3 for ML MAC address.
@Abhishek Patil, I don’t have the enough time to check individual mgmt. frame,
could you help double confirm it? I understand only data frame use 4-MAC address for WDS link, but not very sure on this.
Thanks
Best Regards
Jay Yang
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