Re: [EFM] OAM loop back / echo server function
On Wed, 05 Sep 2001 09:23:46 -0700 "Geoff Thompson" wrote:
> This brings up the much uglier issue of discovery, also a topic that has
> always been outside the scope of 802.3.
> If there is going to be a bridge or router at the demarc then there will
> have to be a discovery process that effectively logs the MAC address into
> the service provider's system. The service provider won't be able to
> Ping/Echo the box until it knows the MAC address.
I believe most switches log MAC addresses for routing purposes and
those MAC addresses can be recovered via SNMP queries using standard
MIBs.
DOCSIS had the same problem. One also wants to record all MACs behind
the CPE equipment and IPs for these customer devices as well. The
solution has been RFC-3046
(http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3046.txt?number=3046) which adds a chain
of Relay Agent Information to the DHCP packet[s] in the options
fields. This is a great spec which is now widely implemented among
cable modem providers.
So if the ESLAM responds to a super-set of standard Ethernet MIBs,
this is a solved problem.
regards,
fletcher