Obsoletes:
Keywords: ETHER-MIB, MIB, Network, Management, SNMP, Ethernet
Network Working Group J. Flick
Request for Comments: 3638 Hewlett-Packard Company
Obsoletes: 1643 C. Heard
Category: Informational Consultant
September 2003
Applicability Statement for Reclassification of
RFC 1643 to Historic Status
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
This memo recommends that RFC 1643 be reclassified as an Historic
document and provides the supporting motivation for that
recommendation.
1. Details
STD 50, RFC 1643 [RFC1643], "Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types", and its SMIv2 equivalent, RFC 1650
[RFC1650], are applicable to half-duplex 10 Mb/s Ethernet interfaces
only. Subsequent to the 1994 publication of these documents, 100
Mb/s, 1000 Mb/s, and 10 Gb/s Ethernet interface types have been
developed, and full-duplex operation at 10 Mb/s has been
standardized. Updates to RFC 1650 have been produced to accommodate
these new technologies [RFC2358] [RFC2665] [RFC2666] [RFC3635].
These updates define new MIB objects to supplement those defined in
RFC 1643 and RFC 1650 and in addition deprecate some of the objects
in RFC 1643 and RFC 1650 that are no longer considered useful. They
also levy a requirement for implementations of the EtherLike-MIB to
support the MAU-MIB [RFC2239] [RFC2668] [RFC3636] as well.
Flick & Heard Informational [Page 1]
RFC 3638 RFC 1643 to Historic Status September 2003
RFC 1643 is an obsolete specification, overtaken by events. Its
SMIv2 equivalent, RFC 1650, was officially retired in 1998. New
implementations -- even those that support only half-duplex 10 Mb/s
interfaces -- should comply with in the latest version of the
specification, currently RFC 3635 [RFC3635] and RFC 2666 [RFC2666],
instead of RFC 1643. It is therefore recommended that RFC 1643 be
reclassified as an Historic document.
2. Effect on Other Standards Track Documents
Reclassification of RFC 1643 will have no impact on the status of any
standards track RFC because no standards track RFC cites it as a
normative reference. An RFC content search made with the tools
available at http://www.rfc-editor.org reveals the following
standards track documents that cite RFC 1643:
Document Title
-------- -----
RFC 2020 IEEE 802.12 Interface MIB
RFC 2358 Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types
RFC 2665 Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types
RFC 2720 Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB
RFC 3635 Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types
RFC 2020 [RFC2020] contains DOT12-IF-MIB, which is the MIB module for
managing IEEE 802.12 100VG-AnyLAN interfaces. It refers to RFC 1643
in the context of an admonition not to implement the EtherLike-MIB
for any interface where the DOT12-IF-MIB is implemented.
RFC 2358 [RFC2358], RFC 2665 [RFC2665], and RFC 3635 [RFC3635] all
contain updated versions of the EtherLike-MIB. They refer to RFC
1643 in the context of explaining the history of the EtherLike-MIB,
and the citation in RFC 3635 is explicitly listed as a non-normative
reference.
RFC 2720 [RFC2720] contains the FLOW-METER-MIB. It refers to RFC
1643 only in an ASN.1 comment in the MIB module. Omission of that
comment would not preclude correct implementation of the MIB module.
Clearly, none of these citations are normative.
Flick & Heard Informational [Page 2]
RFC 3638 RFC 1643 to Historic Status September 2003
3. Security Considerations
Reclassification of RFC 1643 will not, in and of itself, have any
effect on the security of the Internet.
4. Normative References
[RFC1643] Kastenholz, F., "Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types", STD 50, RFC 1643, July
1994.
[RFC1650] Kastenholz, F., "Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types using SMIv2", RFC 1650,
August 1994.
[RFC2020] Flick, J., "IEEE 802.12 Interface MIB", RFC 2020, October
1996.
[RFC2239] de Graaf, K., Romascanu, D., McMaster, D., McCloghrie, K.
and S. Roberts, "Definitions of Managed Objects for IEEE
802.3 Medium Attachment Units (MAUs) using SMIv2", RFC
2239, November 1997.
[RFC2358] Flick, J. and J. Johnson, "Definitions of Managed Objects
for the Ethernet-like Interface Types", RFC 2358, June
1998.
[RFC2665] Flick, J. and J. Johnson, "Definitions of Managed Objects
for the Ethernet-like Interface Types", RFC 2665, August
1999.
[RFC2666] Flick, J., "Definitions of Object Identifiers for
Identifying Ethernet Chip Sets", RFC 2666, August 1999.
[RFC2668] Smith, A., Flick, J., deGraaf, K., Romascanu, D.,
McMaster, D., McCloghrie, K. and S. Roberts, "Definitions
of Managed Objects for IEEE 802.3 Medium Attachment Units
(MAUs)", RFC 2668, August 1999.
[RFC2720] Brownlee, N., "Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB", RFC
2720, October 1999.
[RFC3635] Flick, J., "Definitions of Managed Objects for the
Ethernet-like Interface Types", RFC 3635, September 2003.
Flick & Heard Informational [Page 3]
RFC 3638 RFC 1643 to Historic Status September 2003
[RFC3636] Flick, J., "Definitions of Managed Objects for IEEE 802.3
Medium Attachment Units (MAUs)", RFC 3636, September
2003.
5. Authors' Addresses
John Flick
Hewlett-Packard Company
8000 Foothills Blvd. M/S 5557
Roseville, CA 95747-5557
USA
Phone: +1 916 785 4018
Fax: +1 916 785 1199
EMail: johnf@rose.hp.com
C. M. Heard
600 Rainbow Dr. #141
Mountain View, CA 94041-2542
USA
Phone: +1 650 964 8391
EMail: heard@pobox.com
Flick & Heard Informational [Page 4]
RFC 3638 RFC 1643 to Historic Status September 2003
6. Full Copyright Statement
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved.
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
English.
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assignees.
This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Acknowledgement
Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
Internet Society.
Flick & Heard Informational [Page 5]