CURRENT_MEETING_REPORT_ Reported by Peter Furniss/Consultant Minutes of the Minimal OSI Upper-Layers Working Group (THINOSI) Status and Content of Upper-layer Cookbook The question of whether the cookbook was a parallel specification of the OSI protocols or a mixture of profile and implementation advice was finalised, following earlier e-mail discussions. It transpired that the Area Director, Dave Crocker, and several others had originally thought that the group was specifying an alternative protocol to provide the OSI upper-layer functions, and they had been surprised to discover the protocol was the same, or a subset of the standard protocols. The group accepted Dave's view that there could be no such thing as ``re-specification'' of a protocol---there was only one defining text. Anything which restated, without modification, what was in the original specification was really an implementation guide. As such it could become an Informational RFC, but not a standards track document. However, the cookbook also subsets the standard protocols, and in this respect is similar to the profiles produced by the OSI ``regional workshops''---OIW, EWOS and AOW. Such subsetting is protocol specification, and Dave said would be suitable for standards track if the base documents are: o The result of an open process. o Stable (for Proposed status); or published standard (for IETF Standard status). Dave suggested the model of the SMI RFC, which cites the OSI ASN.1 Basic Encoding Rules and defines a subset of them, could be taken as an example of the style. Peter Furniss had already produced a first attempt at separating the profile-like aspects of the cookbook, treating the OSI base standards and the two general profiles (Common Upper-Layer Requirements - Part 1 and Part 3) as the cited documents. Both the ISO and regional workshop processes meet the openness requirement. However, although CULR Part 1 (general requirements) is stable, and about to begin draft International Standardised Profile ballot, Part 3 is not stable and is some way from international ballot. It was agreed that Peter would expand the profile, citing just the base standards and CULR-1 and reproducing the CULR-3 restrictions. It includes a few further restrictions that are not currently in CULR-3. Peter would submit this as an Internet-Draft. Peter will also revise the cookbook again, referring to the other document. Charter Revision The decisions above require revision of the charter to reflect what the group is actually doing. It was agreed that since the ``thinDAP'' work has not progressed, and in any case would be an Informational RFC, it should be dropped from the work plan. Peter will work up a draft revision and post it to the list, (really). Application-specific Mapping Documents There was no clear view on the possibility of defining application- specific mapping documents (e.g., how to use Z39.50 with the cookbook). Peter will explain this idea to the mailing list. Reduced-OSI Following the realisation that many people had expected, and wanted, the group to investigate alternative, lighter, protocols, it was agreed the mailing list would be opened to provide an (interim) forum for discussion of this. Walter Lazear had identified at least 7 different groups (mostly .gov or .mil) interested in this, and at least two others were represented (electric power companies) or known of (civil air-ground). Walter had a one-page summary of this to hand out. The concentration would be on trying to establish what the requirements really were---i.e., which parts of OSI function were still wanted. This widening of the list will not be formally part of the working group work plan. It is just taking advantage of a mailing list that people may have thought was doing it anyway! Parallel Documents o Jim Quigley reported that CULR-3 had been revised further, and the OIW ULSIG were concentrating on getting the compliance/conformance terminology sorted out. o The X/Open XTI/mOSI specification is still about to be published as a preliminary specification. o Jim Quigley reported that ITU-T SG7 was planning to make the cookbook into a Recommendation. Implementations o Terry Sullivan (Florida Center for Library Automation) released his ``tosi'' implementation three days previously o Peter has started extending the X/osi code to a more general thinosi implementation, with XTI/mOSI as the upper interface. He hopes to have it available around the end of the year. Next Time The group does not expect to meet in Seattle. Attendees David Crocker dcrocker@mordor.stanford.edu Richard desJardins desjardi@eos.nasa.gov Peter Furniss p.furniss@ulcc.ac.uk Walter Lazear lazear@gateway.mitre.org Mark Needleman mhn@stubbs.ucop.edu Dan Nordell James Quigley Quigley@cup.hp.com Brien Wheeler blw@mitre.org