dougm@WARTHOG.NCSL.NIST.GOV (Doug Montgomery) (02/16/91)
The current set of mature OSI routing protocols provide for significant
dynamic, adaptive routing functionality. Early implementations of these
protocols are beginning to emerge. The fundamental importance of the service
provided by these protocols and the complex, multi-peer nature of their
operation will necessitate means of testing conformance, demonstrations of
multi-vendor interoperability, and methodologies for product evaluation before
they can be confidently employed in large-scale networks and mandated for use
in government procurements.
To address these concerns, NIST is establishing a cooperative laboratory for
OSI routing technology. This effort has multiple objectives:
1. Establish a cooperative research program with participants
from industry, academia, and government interested in
fostering conformant, interoperable OSI routing products.
2. Provide an open testbed facility for OSI routing products.
3. Foster mature commercially available OSI routing products.
4. Research and develop methodologies and prototype tools to
support conformance testing, interoperability testing, and
product level evaluation of OSI routing technology.
NIST believes that this program of work provides benefits to both the vendor
and user communities. Experimental conformance and interoperability testing in
a multi-vendor environment provides implementors valuable feedback, thus
expediting the availability of product-level OSI routers. The research and
development of testing methodologies will help fulfill NIST's responsibilities
in the GOSIP program of insuring that means of assessing conformance to
standards and multi-vendor interoperability are available. The development of
product evaluation guidelines will help fulfill NIST's responsibilities in
assisting government agencies in the evaluation, acquisition and use of
emerging technology.
It should be noted that this effort will not result in any products being
officially tested or rated. NIST's mission is to develop the means of
testing. Of course, in this process we will perform experimental
interoperability testing and conformance testing on implementations that
participants have contributed to this effort. The results of this
experimentation will provide feedback to NIST (in the development of testing
methodologies), to standards communities (refinement of base standards,
implementor's agreements, and user group profiles), and to implementors.
NIST invites implementors, users, system integrators and other experts in
routing protocols to participate in this effort. A project plan detailing
NIST's program of work and ways in which interested parties may participate in
this program is available for anonymous FTAM (ISODE, user: ftam,
realstore=unix) and FTP from osi3.ncsl.nist.gov (129.6.48.108).
./pub/doc/nist-routing-lab.ps
./pub/doc/nist-routing-lab.ps.Z
To receive this document by e-mail (postscript) or surface mail (hardcopy), or
for further information contact:
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| Doug Montgomery dougm@osi.ncsl.nist.gov |
| National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| Technology Building, B-217 Voice: +1-301-975-3630 |
| Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA Fax: +1-301-590-0932 |
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