Extended%20RADIUS%20Attributes

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Extended RADIUS Attributes

• Monday July 10, 2006
• Barney Wolff
• IETF 66, Montreal, Canada

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RADIUS Extended Attributes

• draft-wolff-radext-ext-attribute-00.txt
• Needs updating, at least to add acknowledgement
  to Jari Arkko as the original proposer of this
  feature
• Delete mention of RADIUS designer imagination
• This is transfer syntax, must support desired
  power flexibility available to definers of new
  RADIUS features

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Evaluation Criteria

• Top priority
• remove 255 limit on attribute type number
• remove 253 limit on attribute value length
• support rich set of standard attribute value
  types
• support grouping
• easy transition of attributes from VSA to
  standard

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Evaluation Criteria

• Mid priority
• ease of gatewaying ?? Diameter
• support multi-level (nested) grouping
• M-bit
• build on / re-use existing work
• Low priority
• minimal attribute header size
• elegance, alas

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How to evaluate the choices?

• Should agree on criteria priorities before
  evaluating formats!
• Ideally, should have agreed on criteria
  priorities before even thinking about formats, as
  too easy to warp to favor pet format, but too
  late now.

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Advantages of using Diameter attribute header
format

• Satisfies all top mid priority criteria
• All new RADIUS features need Diameter spec too
  minimizes author work
• Grouped sub-attributes are together in specified
  order, making validation display
  straightforward
• Definite - no need to spend time debating fine
  points of format

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Disadvantages of using Diameter attribute header
format

• Verbose, custom header could be somewhat smaller
• Few would call it beautiful
• NIHHHHNot under sole control of RADEXT WG

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