Session Date/Time: 21 Mar 2024 23:30

srv6ops

Summary

The SRV6OPS BoF session took place to assess community support for forming a working group focused on SRv6 operations. Operator presentations highlighted real-world challenges, addressing plans, network observability needs, and deployment experiences. A lively discussion followed centered around the scope and charter of a potential working group, its relationship to existing groups like V6OPS and SPRING, and whether a separate group is truly needed or if existing fora can be extended to address SRv6 operational aspects. The session concluded with a series of BoF questions aimed at gauging community interest and willingness to contribute.

Key Discussion Points

Operator Challenges: MTN highlighted unstable connectivity due to power outages and fiber cuts, link congestion, and complex topologies. Bell Canada presented their addressing plan for SRv6 deployment. Swisscom focused on network observability and on-path delay measurement. Alibaba shared their experiences deploying SRv6 in their cloud network with emphasis on dev-ops practices and addressing multi-tenancy. China Mobile discussed interoperability and planning challenges.
Charter Scope: The proposed charter focuses on best practices, operational guidelines, deployment scenarios, and management guidance. Key deliverables include recommendations for address planning and SRv6 SID allocation. The need for collaboration with other working groups (SPRING, V6OPS, 6MAN) was emphasized.
Overlap with Existing Working Groups: A significant portion of the discussion revolved around the potential overlap with existing working groups, particularly V6OPS and SPRING. Some argued that SRv6 is simply an application of IPv6 and should be addressed within existing IPv6 working groups, while others felt a dedicated group would provide necessary focus.
Need for Dedicated Forum: Several participants expressed that existing working groups are often overloaded and may not provide adequate opportunities for in-depth discussions of SRv6 operational issues. Some vendors expressed a need for consistent feedback from operators, making a dedicated forum valuable.
Emphasis on Operational Aspects: The importance of focusing on operational aspects (e.g., deployment, management, troubleshooting) as opposed to protocol development was stressed. Participants agreed that any work should complement and build upon protocol work done in other groups like SPRING.
Wording of Charter: Concerns were raised regarding the wording of the proposed charter, particularly around the relationship with SPRING and the deliverables. It was noted that wording about adopting work after SPRING consensus can be problematic. More explicit language might be needed to define specifically what the charter does and does not cover.

Decisions and Action Items

Action Item: The SRV6OPS BoF chairs will revise the charter based on the feedback received during the session, paying particular attention to the scope and relationship with existing working groups.
Action Item: Chairs need to make the meeting minutes available to participants for review, for especially your comments. And we will give our final we'll discuss among the chairs and give our understanding of what we heard in the room.
Decision: The group deferred a decision on forming a working group pending further discussion and charter revisions. The AD will need time to process all of the input to determine how best to proceed.

Next Steps

Revise the charter to address concerns about overlap with existing working groups and clarity of scope.
Further discuss and refine proposed charter through the mailing list.
Present findings and revised charter to the ISG for further consideration.