Re: iSCSI-Asynch event code

[Santosh Rao <santoshr@cup.hp.com>]

I don't see a need to allow key re-negotiation during FFP. The only key
that is really required to be used in FFP is SendTargets.

The keys that are permitted during FFP are :

- SendTargets
- TargetAlias
- InitiatorAlias
- TargetAddress
- MaxRecvDataPDUSize (or whatever its latest name is)
- Vendor Specific keys

Of the above, the only real negotiation involves the MaxRecvPDUSize. I
don't see any use of attempting to modify/negotiate/communicate the
remaining keys during FFP (with the exception of SendTargets).

I see no problem in forbidding key re-negotiation during FFP and
handling PMTU changes by dropping the connection and allowing it to be
re-established.

There needs to be a conscious effort to simplify this login negotiation
process and bound the complexity that's being heaped upon it. If we
don't make the attempt to keep it simple, we are going to be bitten by a
bunch of bugs in this area due to its complexity.

This is one such area where we can choose not to increase the complexity
of login negotiation.

There have been some concerns raised about the initiator not logging
back in upon a target driven logout. Such an initiator driver is a poor
design. As long as an upper layer in the O.S. has an open pending on
some LUN of that target port, it is the duty of the initiator driver to
attempt to keep the I-T nexus established, and if there's a transient
glitch in the I-T nexus, the initiator must attempt to re-login.

An initiator that does not do this gets what it deserves. There's no
need to add complexity to the spec in an attempt to deal with poor
initiator implementations. The target need not care if the initiator
does not log back, in this case.

- Santosh



pat_thaler@agilent.com wrote:
> 
> Paul and Santosh,
> 
> If this isn't needed, then I don't see why FFP negotiation is needed at all (other than to support discovery with SendTargets but that isn't really a negotiation). The initiator could also close and reopen the connection to change PDU size. If we support renegotiation of some keys during FFP for the initiator, then we should do it for the target as well. Otherwise we shouldn't support renegotiation at all.
> 
> Pat
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Koning [mailto:ni1d@arrl.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:54 PM
> To: santoshr@cup.hp.com
> Cc: Julian_Satran@il.ibm.com; ips@ece.cmu.edu
> Subject: Re: iSCSI-Asynch event code
> 
> Excerpt of message (sent 12 June 2002) by Santosh Rao:
> >
> > Why is this needed ? The target can just send an async event to drop the
> > connection or request a connection logout, and the connection can be
> > re-established allowing for new negotiation.
> >
> > I don't see the point of making this change so late in the game. There
> > exist mechanisms such as target driven connection logout/drop which can
> > be used to achieve the same effect.
> 
> I agree.
> 
>     paul

-- 
The world is so fast that there are days when the person who says 
it can't be done is interrupted by the person who is doing it.
	~ Anon