[e2e] What should e2e protocols know about lower layers?

[Bob Hinden]

Joe,

>As Ran observed on the TSVWG mailing list, IPv6 lacks broadcast, one could 
>argue for reasons related to this. However, replacing the well-known term 
>broadcast with the magical 'anycast' doesn't replace the need.

IPv6 anycast does not replace broadcast.  Anycast is the delivery of a 
packet to one of a set of destinations.  IPv6 uses multicast instead of 
broadcast.  See RFC2373.  Also I never though of anycast as "magical"....

>The LAN is an important component of the current architecture, and 
>differentiates between local and nonlocal for the use of broadcast to 
>avoid centralization of MAC address registration, and the alternative of 
>explicit dispersed registration.

I don't think it is correct to assume that "local" means a LAN.  It could 
just as well be wireless, point-to-point, NBMA, etc.  They all have 
different properties, none of which can be deduced by determining locality.

Bob