[e2e] use of MAC addresses

[Ted Faber]

On Thu, Apr 13, 2006 at 09:05:52AM -0700, Joe Touch wrote:
> [replacing MAC addresses with 32-bit MAC addresses that directly
> correspond to IP addresses deleted]
>
> Please explain how ARP and DHCP would then work. Or router discovery and
> host address assignment in IPv6.

I'm not sure this is worthy of a Socratic dialog, Joe.  I'm sure you can
come up with 3 designs that would work for dynamic address allocation in
such a system, so you know a person could do it.   If you're trying to focus
this fellow's discussion, I'm not convinced that the point of the
discussion is in the details of a dynamic address allocation
implementation.

"Why make the MAC/IP address replacement?" is the question.  So far, I
haven't seen anything that it simplifies: you still have to do all the
MAC functions, you just do them on this 32- (or 128-) bit identifier
that you have to coordinate with the network layer besides.  I also
don't see any new function that's enabled by it, and without a layer of
indirection that the link layer provides, many old functions are more
cumbersome to implement.

I do think that one could eliminate all link layer identifiers.  And if
it's impossible, I really don't care yet.  If I could do it, why would I
want to?

We're spending a lot of time talking about an idea that strikes me as
about as attractive as do-it-yourself dentistry.  That activity may also
be *possible*, but I'd want to see an awfully big upside before I'd try
it.

-- 
Ted Faber
http://www.isi.edu/~faber           PGP: http://www.isi.edu/~faber/pubkeys.asc
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