January 2004 doc IEEE 802 11 040045 r

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Scope and Interconnectivity Considerations for ESS Mesh Narasimha Chari (chari@tropos. com) Malik Audeh (malik. audeh@tropos. com) Tropos Networks San Mateo, CA Submission 1 Ravi Mahadevappa, Stephan ten Brink, Realtek

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Overview • Tropos Networks is supportive of the ESS Mesh Standards effort • We highlight the need for standardized interconnectivity • We present some observations about the state of mesh networking and on the feasibility of standardizing a routing protocol • Lastly, we present comments on the draft PAR/5 C and our suggestions for changes to the scope Submission 2 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Interconnectivity • Multiple vendors of mesh networking products already exist in the marketplace, serving different customer needs and providing solutions for different deployment environments • Specification of a standard way for mesh products from different vendors to interconnect is likely to fuel large-scale adoption of such systems • Interconnectivity across domain boundaries is likely to emerge as an important market requirement Submission 3 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Interconnectivity Scenarios - I Node-level interconnectivity Submission 4 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Interconnectivity Scenarios - II Over-the-wire interconnectivity Submission 5 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Interconnectivity Scenarios - III Interconnectivity across domain boundaries Submission 6 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Mesh Networking- A rapidly evolving area • Active area of research and development – Academic research – MIT Roof. Net, CMU Monarch – Commercial innovation • Startups – Tropos, Mesh Networks, Bel. Air, Strix, Firetide, Packet. Hop, others • Established companies – Nortel, Intel, Motorola, others – Standards bodies (IETF MANET: AODV, DSR, DSDV, etc. ) • Multiple approaches exist and more are being actively developed • Standardization of a protocol may be premature and may stifle innovation in a rapidly evolving space Submission 7 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Multiple Deployment Scenarios • Multiple deployment scenarios with differing functional requirements – – – Directional vs omni-directional meshes Indoor vs outdoor Fixed vs mobile Public safety vs ISP vs wireless carriers Domestic vs international markets • No one-size-fits-all approach is likely to work Submission 8 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Routing • Routing is traditionally a Layer 3 function • There are good arguments for wireless routing protocols to be radio-aware • However, this does not necessarily imply that the protocol needs to be implemented at Layer 2, merely that radio-level information needs to be gathered and leveraged in making the routing decisions • 802. 11 k Task Group activities (Radio Resource Measurement) are a step in the right direction Submission 9 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks

January 2004 doc. : IEEE 802. 11 -04/0045 r 0 Our Suggestions • Scope should include definitions and mechanisms to allow internetworking of mesh domains – – Clarification of the 4 -address format within 802. 11 Mechanism to identify neighbor nodes in a mesh Mechanism to identify wired gateway nodes Mechanism to share routing information across domain boundaries • Scope should explicitly exclude specification of the routing protocol between individual APs in a domain to be used for the reasons cited earlier – This will enable faster completion of TG activities Submission 10 Narasimha Chari, Malik Audeh - Tropos Networks