MIH & transport independence
Michael,
I checked with the requirement document. There is no requirement that MIH
protocol, if there is one, needs to be transport independent.
There have been previous proposal and discussions that the MIH protocol be
transport independent, but it is not an 802.21 requirement.
For the information base defined and specified in 802.21, if there is one,
indeed various protocols could be used to retrieve the information.
If the MIH protocol is meant to do ONLY information retrieval, then 802.21
does not need to specify the MIH protocol and should leverage from existing
protocols such as SNMP and the like for that purpose. This means that
VARIOUS protocols (in whatever layers they function) could be used; but it
is not the same as saying that the MIH protocol is TRANSPORT INDEPENDENT.
If the "MIH protocol" is to do MORE THAN just information retrieval, such as
making commands that results in state/behavioural changes, then an MIH
protocol will need to be defined for such signalling purpose. In specifying
such protocol, I don't think it is possible to make the protocol transport
independent neither.
Best Regards,
Hong-Yon