Attendance
Status of the QoS Task Force
Sally Long presented the status of the QoS Task Force, and introduced
its vision: that Business Managers will have control over the level of service they
can offer their customers through an open standards-based approach for
delivering end-to-end Quality of Service, within and across IT
boundaries. PDF version of slides is here.
The QoS Task Force Goals are:
- Mapping customers’ enterprise business requirements to QoS
standards and standard SLAs that work across Domain Boundaries
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Mapping and aligning existing and future QoS standards work across
Consortia Boundaries
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Providing service level assurances through testing, and certification
programs.
QoS Work Package consists of these four separate Work Areas:
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QoS Enterprise SLAs
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QoS Real-Time
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QoS Application Manageability
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QoS Standardization Strategy
The planned deliverables for the Task Force are:
- SLA Enterprise Work Area
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V2 Survey and White Paper – Q4,02
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V1 Volume 4 of TMF SLA Handbook – Q4,02
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SLA Business Scenario(s) – Q2,03
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Real-Time QoS - Vendor Challenge
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QoS in real-time apps in aggregate systems- Q2,03
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QoS and Application Manageability
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Framework/White Paper for mapping applications to underlying resources
Q3,03
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Standardization Strategy Work Area
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Populate SIB with QoS Industry Standards – Q4,02
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Consortia liaisons – mapping standards - Ongoing
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White Paper on QoS Across Boundaries – Q1,03
She distributed copies of the SLA White Paper, v1.2.
Market Reseach results and plans
Jean Hammond summarised the findings of the research that had been
carried out by interviewing 150 people in organizations in North
America, and the plans to repeat this study in Europe. Details are
here.
The motivation of the survey is to understand the role and importance
of SLAs between organizations, identifying key services, technologies,
and problem areas, and then to identify areas where The Open Group can
add value.
There was discussion about whether an SLA could be informal, and over
the role in the survey of the duration of SLAs.
There was discussion about whether or not in Europe there is an EU
regulation specifying that SLAs cannot have a duration of more than 3
months, in order to foster competition. This needs to be
clarified.
In Europe and Japan the survey would have to include a greater
consideration of IPv6 (flow label field), and of the role of Logistics
companies. Also whether there is a trend to trying to agree
simpler SLAs, and the problems of managing complex ones.
Another point that should be evaluated relates to the business case
for SLAs. The benefits are in a better, more predictable service,
but the suppliers may increase their charges as a result.
It was noted that there had not been any specific Asian input in the
discussion, and that more work needs to be done on the legislative
background in Asian countries before research is conducted.
