[Nsi-wg] Issue 16 in ogf-nsi-project: drop duration from WSDL/schema

[ogf-nsi-project at googlecode.com]

Comment #2 on issue 16 by jmacau... at gmail.com: drop duration from  
WSDL/schema
http://code.google.com/p/ogf-nsi-project/issues/detail?id=16

My point of view:
1. OpenDRAC supports duration in the native WSDL interface and as well as  
in the Fenius interface.  Both implementations translate duration into an  
endTime (endTime = startTime + duration).  This directly mirrors our  
scheduling GUI interface, and can really be considered a convenience  
function for the end user (so they do not have to do math in their head).   
Given the NSI protocol will be hidden from the end user behind a  
programatic interface, there is no value in providing a duration capability  
in the NSI protocol as it is just as easy for the requesting application to  
perform the conversion of duration to endTime.

2. A suggestion was made that perhaps we could make duration be the length  
of service after the network resources have been provisioned.  This would  
result in a variable schedule (endTime = startTime + provisionTime +  
duration) which is not feasible in a network where guaranteed reservations  
times are being supported.  We would never be able to accurately predict  
the true endTime that would allow us to guarantee the next startTime.

Based on these two points I recommend removing the duration element from  
schedule.