RE: WIMS> RE: Counter MIB questions

From: Stuart Rowley (Stuart.Rowley@ktd-kyocera.com)
Date: Mon Jul 10 2006 - 20:30:27 EDT

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    Hi Ira and Bill,

     

    I would like to back track from my previous statement that a unique
    media key seems necessary. Instead I would like to restate the
    problem(s).

     

    1) Print jobs need to be able to uniquely or at least unambiguously
    identify the size and type of media that should be used.

    2) Accounting applications need to categorize the size and types of
    media used for billing purposes.

     

    I'm not sure "unique" is achievable. You listed color/type/coating, but
    customers could also want to specify just about any media type
    attribute: weight, grain, brightness, manufacturer, content (5% fair
    trade hand picked hemp fibers).... so rather than unique, it seems we
    have to decide the level to go to.

     

    Accounting applications probably do not normally need this same level of
    definition. Indeed most of our devices use just standard types such as
    bond, letterhead, transparency, etc. as well as a few customizable
    types. Thus, from an accounting standpoint, anything other than the
    standard types is custom. So for accounting it is sufficient (and maybe
    more desirable) to say "bond" rather than
    "white-bond-matte-24lb-89brightness".

     

    Another question I have is if the size is identified in ...SizeName, why
    should it also be included in the media key?

     

    Thanks,

     

    Stuart

     

    Stuart Rowley

    Kyocera Technology Development

     

    ________________________________

    From: McDonald, Ira [mailto:imcdonald@sharplabs.com]
    Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 1:34 PM
    To: Stuart Rowley; wamwagner@comcast.net
    Cc: wims@pwg.org
    Subject: RE: WIMS> RE: Counter MIB questions

     

    Hi Stuart,

     

    The attribute media-key (in media-col) is meant to be a unique key.

    Description of the attribute's value in PWG 5100.3 is underspecified.

     

    I suggest we should require using hyphen-separated media descriptive

    keywords (size, color, type) from PWG 5101.1 (Standard Media Names)

    followed by a free-form suffix based on media weight, coating, etc.

    (taken from the other attributes in media-col in PWG 5100.3).

     

    For example,

     

    iso-a4-white-stationery-satin (size/color/type/front coating)

     

    Comments?

     

    Cheers,

    - Ira

    Ira McDonald (Musician / Software Architect)
    Blue Roof Music / High North Inc
    PO Box 221 Grand Marais, MI 49839
    phone: +1-906-494-2434
    email: imcdonald@sharplabs.com

            -----Original Message-----
            From: Stuart Rowley [mailto:Stuart.Rowley@ktd-kyocera.com]
            Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 11:22 AM
            To: McDonald, Ira; wamwagner@comcast.net
            Cc: wims@pwg.org
            Subject: RE: WIMS> RE: Counter MIB questions

            Bill and Ira,

             

            A unique media key seems necessary to me. I have looked at
    5100.3, and it seems it would take careful study for me to understand
    the implementation of media key in this document. I just didn't get it
    in a quick pass.

             

            Thanks,

             

            Stuart

             

            Stuart Rowley

            Kyocera Technology Development

             

            
    ________________________________

            From: lynnewagner@comcast.net [mailto:lynnewagner@comcast.net]
            Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 7:03 PM
            To: McDonald, Ira; 'wamwagner@comcast.net'; Stuart Rowley
            Cc: wims@pwg.org
            Subject: RE: WIMS> RE: Counter MIB questions

             

            Hello Ira,

             

            Yes, that sounds good. Do we have any comments from the list?

             

            Bill Wagner

             

            --
            A. Lynne Wagner, EdD, MSN, RN
            Consultant, Nurse Career and Mentor Coach
            Phone: 978-764-3982
            E-Mail: lynnewagner@comcast.net

             

                    -------------- Original message --------------
                    From: "McDonald, Ira" <imcdonald@sharplabs.com>

                    Hi Bill,

                     

                    The best solution would be to lead '...MediaInfo' as
    descriptive and

                    add a new attribute '...MediaKey' (see PWG 5100.3) that
    IS unique.

                     

                    This wants some consideration and discussion.

                     

                    Cheers,

                    - Ira

                    Ira McDonald (Musician / Software Architect)
                    Blue Roof Music / High North Inc
                    PO Box 221 Grand Marais, MI 49839
                    phone: +1-906-494-2434
                    email: imcdonald@sharplabs.com

                            -----Original Message-----
                            From: wamwagner@comcast.net
    [mailto:wamwagner@comcast.net]
                            Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 12:34 PM
                            To: McDonald, Ira; 'Stuart Rowley'
                            Cc: wims@pwg.org
                            Subject: RE: WIMS> RE: Counter MIB questions

                            Ira,

                             

                            Understood. That is a problem with not
    prototyping, although there is no guarentee that all issues will be
    found when prototyping. So, pending further discoveries, perhaps we
    should consider an errata to the counter spec? I take it that we would
    add another object, with 'icMediaUsedMediaInfo' being redefined and
    retyped as a media qualifier and (perhaps) ''icMediaUsedMediaDescrip"
    being added for user infomation?

                             

                            Bill Wagner

                             

                                    -------------- Original message
    --------------
                                    From: "McDonald, Ira"
    <imcdonald@sharplabs.com>

                                    Hi Bill,

                                     

                                    I agree that 'icMediaUsedMediaInfo' is
    overloaded with two probably

                                    incompatible uses, but it isn't the MIB
    that did this overloading. This

                                    is a bug in the PWG Candidate Standard
    Imaging System Counters

                                    (PWG 5106.1) - see section 5.3 on the
    bottom of page 27.

                                     

                                    This bug cannot be fixed in the MIB
    independently, without revision

                                    of the source document's element
    semantics.

                                     

                                    Cheers,

                                    - Ira

                                     

                                    Ira McDonald (Musician / Software
    Architect)
                                    Blue Roof Music / High North Inc
                                    PO Box 221 Grand Marais, MI 49839
                                    phone: +1-906-494-2434
                                    email: imcdonald@sharplabs.com

                                    -----Original Message-----
                                    From: wamwagner@comcast.net
    [mailto:wamwagner@comcast.net]
                                    Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 4:36 PM
                                    To: McDonald, Ira; 'Stuart Rowley'
                                    Cc: wims@pwg.org
                                    Subject: Re: WIMS> RE: Counter MIB
    questions

                                    OK. Ira, it seems that you agree with
    Stuart that:

                                    icMediaUsedMediaSizeName DisplayString
    and

                                    icMediaUsedMediaInfo SnmpAdminString

                                    both are not localized.

                                     

                                    The former is a PWG 5101.1 defined
    keyword; the latter is freeform in that it is not a public-spec defined
    keyword, but operationally should be one of a set of strings defined for
    use in a particular environment or with a particular application.

                                     

                                    This appears to overload
    icMediaUsedMediaInfo as both a qualifying descriptor for media
    identification and as a description for human consumption.

                                     

                                    Since the MIB is informational only
    (pending prototyping), and Stuart may be doing the prototyping, I would
    suggest that we collect the issues discovered during this effort and
    define an updated version of the MIB for resubmission as a candidate
    standard.

                                     

                                    Bill Wagner

                                     

                                    -------------- Original message
    --------------
                                    From: "McDonald, Ira"
    <imcdonald@sharplabs.com>

                                    Hi Stuart,

                                     

                                    The ASCII keyword in '...SizeName'
    should NOT be localized,

                                    but the equivalent elements in
    '...MediaInfo' ARE supposed to

                                    be localized.

                                     

                                    But, because '...MediaInfo' in the
    Abstact Counter spec (PWG

                                    5106.1) and Counter MIB is required for
    the key distinguishing

                                    two instances of the same size media
    (e.g., by color), it's highly

                                    undesirable to change the value of
    '...MediaInfo' when the printer

                                    locale changes - lousy side effects for
    accounting applications.

                                     

                                    Bill - I consider this a probable errata
    against the Counter MIB.

                                     

                                    Cheers,

                                    - Ira

                                    Ira McDonald (Musician / Software
    Architect)
                                    Blue Roof Music / High North Inc
                                    PO Box 221 Grand Marais, MI 49839
                                    phone: +1-906-494-2434
                                    email: imcdonald@sharplabs.com

                                    -----Original Message-----
                                    From: Stuart Rowley
    [mailto:Stuart.Rowley@ktd-kyocera.com]
                                    Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 9:07 PM
                                    To: McDonald, Ira
                                    Cc: wims@pwg.org
                                    Subject: RE: Counter MIB questions

                                    Hi Ira,

                                     

                                    Thanks for the quick reply.

                                     

                                    The description for
    icMediaUsedMediaSizeName says:

                                     

                                    "The media size self-describing name for
    this specific media,

                                    for use with remote network management
    scripts and GUIs,

                                    specified as a Unicode string encoded in
    UTF-8 (RFC 3629)

                                    in the language specified in
    'icGeneralNaturalLanguage'.

                                     

                                    ...so would this ASCII keyword be
    localized...?

                                     

                                    Thanks,

                                     

                                    Stuart

                                    
    ________________________________

                                    From: McDonald, Ira
    [mailto:imcdonald@sharplabs.com]
                                    Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 12:47 PM
                                    To: Stuart Rowley; McDonald, Ira
                                    Cc: 'wims@pwg.org'
                                    Subject: RE: Counter MIB questions

                                     

                                    Hi Stuart,

                                     

                                    I copied the WIMS list, so others could
    see my remarks and chime in.

                                     

                                    The significance of
    icMediaUsedMediaSizeName being DisplayString is

                                    that it MUST be strict ASCII (it's a
    _keyword_ that follows the format in

                                    PWG 5101.1, not a free form name - even
    a custom size name has a

                                    format and MUST be strict ASCII).

                                     

                                    icMediaUsedMediaInfo is a description
    that makes '...SizeName' unique for

                                    instances of different (but same size)
    media. Because the IETF leaned

                                    on us hard to make all future MIB
    descriptive strings be internationalized,

                                    it's of type SnmpAdminString (UTF-8) and
    localized.

                                     

                                    Now - nothing prevents you from making
    the "localized" media info in

                                    Kyocera products be of the form:

                                     

                                      media-info = english-media-identifier
    ":" localized-description

                                     

                                    So that your accounting applications use
    the invariant identifier and

                                    save the localized-description (if at
    all) in a separate database field

                                    that's informational.

                                     

                                    Or you could cheat (I don't recommend
    this) and leave the value of

                                    icGeneralNaturalLanguage empty and just
    support all descriptive

                                    fields in US-English only (the default)
    - I _really_ don't recommend

                                    this approach, because it's not very
    customer-friendly.

                                     

                                    Hope this helps,

                                    - Ira

                                     

                                    Ira McDonald (Musician / Software
    Architect)
                                    Blue Roof Music / High North Inc
                                    PO Box 221 Grand Marais, MI 49839
                                    phone: +1-906-494-2434
                                    email: imcdonald@sharplabs.com

                                    -----Original Message-----
                                    From: Stuart Rowley
    [mailto:Stuart.Rowley@ktd-kyocera.com]
                                    Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 1:47 PM
                                    To: McDonald, Ira
                                    Subject: Counters MIB questions

                                    Hi Ira,

                                     

                                    I hope you had an enjoyable 4th of July
    weekend.

                                     

                                    I have a couple questions about the
    Counters spec and MIB regarding media used.

                                     

                                    There are 3 objects used to describe the
    media size and type.

                                    icMediaUsedMediaSizeName DisplayString,

                                    icMediaUsedMediaInfo SnmpAdminString,

                                    icMediaUsedMediaName SnmpAdminString

                                     

                                    What is the significance of
    icMediaUsedMediaSizeName using DisplayString and the others using
    SnmpAdminString?

                                     

                                    In the MIB it lists all three as being
    localized, but it seems only icMediaUsedMediaName should be localized. I
    need icMediaUsedMediaSizeName and icMediaUsedMediaInfo to be used by our
    accounting apps to identify the size and type for billing purposes. This
    would be hard to achieve using localized strings. Our apps would need to
    read standardized names from these two objects. Am I missing something?

                                     

                                    Thanks,

                                     

                                    Stuart

                                     

                                    Stuart Rowley

                                    Network Product Mgr.

                                    Kyocera Technology Development

                                     

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