In a related thread, Angelo Caruso (Xerox) asked a very good question
that deserves to be discussed as a thread in its own right for both
agent implementors and mgmt app developers:
> Was it really intended that the alert table be flooded with
> informational alerts which are not really critical to printer management?
In other words, exactly what is the Alert Table designed to contain?
Conversely, what does NOT belong in the Alert Table?
Some snippets from RFC1759 (with my comments denoted as "JKM:"):
Section 2.2.13 "Alerts"
"The alert sub-unit is responsible for detecting reportable
events."
JKM: No explicit constraint that an event must be either
a critical or non-critical event, at least in this
opening paragraph.
Section 2.2.13.3 "Alert Tables"
"The basic content of the alert table is the severity (critical
or non-critical) of the alert..."
JKM: It it appears that an "alert" is considered either a
critical OR non-critical alert. It is generally understood
that a "warning" event is considered a "non-critical" alert;
however, is an "informational" event considered a
"non-critical" alert, or should it be considered as some
sort of (new) third kind of alert (such as "informational")?
Section 2.2.13.4 "Alert Table Management"
"Unfortunately, there are some events that are not binary
changes. This other category of event, the simple change event,
illustrated by the configuration change event. WIth this kind
of event the state of the machine has changed, but to a state
which is (often) just as valid as the state that was left and
from which no return is necessary."
JKM: Would this appear to argue on behalf of "informational"
messages being valid in the Alert Table?
Comments?? Might this be a situation where the PWG will have to "vote"
on whether informational messages belong in the Alert Table?
For the record, I have no opinion either way (imagine that!), but please
note that is the critical for developers such as Underscore to understand
the resolution of this issue.
...jay