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Generalized Capability Principles
draft-davis-nmop-generalized-capability-principles-00

Document Type Active Internet-Draft (individual)
Authors Nigel Davis , Camilo Cardona , Diego Lopez , Marisol Palmero
Last updated 2025-10-20
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draft-davis-nmop-generalized-capability-principles-00
NMOP                                                         N. R. Davis
Internet-Draft                                                     Ciena
Intended status: Informational                                C. Cardona
Expires: 23 April 2026                                               NTT
                                                                D. Lopez
                                                              Telefonica
                                                              M. Palmero
                                                             Independent
                                                         20 October 2025

                   Generalized Capability Principles
         draft-davis-nmop-generalized-capability-principles-00

Abstract

   This document introduces a framework for capability modeling based on
   the specification and refinement principles established in ITU-T
   G.7711 Annex G (also published as ONF TR-512.7 see latest release)
   and the modeling boundaries work documented in draft-davis-netmod-
   modelling-boundaries.  The framework defines how component–system
   capabilities can be explicitly described and refined via a process of
   pruning, refactoring, and occurrence formation.

   These capability definitions can target detailed operational
   considerations, system interactions, licensing, abstract product
   declarations, or sales and marketing.  The framework supports
   modular, layered, and fractal declarations of networked behavior, and
   provides a foundation for a suite of future IETF drafts aligned with
   ongoing work on photonic plug manifests, entitlement/licensing, IVY
   equipment modeling, energy/thermal considerations and related
   domains.

About This Document

   This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC.

   The latest revision of this draft can be found at
   https://github.com/marisolpalmero/draft-ietf-davis-generalized-
   capability-principles/blob/main/draft-davis-nmop-generalized-
   capability-principles-latest.md.  Status information for this
   document may be found at https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-
   davis-nmop-generalized-capability-principles/.

   Discussion of this document takes place on the Network Management
   Operations mailing list (mailto:nmop@ietf.org), which is archived at
   https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/nmop/.  Subscribe at
   https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/nmop/.

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   Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at
   https://github.com/marisolpalmero/draft-ietf-davis-generalized-
   capability-principles.

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 23 April 2026.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2025 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
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   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
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   provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   2.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   3.  Problem Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   4.  Specification in terms of the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   5.  Generalized Modeling via Component–System–Specification
           Refinement  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   6.  Some specification examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   7.  Recursive narrowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   8.  Specification of an assembly  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   9.  Generalization of the specification . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   10. Characteristics of a language of specification  . . . . . . .  10

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   11. Specification language options  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   12. Building a specification structure  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   13. A specification evolution example . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   14. A system specification example  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   15. Broader Application of the Language . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   16. Conclusion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   17. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   18. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   19. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     19.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     19.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   Appendix A.  Appendix A: Interpretive Notes on Refinement and
           Occurrence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     A.1.  A.1 No Single Refinement Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     A.2.  A.2 Occurrence at Every Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     A.3.  A.3 Sweating Out the Shape  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     A.4.  A.4 Classification Considered Harmful . . . . . . . . . .  13
   Appendix B.  Acknowledgments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   Contributors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13

1.  Terminology

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT"
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in the
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC2119}}.

   The following terms abbreviations are used in this document:

   *  capability: What can be achieved by an individual item both alone
      and in assembly (using the component-system pattern)

   *  needs: Related to capability, this is what the item, either alone
      or in assembly, needs to achieve its capabilities

   *  manifest: A list of essential contents

   *  specification: A detailed description including arrangement

   *  representation: An expression of properties from a perspective

   *  occurrence: Placeholder

   *  component-system: A pattern that expresses each item as a
      component where components can be assembled into systems and where
      a system can be represented as a component where that assembly may
      be of real things or may be abstractions of the effect of real
      things.

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   *  pruning:Placeholder

   *  refactoring:Placeholder

   *  pruning & refactoring: The process that supports progression from
      one view to the next view

   *  capability/needs specification: A detailed description of what can
      be achived by an individual item both alone and in assembly with
      respect to specific needs

2.  Introduction

   Currently, capabilities are mainly described loosely in human
   readable text, where that text is often incomplete, ambiguous or
   inconsistent.  While people make these systems work in practice, the
   looseness result in errors, inefficiencies and limited reuse.  As
   automation increases, there is a growing need to enable machine
   reasoning about the capabilities of network systems and components.
   While Large Language Models (LLMs) can interpret traditional
   documentation, there remains a strong need for greater formal rigor
   and structured representation to improve efficiency and precision.
   When asked, LLMs indicate that a rigorous model is preferable to
   loose ambiguous text.  Existing IETF models predominantly focus on
   configuration, operational state, and telemetry.  What is missing is
   a cohesive framework for expressing what a system _can_ do, i.e., its
   capabilities, in a declarative, structured, and reusable form.  This
   document introduces the principles for a capability modeling
   framework grounded in the specification concept established in
   [ITU-T_G.7711] ([ONF_TR-512]).  It applies these principles through
   the lens of the *component–system pattern* from [ONF_TR-512.A.2],
   using the concept of *emergence through recursive narrowing and
   occurrence formation*. These ideas are extended further by the
   modeling boundary principles described in [mobo].  The result is a
   standardized and extensible approach for expressing features,
   operational constraints, internal dependencies, etc. - separately
   from instance realizations.  This approach supports capability
   modeling for any aspect of the controlled networking solution, and is
   designed to enable capability assembly, dynamic composition,
   licensing control, and integration with other IETF frameworks such as
   IVY equipment, photonic plug manifests, and entitlement interfaces.
   It also supports initiatives focussing on energy/thermal
   considerations where specific detailed capabilities and their power/
   thermal implications become critical considerations.

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3.  Problem Statement

   Network technologies and management-control frameworks increasingly
   rely on declarative data models to represent both configuration and
   operational state.  However, these models often lack a principled way
   to describe the _capabilities_ of components and systems—what they
   are able to support or provide, independent of any particular
   operational instance.  This omission makes it difficult to reason
   about compatibility, constraint satisfaction, composition, or even
   basic intent feasibility.  Clearly, many of these activities take
   place prior to the installation of the equipment and indeed determine
   which equipments are to be planned to be installed.  In these cases
   it is not possible to interogate the actual equipment.  Whilst
   knowing the YANG model for the equipment is beneficial, it is not
   sufficient as the YANG model essentially provides a space within
   which actual state etc. can be expresses, but it supports all
   possible combinations.  The equipment will be very limited in
   comparison.  Often it is desirable from a systems operation
   perspective to reduce the available capability through policy or
   other mechanisms due to the restrictions of a specific role.  This
   becomes challenging if the base capability of a component is unclear
   and expressed in a chaotic form.  In practice, five distinct concerns
   are often conflated, and also not fully expressed, within data
   models: - The *generic definition* of a model element or concept
   (e.g., a termination point) - this is expressed in YANG.  It is a
   very broad definition encompassing all possible opportunities and
   ofthen many illegal state combinations etc. - The *capability
   definition* of a system or component, i.e., what it can support or
   expose (e.g., by a specific type or role of termination point).  This
   is not expressed fully in YANG.  There are both challenges with the
   expression of base capability and expression of the capability of
   combinations.  This is especially sparce in representation - The
   users *policy definition* for system operation - the user may
   eliminate particular capabilities due to complexity, lack of trust,
   regulation etc. and will not want them offered or may not want them
   offered under certain circumstances.  The equipment will be expected
   to behave as if it does not have the capabilities as approproiate. -
   The *system combination* where an entity type may play several
   different roles and in each role may have specific distinct
   intentional limitations/restrictions. - The *operational
   instance*—what is configured or active at a given time.  Without a
   clear structural separation and with the sparseness of information on
   specific capabilities, it becomes challenging to formally describe
   feature constraints, support boundaries, or internal limitations.
   Implementers resort to informal documentation, code comments, yellow
   stickies, or out-of-band agreements to capture the intent behind
   model behavior.  This reduces interoperability, increases integration
   effort, and undermines automation as a result of - *Ambiguity*

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   between what a model element _is_ versus what a system _can support_.
   - *Redundancy* and inconsistency in the representation of common
   constraints (e.g., port types, layering, resource limits). - *Tooling
   difficulty* when extracting interoperable subsets of large models or
   generating technology-specific profiles. - *Incompatibility* between
   modular subsystems or plug-ins that must declare and verify their
   supported features.  Furthermore, current models tend to assume a
   fixed taxonomy of types and features, rather than supporting a
   process of recursive refinement.  This limits their ability to
   express how complex capabilities _emerge_ through constraint,
   composition, and modular pruning of more general-purpose constructs.
   What is needed is a modeling framework that: - Allows systems and
   components to be described in terms of their *capability boundaries*,
   including *capability interactions* separate from operational state,
   - Supports *refinement via pruning and refactoring to yield flexible
   structural transformation* rather than rigid inheritance or
   classification, - Enables *recursive occurrence formation*, where
   each stage of narrowing produces a usable semantic structure, -
   Accommodates *multiple valid refinement paths*, supporting different
   levels of granularity and domain specificity, - Provides a *coherent
   trace* from abstract capability declarations down to deployable or
   licensable configurations.  This draft introduces such a framework by
   building on the refinement logic of [ITU-T_G.7711] ([ONF_TR-512]) in
   general and especially the *specification pattern* structures of
   ITU-T G.7711 Annex G (ONF TR-512.7) which provides a means of
   expressing bounded capability envelopes through a formal refinement
   of generic model elements.  This also provides grounding in the
   recursive occurrence model informed by the component–system pattern
   [ITU-T_G.7711] ([ONF_TR-512.A.2] and modeling boundaries approach
   [mobo].  This document leverages the foundations laid by
   [ITU-T_G.7711] ([ONF_TR-512]).

   The same expression challenges appear in statements of intent.  The
   process of formulating intent through negotiation and resultant
   gradual refinement has a similar feel to the degrees of narrowing of
   the specification.

4.  Specification in terms of the Model

   The specification of capability should be presented in terms of the
   terminology of the problem space and hence in terms of the
   appropriate model.  The challenge is determining which model is the
   "appropriate" model.

   An area of the problem space can be described in different ways
   depending upon what the intention of the model is.  There are many
   ways of representing a semantic space/

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   Prior to embarking on evaluation of specification of capability, it
   is important to consider the specific model and how it is structured.

   *  Focus: Semantic area covered at centre and periphery

   *  Specialization: Specific detailed focus on an area with rich
      structure, e.g., PCE, problem analysis, etc.

   *  Granularity: the “size” of the semantic units (including the depth
      of recursion of fractal representations)

   *  Phase: The positioning of the semantic boundaries

   *  Richness: The detailed coverage within a semantic unit

   *  Fidelity: Precision v approximation

   *  Abstraction: Closeness to actual detail

   *  Maturity: Lifecycle development stage.  How stable the model is
      likely to be.  This is primarily about semantics, but also covers
      syntax.

   *  Omission: Gaps and missing parts

5.  Generalized Modeling via Component–System–Specification Refinement

   This framework moves away from rigid classification schemes and
   instead adopts a dynamic, refinement-based approach to modeling.
   Traditional classification attempts to impose fixed categories onto a
   system, but this often obscures nuance, variation, and the emergence
   of intermediate structures that carry operational or architectural
   significance.

   We begin instead with the concept of a *universal component*—a
   general-purpose structure with maximal capability potential.  Through
   the process of *pruning & refactoring* (constraint-driven
   refinement), this semantic volume is gradually narrowed, yielding
   intermediate structures with more sharply defined roles and
   properties.  These refined artifacts are not pre-classified entities,
   but *emergent forms* that arise naturally at specific “sweat spots”
   in the refinement trajectory, where the remaining capabilities align
   with a recognizably useful or interoperable function.

   Each such emergent form is treated as an *occurrence*. Occurrences
   appear at every stage of meaningful refinement including at the level
   of final implementation instances.  At all stages of use the
   application of properties is via the idea of intent where even the

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   tightest constraint of a single value is essentially a statement of
   intent (as it is impossible to guarantee that a property will be
   set).  This intent consideration will be dealt with further later in
   this document.

   An LTP (Logical Termination Point) in [ITU-T_G.7711] ([ONF_TR-512]),
   for example, is not a primitive class but a pattern that arises from
   pruning and constraining the universal component until only the
   semantic envelope of an LTP remains.  A TerminationPoint from RFC8345

   To support variation, reusability, and convergence across
   implementations, each component or system is described not by a
   single fixed class, but by a *specification*: a constrained and
   possibly pruned refinement of a more general and broader model
   element.  This allows the model to express bounded capabilities
   without requiring full instantiation, enabling tools and
   orchestrators to reason about compatibility, substitution, and
   support constraints before deployment.  The specification describes
   the capabilities of an occurrence in terms of occurrences achieved
   via similar pruning.  A system spec is a pattern assembly of subtly
   specialized occurrences at a particular level of specialization
   arranged in a meaningful structure that yields a relevant behaviour.
   The specification of an occurrence is itself a system spec.

   The combination of the *component–system pattern* with the
   *specification refinement pattern* enables a modeling architecture
   where:

   *  Systems are recursively composed of components,

   *  Specifications constrain and refine capabilities at each level,

   *  Occurrences are layered realizations of specs applied to specific
      contexts or configurations.

   This approach supports *gradual realization*, where capability
   declarations can progressively transition from abstract to concrete,
   through intermediate spec refinements and pruning.  Each layer of
   model realization adds specificity—structurally (via system
   composition), behaviorally (via constraints), and operationally (via
   mapping to configuration/state models).

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   A specification may provide explicit definifinition of a property as
   discussed above but it may also refer to one or more other
   specification(s).  For example a specification may include a set of
   properties specified elsewhere.  It may also define a property that
   is an enumeration of literals or identifies where those literal
   values or identify values are actually references to other
   specifications that provide deeper detail.

   In an ideal environment, there is an ecosystem of specificactions
   each providing interrelated detail to fully define the semantics.
   The ecosystem would include specifications from standards bodies
   providing the definition of a network protocol that can be
   interpreted by an AI component such that the abstracted effect on the
   solution can be fully understood and simulated/emulated.  Any
   detected conditions would be understood in terms of the protocol and
   hence the implications of the condition detected in terms of the
   carried signal can be fully understood.

   Today's solution at best have a coded form of the semantic mantic
   interpretation that may not reflect the formal definition due to
   inaccuracies of interpretation.  Many semantics are reduced to
   inconsistent labels that a user has to interpret.  Whilst an LLM can
   do a reasonable job at interpretation of chaotic data, it will
   benefit a rigorous model traceable through formal definitions to
   fundamentals.

6.  Some specification examples

   This section will provide some examples and will reference the
   equipment capability draft and other future drafts.

7.  Recursive narrowing

   This builds on the example sketches and formalizes the process of
   recursive narrowing.  Ahow the essential process.  Use examples to
   illustrate the process -Thing to Component to Function to TP to
   specific TP to application of TP to instance of TP. -Thing to
   Component to physical thing to equipment to specific equipment type
   to use of that equipment to instance of equipment -A plug example
   Circle back and relate this more rigorous section to the
   specification examples.

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8.  Specification of an assembly

   Build on the examples and the recursive narrowing to explain the
   subtle narrowings in a system/scheme spec.  Describe the essential
   process.  Use examples to illustrate the progression: - Same examples
   as recursive narrowing but focus on role and subtle specializations
   in role List other examples.

9.  Generalization of the specification

   Build a specification structure from the examples and show the
   references and reuses.  Explain how the specification relates to the
   things in the problem space.  Lay out the specification structure.

10.  Characteristics of a language of specification

   The language needs inherent capabilities (as opposed to after the
   fact bolt-on warts) Extract key characteristics from above and from
   mobo - narrowing requires specific redefine (relate to pruning) -
   occurrence is an assembly of constrained type and specific values -
   need to reference other specs as reusable parts - refactoring, minor
   specialization and assembly - interrelationship and influence -
   uncertainty and preferences (Need to review mobo and TR-547 spec,
   component-system etc.)

11.  Specification language options

   Landscape of languages... does anything do this?  Take YANG and
   enhance (as discussed in mobo)

12.  Building a specification structure

   Tooling and support to build and interrelate.  Catalogue/library of
   specs Deep application... machine interpretable structure in all
   standards Use of AI to reverse engineer specs with guidance... peer
   review and testing cycle

13.  A specification evolution example

   Discuss how a spec may change as understanding emerges and how it may
   be refactored.

14.  A system specification example

   Take the language considerations and set out system specs in a more
   formal way

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15.  Broader Application of the Language

   Negotiation Refinement of planning Development of standards
   Expression of uncertainty and pattern

16.  Conclusion

   Mindset Change Language challenges Use of AI Target is an ecosystem
   of specs driving agentic components...

17.  Security Considerations

   TBD

18.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no IANA actions.

19.  References

19.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8174>.

19.2.  Informative References

   [BaseInventory]
              Yu, C., Belotti, S., Bouquier, J., Peruzzini, F., and P.
              Bedard, "A Base YANG Data Model for Network Inventory",
              Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-ivy-network-
              inventory-yang-11, 14 October 2025,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-ivy-
              network-inventory-yang-11>.

   [ITU-T_G.7711]
              "Generic….", 31 August 2022, <https://www.itu.int/rec/T-
              REC-G.7711/recommendation.asp?lang=en&parent=T-REC-
              G.7711-202202-I)>.

   [ivy]      "ivy", 31 August 2022, <https:// 3.pdf>.

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   [LF_TAPI]  "Transport API", n.d., <https://github.com/Open-Network-
              Models-and-Interfaces-ONMI/TAPI-Home>.

   [mobo]     "draft-davis-netmod-modelling-boundaries", 31 August 2022,
              <https:// 3.pdf>.

   [ONF_TR-512]
              "TR-512 Core Information Model (CoreModel) v1.5", n.d.,
              <https://opennetworking.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/TR-
              512_v1.5_OnfCoreIm-info.zip>.

   [ONF_TR-512.7]
              "TR-512.7 Specification", n.d.,
              <https://opennetworking.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/TR-
              512_v1.5_OnfCoreIm-info.zip>.

   [ONF_TR-512.8]
              "TR-512.8 Control", n.d., <https://opennetworking.org/wp-
              content/uploads/2021/11/TR-512_v1.5_OnfCoreIm-info.zip>.

   [ONF_TR-512.A.2]
              "TR-512.A.2 Appendix: Model Structure, Patterns and
              Architecture", n.d., <https://opennetworking.org/wp-
              content/uploads/2021/11/TR-512_v1.5_OnfCoreIm-info.zip>.

   [plug]     "plug", 31 August 2022, <https:// 3.pdf>.

Appendix A.  Appendix A: Interpretive Notes on Refinement and Occurrence

A.1.  A.1 No Single Refinement Path

   In this modeling approach, there is no single correct way to refine a
   universal component.  The refinement process supports multiple valid
   paths, each representing a different semantic purpose, level of
   granularity, or domain context.  What emerges depends not on a fixed
   taxonomy, but on the alignment of constraints, intent, and reuse
   patterns.

   This enables: - Coexistence of multiple specification layers derived
   from the same abstract element, - Domain-specific “semantic phases”
   that are meaningful within a particular stack (e.g., optical vs
   packet), - Purpose-driven modeling: e.g., one path for plug
   manifests, another for logical topology.

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A.2.  A.2 Occurrence at Every Layer

   Occurrences are not limited to final instances.  Each meaningful
   stage of refinement produces an occurrence—an intent-aligned,
   constrained projection of the universal component.  Even so-called
   “instances” are not full realizations, but expressed intent within a
   given operational context.

A.3.  A.3 Sweating Out the Shape

   Useful structural forms (e.g., an LTP) are not pre-classified
   primitives.  They _emerge_ from the pruning process when remaining
   capabilities reach a “sweat spot” of balance—enough constraints to be
   meaningful, but not so much as to be frozen.  This allows the model
   to remain adaptive while still supporting mapping, reasoning, and
   automation.

A.4.  A.4 Classification Considered Harmful

   Rigid classification schemes tend to obscure natural emergence and
   lead to artificial separations.  This model rejects top-down typing
   in favor of bottom-up capability surfacing, grounded in refinement
   logic.  Semantic rigor replaces taxonomic rigidity.

Appendix B.  Acknowledgments

   This document has been made with consensus and contributions coming
   from multiple drafts with different visions.  We would like to thank
   all the participants in the IETF meeting discussions.

Contributors

   Nigel Davis
   Ciena
   Email: ndavis@ciena.com

Authors' Addresses

   Nigel Robert Davis
   Ciena
   Email: ndavis@ciena.com

   Camilo Cardona
   NTT
   Email: camilo@gin.ntt.net

Davis, et al.             Expires 23 April 2026                [Page 13]
Internet-Draft                 GenCapPrinc                  October 2025

   Diego Lopez
   Telefonica
   Email: diego.r.lopez@telefonica.com

   Marisol Palmero
   Independent
   Email: marisol.ietf@gmail.com

Davis, et al.             Expires 23 April 2026                [Page 14]