[STDS-802-16] Comment 019
Title: Message
I've had a thought 
in the back of my mind that we must meet is some requirement on the likelihood 
of a MAC delivering an undetected error to the MSAP.
 
I went searching, 
and its in IEEE 802-2001.
 
"
c) The probability 
that an MSDU delivered at an MSAP contains an undetected error, due to 
operation
of the MAC service provider, shall be less than 5 × 10-14 per octet 
of MSDU length.
NOTE—For example, 
(a) the worst-case probability of losing a maximum-length IEEE 802.3 frame (1518 
octets) through physical-layer damage is to be less than 1.21 × 10-4, or 
approximately 1 in 8250; (c) the worst-case probability that a similar frame, 
which contains an MSDU of 1500 octets, is delivered with an undetected error is 
to be less than 7.5 × 10-11, or approximately 1 in 13 300 000 
000.
 
"
 
Unless we can 
produce some sort of mathematical proof that we meet the following requirement, 
then we should adopt comment 019. Otherwise the EC should rightly reject the 
standard on the grounds that it doesn't meet the baseline 802 
requirements.
 
I don't know about 
others, but my experience with wireless systems tells me that a deep fading 
killing off 8 continuous fragments is way more likely that 1 in 5E14 (per octet 
as above).
 
So the objection 
that it is an 'unlikely' event, while valid in principle, fails if 'unlikely' is 
more likely that 1 in 5E14 and I suspect this is the case, although as usual, 
the devil may be in the details. Either way, I strongly suggest we accept 
comment 019 to be on the safe side.
 
DJ