scope:

This document defines the requirements that individual Parallel NFS (pNFS) layout types need to meet in order to work within the pNFS framework as defined in RFC 5661. In so doing, this document aims to clearly distinguish between requirements for pNFS as a whole and those specifically directed to the pNFS file layout. The lack of a clear separation between the two sets of requirements has been troublesome for those specifying and evaluating new layout types. In this regard, this document updates RFC 5661.