Reactions to Signaling from ECN Support for RTP/RTCP
draft-carlberg-tsvwg-ecn-reactions-00

TSVWG                                                   K. Carlberg
Internet-Draft                                          G11
Intended Status: Informational                          P. O'Hanlon
Expires: April 20, 2012                                 UCL
                                                        Oct 20, 2011

          Reactions to Signaling from ECN Support for RTP/RTCP
              <draft-carlberg-tsvwg-ecn-reactions-00.txt>

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Abstract

   This document presents recommendations for response to Congestion
   Experience (CE) notifications by real time applications that have
   negotiated end-to-end support of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN).
   This document is a follow-on effort of [draft-rtp-ecn], which specifies
   the signaling used to provide ECN support for RTP/RTCP flows.

1. Introduction

   This document presents recommendations for response to Congestion
   Experience (CE) notifications by real time applications that have
   negotiated end-to-end support of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN).
   [draft-rtp-ecn] defines the signaling for support of ECN by RTP based
   sessions.  The draft also recommends a specific congestion control
   algorithm as the default reaction when congestion is signaled back to
   the source node.  However, a more detailed discussion about how back-off
   algorithms can be achieved, as well as other potential reactions, is
   viewed as out of scope of that document and may be addressed by a
   companion document.

1.1 Background

   ECN is a mechanism used to explicitly signal the presence of congestion
   without relying on packet loss.  It was initially designed using a dual
   layer signaling model; negotiation and feedback at the transport layer,
   and downstream notification of congestion at the network layer.  For IP,
   a new two bit field was used to both indicate the successful negotiated
   support for ECN signaling, as well as indicate the presence of
   congestion via the CE flag.  In the case of TCP [rfc3168], a new TCP
   header flag was defined that provides upstream end-to-end indication of
   congestion occurring somewhere along the downstream path.

   As mentioned in [draft-rtp-ecn], the default reaction on the reception
   of these ECN-CE marked packets MUST be to provide the congestion control
   algorithm with a congestion notification that triggers the algorithm to
   react as if packet loss had occurred.  There should be no difference in
   congestion response if ECN-CE marks or packet drops are detected.
   However it is noted that there MAY be other reactions to ECN-CE
   specified in the future.  Such an alternative reaction MUST be specified
   and considered to be safe for deployment under any restrictions
   specified.  We specify such an alternative in this document.

   With respect to ECN for TCP, [rfc3168] specifies an indication of
   congestion, but it does so once per Round Trip Time (RTT).
   [draft-rtp-ecn] is a work-in-progress effort proposing a more granular
   notification reflecting a more accurate indication in the number of ECN
   marked packets received within one RTT.

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1.2  Terminology and Abbreviations

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

2. Issues

   The initial discussions and presentation of [draft-rtp-ecn] produced a
   consensus that the specification of signaling was to be done within the
   AVTcore working group, and any subsequent discussion on end-to-end
   reactions to the signaling would be accomplished in the Transport
   Services (TSV) working group.  This draft satisfies the latter effort.

   Another issue that needs to be recognized is that the reactions to CE
   in the context of [draft-rtp-ecn] are the responsibility of the
   application.  This is in contrast to ECN support for TCP, where explicit
   signaled feedback of, and reaction to, CE is kept transparent to the
   application.  The issue in placing the feedback responsibility to the
   application is that each application needs to add specific support for
   that reaction.  On the other hand, multiple reactions may be considered
   by the application.  For this reason, [draft-rtp-ecn] states the need
   for a default congestion control reaction that MUST be supported.
   Section 3 through 5 expands on this topic.

3. Congestion Control Algorithms

   The transport of any data flow across the Internet produces a need for
   some form of congestion control to match a flow's rate with that of the
   available capacity of the path through a network.  In the case of real
   time media transport, one requires smoother rate variation, than for
   bulk data, to accommodate the underlying media flow's characteristics.

   This draft advocates the use of TCP Friendly Rate Control (TFRC) to
   satisfy the requirement of a default congestion control response to CE
   marked packets, as required by [draft-rtp-ecn].  TFRC has a smoother
   response to congestion than TCP-like approaches, thus making it more
   suitable for real-time interactive multimedia applications.  It has been
   cited in a number of other documents within the IETF for use with media
   flows [xx, xx] and is seeing deployment in related solutions such as
   GoogleTalk [goog1], and Empathy/Farsight.

   However, it is understood that some parties have issues with the
   behavior of TFRC under certain conditions.  A notable mention of this is
   made in the 3GPP's document on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Media
   handling and interaction [TR26.114], where it is mentioned:

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     "Note that for IMS networks, which normally have nonzero packet loss and
     fairly long round-trip delay, the amount of bitrate reduction specified
     in RFC 3448 is generally too restrictive for video and may, if used as
     specified, result in very low video bitrates already at (for IMS)
     moderate packet loss rates."

   Though it is unclear exactly what the 3GPP community consider as too
   restrictive and whether some alteration of the response may be suitable.
   It should be noted that the 3GPP document only referred to an older
   version of TFRC defined in [RFC3448], though it is assumed that this is
   just an omission to have not referred to the current RFC5348
   specification.

   Furthermore instead of using TFRC, [TR26.114] suggests that one
   employs Temporary Maximum Media Stream Bit Rate Request (TMMBR)
   [RFC5104] and Codec Mode Request (CMR) [RFC4867] for video and audio
   respectively, which would only provide for very rudimentary rate control
   if used as specified.  Whilst the CMR messages for the Adaptive
   Multi-Rate (AMR) codec are designed for dynamic use, TMMBR was primarily
   intended for control of rates from an Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) or a
   mixer.

   It is understood that there are a number of proprietary and patented
   approaches that provide more sophisticated response in the case of
   3G/LTE, but since these are neither endorsed nor standardized this
   document advocates a standardized approach such as TFRC.

   We also acknowledge that there are many congestion control algorithms
   available for implementers to choose from, with a subset that are
   specifically suited to real time media transmission.  However, given a
   variety of real time applications and their various characteristics
   (sender-only broadcast, interactive unicast, etc), we need to expand the
   notion of how back-off can be achieved.  Hence, the focus needs to be on
   an output that would resemble the characteristics of TFRC.

3.1 ECN response

   As mentioned above and in accordance to [rfc3168], the actual response
   to the reception of an ECN-CE marked packet MUST normally be the same as
   that of a lost packet.  However there are a number of contexts where one
   may also be interested in more varied approaches.  We expand on this in
   Section 5 below.

4. Application Layer Congestion Response

   Whilst the congestion control algorithm may decide to alter the rate at
   which the application should operate, in the case of media applications

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   this process is not as straightforward as the case of bulk data.  The
   different media engines and codecs in use may only have limited
   adaptation ranges, thus, this limitation needs to be a consideration
   when adapting the rate.  Furthermore the application needs to be aware
   of the capability of the specific codecs in terms of their ability to
   switch configuration mid-stream (without loss of fidelity), which may
   impose further limits on the modes of operation.

   One approach for achieving a lower generation of data is through reduced
   sampling of the media (e.g., voice or video).  In the case of video,
   this may also involve slower frame rates.  Specific recommendations that
   describe how applications should respond to congestion in the context of
   supporting the algorithmic characteristics of a congestion control
   algorithm are outside the scope of this document.

5. Other Reactions

   In addition to the activation of congestion control algorithm, other
   reactions can be used or leveraged by an application in response to CE.
   We divide these other potential reactions into two categories: signaling
   and fault tolerance.  We note that these other reactions are considered
   symmetric because they require downstream peer support.  We also point
   out that activation of other reactions represents an example of an
   on-demand and as-needed approach in responding to CE.

5.1 Signaling

5.1.1  RSVP

   The resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) can be used to signal a desired
   set of path characteristics (e.g., bandwidth, delay) in response to CE
   feedback [rfc2205].  Its operation is based on the use of PATH messages
   sent downstream hop-by-hop from the source to a destination that specify
   requested forwarding characteristics.  In return, the destination sends
   a hop-by-hop RESV message upstream towards the source confirming the
   resources that have been reserved for that flow.

   [rfc3181] defines a priority policy element that specifies both an
   allocation and defending priority.  This dual specification supports the
   use of preemption of existing reservations.  [draft-priority-rsvp] is a
   work-in-progress that defines a new policy element that only conveys
   priority during reservation establishment.  This latter effort also
   presents several reservation models, including one that describes
   engineered resources set aside for priority users.

5.1.2 Differentiated Services

   Unlike RSVP and its use of a separate signaling mechanism to reserve

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   resources, Differentiated Services (diff-serv) uses code points within
   the IP header to convey the forwarding behavior of that packet
   [rfc2474].  This may range from various drop precedence values to a code
   point that signifies low delay and low loss (i.e., characteristics
   attributed to real time flows).

   As in the case of RSVP, applications could rely on the reception of CE
   feedback to initiate a subsequent setting of diff-serv code points to
   provide additional protection or explicit association of forwarding
   characteristics of a given flow of packets.  In addition, the setting of
   diff-serv code points would be done on an as-needed basis in reaction to
   CE feedback.  Recommendations concerning specific diff-serv values are
   outside the scope of this document.

5.2 Fault Tolerance

   Fault tolerance is another category of reactions that may be used by
   applications in response to CE feedback.  In some cases, these efforts
   may contribute to an increase in traffic load in order to add protection
   and resiliency to a flow.

   Redundant Transmissions: This approach is based on a source sending
   duplicate payloads that can be used to compensate for lost packets.
   Given that ECN marks the packet and forwards it towards the destination
   (instead of dropping it), this approach can be considered extreme in
   terms of being network unfriendly.  Its positive value may emerge in
   cases where a path has several downstream congestion points.  However,
   its actions of producing redundant packets still associates a high
   measure of greedy use of resources.

   Application Layer Forward Error Correction (FEC): This approach also
   adds additional overhead to the flow in order to compensate for
   potential packet loss.  And as the case of redundant transmissions, the
   value of this approach is probably better realized when there exists
   multiple downstream congestion points.  However, the impact of the
   overhead is minimized by having one (or a few) additional packet(s) used
   to compensate for the loss of a set of packets.

   Codec Swapping: This approach involves changing codecs to either reduce
   load or achieve an improvement in compensating for lost packets.

5.  IANA Considerations

   This document requires no actions from IANA.

6.  Security Considerations

   The reliance on accurate and un-modified RTCP information means that

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   SRTP needs to be used, or any other mechanism that helps prevent
   modification of RTCP feedback packets.

7. Acknowledgements

   TBD

8.  References

8.1 Normative

   [draft-rtp-ecn] Westerlund, M., et. al., "Explicit Congestion
                   Notification (ECN) for RTP over UDP", Work In
                   Progress, IETF, July 2011

   [rfc2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
             Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [rfc2205] Braden, B., et. al., "Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP)
             -- Version 1 Functional Specification", RFC 2205, September
             1997

   [rfc2209] Braden, R., L. Zhang, "Resource Reservation Protocol
             (RSVP) -- Version 1 Message Processing Rules", RFC2209
             September 1997

   [rfc2474] Nichols, K., et. al., "Definition of the Differentiated
             Services Field in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers", RFC 2474,
             December 1998

   [rfc3168] Ramakrishnan, K,. et. al., "The Addition of Explicit
             Congestion Notification (ECN) to IP", RFC 3168,
             September, 2001

   [rfc3181] Herzog, S., "Signaled Preemption Priority Policy Element",
             RFC 3181, October 2001

   [rfc3448] Handley, M., et. al., "TCP Friendly Rate Control (TFRC):
             Protocol Specification", RFC 3448, January 2003

   [rfc4867] Sjoberg, J., et. al., "RTP Payload Format and File Storage
             Format for the AMR and AMR-WB Audio Codecs", RFC 4867,
             April 2007

   [rfc5104] Wenger, S., et. al., "Codec Control Messages in the RTP
             Audio-Visual Profile with Feedback (AVPF)", RFC 5104,
             February 2008

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8.2 Informative

   [Goog1] http://code.google.com/apis/ta;lk/call_signaling.html

   [tr26.114] "IMS; Multimedia telephony; Media Handling and
              Interaction", 3GPP, version 10, April 2011

   [rfc3689] Carlberg, K., R. Atkinson, "General Requirements for
             Emergency Telecommunications Service (ETS)", RFC 3689,
             February 2004

   [rfc4190] Carlberg, K. et, al., "Framework for Supporting
             Emergency Telecommunications Service (ETS) in
             IP Telephony", RFC 4190, November 2005

Appendix A:  Alternative Reaction for Emergency Communications

   As mentioned in [rtp-ecn], the default reaction on the reception of
   these ECN-CE marked packets MUST be to provide the congestion control
   algorithm with a congestion notification that triggers the algorithm to
   react as if packet loss had occurred.  There MAY be an alternative
   reaction if it is considered safe for deployment.  An example of the
   need for an alternative reaction would be the case of Emergency
   Telecommunications Service (ETS) [rfc3689, rfc4190], where an
   improvement in QoS or a higher probability of session establishment and
   forwarding of traffic is of high interest.

   We propose that certain authorized ETS flows may be permitted to employ
   either a substantially less aggressive back-off algorithm than the
   default algorithm, or some level of exemption from reacting to ECN
   marked packets. This alternative reaction will benefit these flows as
   the marks would normally be considered as equivalent to lost packets,
   which would effectively increase the loss level, which in turn will
   generally result in the reduction of flow rate. This applies to all
   flows that utilize some form of the rate control that is inversely
   proportional to the loss rate, which includes TCP algorithms or
   equation-based approaches.

   We have simulated the use of ECN exemption with TFRC and have found that
   it has minimal effect on the normal flows. We have used a RED queue
   configured using the settings recommended by Sally Floyd. In the
   standard case where 1% of flows would be exempt the remaining flows
   achieve 99.99% of the bandwidth that they would achieve without the
   presence of the exempt flows. This is what would be expected from the
   simple calculation of the allocation, given that the exempt flows
   achieve their full rate (1) i.e. ((99/100)/(100/101))*100=99.99%.

   The level of exemption employed can be altered in a number of ways. Two

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   simple approaches would be to either set a threshold number of ECN
   marked packets that could be considered as a loss, and another approach
   would be to set a percentage threshold of ECN marked packet that would
   be considered as a loss.

Author's Addresses

   Piers O'Hanlon
   University College London
   Computer Science Department
   Gower Street
   London  WC1E 6BT
   United Kingdom

   Email: p.ohanlon@cs.ucl.ac.uk

   Ken Carlberg
   G11
   1600 Clarendon Blvd
   Arlington  VA
   USA

   Email: carlberg@g11.org.uk

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