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Support of IEEE-1588 time stamp format in Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP)
draft-ietf-ippm-twamp-time-format-00

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Document Type
This is an older version of an Internet-Draft that was ultimately published as RFC 8186.
Authors Greg Mirsky , Israel Meilik
Last updated 2016-10-24 (Latest revision 2016-06-17)
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draft-ietf-ippm-twamp-time-format-00
Network Working Group                                          G. Mirsky
Internet-Draft                                                  Ericsson
Intended status: Standards Track                               I. Meilik
Expires: December 19, 2016                                      Broadcom
                                                           June 17, 2016

  Support of IEEE-1588 time stamp format in Two-Way Active Measurement
                            Protocol (TWAMP)
                  draft-ietf-ippm-twamp-time-format-00

Abstract

   This document describes an OPTIONAL feature for active performance
   measurement protocols allowing use of time stamp format defined in
   IEEE-1588v2-2008.

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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   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on December 19, 2016.

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   Copyright (c) 2016 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
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     1.1.  Conventions used in this document . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
       1.1.1.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
       1.1.2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   2.  OWAMP and TWAMP Extensions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     2.1.  Timestamp Format Negotiation in Setting Up Connection in
           OWAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     2.2.  Timestamp Format Negotiation in Setting Up Connection in
           TWAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     2.3.  OWAMP-Test and TWAMP-Test Update  . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
       2.3.1.  Consideration for TWAMP Light mode  . . . . . . . . .   6
   3.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   4.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   5.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   6.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

1.  Introduction

   One-Way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP) [RFC4656] defines that
   only the NTP [RFC5905] format of a time stamp can be used in OWAMP-
   Test protocol.  Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) [RFC5357]
   adopted the OWAMP-Test packet format and extended it by adding a
   format for a reflected test packet.  Both the sender's and
   reflector's packets time stamps are expected to follow the 64-bit
   long NTP format [RFC5905].  NTP, when used over Internet, typically
   achieves clock accuracy of about 5ms to 100ms.  Surveys conducted
   recently suggest that 90% devices achieve accuracy of better than 100
   ms and 99% - better than 1 sec.  It should be noted that NTP
   synchronizes clocks on the control plane, not on data plane.
   Distribution of clock wiitin a node may be supported by independent
   NTP domain or via interprocess communication in multiprocessor
   distributed system.  And of mentioned solutions will be subject to
   additional queuing delays that negatively affect data plane clock
   accuracy.

   Precision Time Protocol (PTP) [IEEE.1588.2008] has gained wide
   support since the development of OWAMP and TWAMP.  PTP, using on-path
   support and other mechanisms, allows sub-microsecond clock accuracy.
   PTP is now supported in multiple implementations of fast forwarding
   engines and thus accuracy achieved by PTP is the accuracy of clock in
   data plane.  Thus providing option to use more accurate clock as
   source of time stamps for IP performance measurement is one of
   advantages this proposal helps to achive.  Another advantage realized
   by simplification of hardware in data plane.  To support OWAMP or
   TWAMP test protocol time stamps must be converted from PTP to NTP.

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   That requires resources, use of micro-code or additional processing
   elements, that are always limited.  To address this, this document
   proposes optional extensions to Control and Test protocols to support
   use of IEEE-1588v2 time stamp format as optional alternative to the
   NTP time stamp format.

   One of the goals of this proposal is not only allow end-points of a
   test session to use other than NTP timestamp but to support backwards
   compatibility with nodes that do not yet support this extension.

1.1.  Conventions used in this document

1.1.1.  Terminology

   IPPM: IP Performance Measurement

   NTP: Network Time Protocol

   PTP: Precision Time Protocol

   TWAMP: Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol

   OWAMP: One-Way Active Measurement Protocol

1.1.2.  Requirements Language

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

2.  OWAMP and TWAMP Extensions

   OWAMP connection establishment follows the procedure defined in
   Section 3.1 of [RFC4656] and additional steps in TWAMP described in
   Section 3.1 of [RFC5357].  In these procedures the Modes field been
   used to identify and select specific communication capabilities.  At
   the same time the Modes field been recognized and used as extension
   mechanism [RFC6038].  The new feature requires one bit position for
   Server and Control-Client to negotiate which timestamp format can be
   used in some or all test sessions invoked with this control
   connection.  The end-point of the test session, Session-Sender and
   Session-Receiver or Session-Reflector, that supports this extension
   MUST be capable to interpret NTP and PTPv2 timestamp formats.  If the
   end-point does not support this extension, then the value of PTPv2
   Timestamp flag MUST be 0 because it is in Must Be Zero field.  If
   value of PTPv2 Timestamp flags is 0, then the advertising node can
   use and interpret only NTP timestamp format.

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   Use of PTPv2 Timestamp flags discussed in the following sub-sections.
   For details on the assigned values and bit positions see the
   Section 3.

2.1.  Timestamp Format Negotiation in Setting Up Connection in OWAMP

   In OWAMP-Test [RFC4656] it is the Session-Receiver and/or Fetch-
   Client that are interpreting collected timestamps.  Thus announced by
   a Server in the Modes field timestamp format indicates which formats
   the Session-Receiver is capable to interpret.  The Control-Client
   inspects values set by the Server for timestamp formats and sets
   values in the Modes field of the Set-Up-Response message according to
   timestamp formats Session-Sender is capable of using.  The rules of
   setting timestamp flags in Modes field in server greeting and Set-Up-
   Response messages and interpreting them are as follows:

   o  The Server that establishes test sessions for Session-Receiver
      that supports this extension MUST set PTPv2 Timestamp flag to 1 in
      the server greeting message according to the requirement listed in
      Section 2.

   o  If PTPv2 Timestamp flag of the server greeting message that the
      Control-Client receives has value 0, then the Session-Sender MUST
      use NTP format for timestamp in the test session and Control-
      Client SHOULD set PTPv2 Timestamp flag to 0 in accordance with
      [RFC4656].  If the Session-Sender cannot use NTP timestamps, then
      the Control-Client SHOULD close the TCP connection associated with
      the OWAMP-Control session.

   o  If the Session-Sender can set timestamp in PTPv2 format, then the
      Control-Client MUST set the PTPv2 Timestamp flag to 1in Modes
      field in the Set-Up-Response message and the Session-Sender MUST
      set timestamp in PTPv2 timestamp format.  Otherwise the Control-
      Client MUST set the PTPv2 Timestamp flag in the Set-Up-Response
      message to 0.

   o  Otherwise, if the Session-Sender can set timestamp in NTP format,
      then the Session-Sender MUST set timestamp in NTP timestamp
      format.  Otherwise the Control-Client SHOULD close the TCP
      connection associated with the OWAMP-Control session..

   If values of both NTP and PTPv2 Timestamp flags in the Set-Up-
   Response message are equal to 0, then that indicates that the
   Control-Client can set timestamp only in NTP format.

   If OWAMP-Control uses Fetch-Session commands, then selection and use
   of one or another timestamp format is local decision for both
   Session-Sender and Session-Receiver.

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2.2.  Timestamp Format Negotiation in Setting Up Connection in TWAMP

   In TWAMP-Test [RFC5357] it is the Session-Sender that is interpreting
   collected timestamps.  Hence, in the Modes field a Server advertises
   timestamp formats that the Session-Reflector can use in TWAMP-Test
   message.  The choice of the timestamp format to be used by the
   Session-Sender is a local decision.  The Control-Client inspects the
   Modes field and sets timestamp flags values to indicate which format
   will be used by the Session-Reflector.  The rules of setting and
   interpreting flag values are as follows:

   o  Server MUST set to 1 value of PTPv2 Timestamp flag in its greeting
      message if Session-Reflector can set timestamp in PTPv2 format.
      Otherwise the PTPv2 Timestamp flag MUST be set to 0.

   o  If value of the PTPv2 Timestamp flag in received server greeting
      message equals 0, then Session-Reflector does not support this
      extension and will use NTP timestamp format.  Control-Client
      SHOULD set PTPv2 Timestamp flag to 0 in Set-Up-Response message in
      accordance with [RFC5357].

   o  Control-Client MUST set PTPv2 Timestamp flag value to 1 in Modes
      field in the Set-Up-Response message if Server advertised ability
      of the Session-Reflector to use PTPv2 format for timestamps.
      Otherwise the flag MUST be set to 0.

   o  If the values of PTPv2 Timestamp flag in the Set-Up-Response
      message equals 0, then that means that Session-Sender can only
      interpret NTP timestamp format.  Then the Session-Reflector MUST
      use NTP timestamp format.  If the Session-Reflector does not
      support NTP format for timestamps then Server and SHOULD close the
      TCP connection associated with the TWAMP-Control session.

2.3.  OWAMP-Test and TWAMP-Test Update

   Participants of a test session need to indicate which timestamp
   format being used.  The proposal is to use Z field in Error Estimate
   defined in Section 4.1.2 of [RFC4656].  The new interpretation of the
   Error Estimate is in addition to it specifying error estimate and
   synchronization, Error Estimate indicates format of a collected
   timestamp.  And this proposal changes the semantics of the Z bit
   field, the one between S and Scale fields, to be referred as
   Timestamp format and value MUST be set according to the following:

   o  0 - NTP 64 bit format of a timestamp;

   o  1 - PTPv2 truncated format of a timestamp.

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   As result of this value of the Z field from Error Estimate, Sender
   Error Estimate or Send Error Estimate and Receive Error Estimate
   SHOULD NOT be ignored and MUST be used when calculating delay and
   delay variation metrics based on collected timestamps.

2.3.1.  Consideration for TWAMP Light mode

   This document does not specify how Session-Sender and Session-
   Reflector in TWAMP Light mode are informed of timestamp format to be
   used.  It is assumed that, for example, configuration could be used
   to direct Session-Sender and Session-Reflector respectively to use
   timestamp format according to their capabilities and rules listed in
   Section 2.2.

3.  IANA Considerations

   The TWAMP-Modes registry defined in [RFC5618].

   IANA is requested to reserve a new PTPv2 Timestamp as follows:

   +--------------+------------------+---------------------+-----------+
   | Value        | Description      | Semantics           | Reference |
   +--------------+------------------+---------------------+-----------+
   | TBA1         | PTPv2 Timestamp  | bit position TBA2   | This      |
   | (proposed    | Capability       | (proposed 8)        | document  |
   | 256)         |                  |                     |           |
   +--------------+------------------+---------------------+-----------+

                     Table 1: New Timestamp Capability

4.  Security Considerations

   Use of particular format of a timestamp in test session does not
   appear to introduce any additional security threat to hosts that
   communicate with OWAMP and/or TWAMP as defined in [RFC4656],
   [RFC5357] respectively.  The security considerations that apply to
   any active measurement of live networks are relevant here as well.
   See the Security Considerations sections in [RFC4656] and [RFC5357].

5.  Acknowledgements

   The authors would like to thank Lakshmikanthan and Suchit Bansal for
   their insightful suggestions.  The authors would like to thank David
   Allan for his thorough review and thoughtful comments.

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6.  Normative References

   [IEEE.1588.2008]
              "Standard for a Precision Clock Synchronization Protocol
              for Networked Measurement and Control Systems",
              IEEE Standard 1588, March 2008.

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

   [RFC4656]  Shalunov, S., Teitelbaum, B., Karp, A., Boote, J., and M.
              Zekauskas, "A One-way Active Measurement Protocol
              (OWAMP)", RFC 4656, DOI 10.17487/RFC4656, September 2006,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4656>.

   [RFC5357]  Hedayat, K., Krzanowski, R., Morton, A., Yum, K., and J.
              Babiarz, "A Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP)",
              RFC 5357, DOI 10.17487/RFC5357, October 2008,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5357>.

   [RFC5618]  Morton, A. and K. Hedayat, "Mixed Security Mode for the
              Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP)", RFC 5618,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5618, August 2009,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5618>.

   [RFC5905]  Mills, D., Martin, J., Ed., Burbank, J., and W. Kasch,
              "Network Time Protocol Version 4: Protocol and Algorithms
              Specification", RFC 5905, DOI 10.17487/RFC5905, June 2010,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5905>.

   [RFC6038]  Morton, A. and L. Ciavattone, "Two-Way Active Measurement
              Protocol (TWAMP) Reflect Octets and Symmetrical Size
              Features", RFC 6038, DOI 10.17487/RFC6038, October 2010,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6038>.

Authors' Addresses

   Greg Mirsky
   Ericsson

   Email: gregory.mirsky@ericsson.com

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   Israel Meilik
   Broadcom

   Email: israel@broadcom.com

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