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SCHC over Sigfox LPWAN
draft-ietf-lpwan-schc-over-sigfox-03

The information below is for an old version of the document.
Document Type
This is an older version of an Internet-Draft that was ultimately published as RFC 9442.
Authors Juan-Carlos Zúñiga , Carles Gomez , Laurent Toutain
Last updated 2020-07-13 (Latest revision 2020-05-16)
RFC stream Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
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Oct 2021
Produce a Standards Track document for SCHC over SigFox
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IESG IESG state Became RFC 9442 (Proposed Standard)
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Responsible AD Éric Vyncke
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draft-ietf-lpwan-schc-over-sigfox-03
lpwan Working Group                                           JC. Zuniga
Internet-Draft                                                    SIGFOX
Intended status: Informational                                  C. Gomez
Expires: January 14, 2021           Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
                                                              L. Toutain
                                                          IMT-Atlantique
                                                           July 13, 2020

                         SCHC over Sigfox LPWAN
                  draft-ietf-lpwan-schc-over-sigfox-03

Abstract

   The Generic Framework for Static Context Header Compression and
   Fragmentation (SCHC) specification describes both, an application
   header compression scheme, and a frame fragmentation and loss
   recovery functionality for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN)
   technologies.  SCHC offers a great level of flexibility that can be
   tailored for different LPWAN technologies.

   The present document provides the optimal parameters and modes of
   operation when SCHC is implemented over a Sigfox LPWAN.  This set of
   parameters are also known as a "SCHC over Sigfox profile."

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
   Task Force (IETF).  Note that other groups may also distribute
   working documents as Internet-Drafts.  The list of current Internet-
   Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on January 14, 2021.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2020 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

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   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  SCHC: Generic Framework for Static Context Header Compression
       and Fragmentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  SCHC over Sigfox  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     4.1.  Network Architecture  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     4.2.  Uplink  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     4.3.  Downlink  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     4.4.  SCHC Rules  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     4.5.  Fragmentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
       4.5.1.  Uplink Fragmentation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
       4.5.2.  Downlink Fragmentation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     4.6.  Padding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   5.  Security considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   6.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
   7.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     7.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     7.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12

1.  Introduction

   The Generic Framework for Static Context Header Compression and
   Fragmentation (SCHC) specification [RFC8724] defines both, a higher
   layer header compression scheme and a fragmentation and loss recovery
   functionality.  Both can be used on top of all the LWPAN systems
   defined in [RFC8376] . These LPWAN systems have similar
   characteristics such as star-oriented topologies, network
   architecture, connected devices with built-in applications, etc.

   SCHC offers a great level of flexibility to accommodate all these
   LPWAN systems.  Even though there are a great number of similarities
   between LPWAN technologies, some differences exist with respect to
   the transmission characteristics, payload sizes, etc.  Hence, there
   are optimal parameters and modes of operation that can be used when
   SCHC is used on top of a specific LPWAN.

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   This document describes the recommended parameters, settings and
   modes of operation to be used when SCHC is implemented over a Sigfox
   LPWAN.  This set of parameters are also known as a "SCHC over Sigfox
   profile."

2.  Terminology

   It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the terms and
   mechanisms defined in [RFC8376] and in [RFC8724].

3.  SCHC: Generic Framework for Static Context Header Compression and
    Fragmentation

   The Generic Framework for Static Context Header Compression and
   Fragmentation (SCHC) described in [RFC8724] takes advantage of the
   predictability of data flows existing in LPWAN networks to avoid
   context synchronization.

   Contexts must be stored and pre-configured on both ends.  This can be
   done either by using a provisioning protocol, by out of band means,
   or by pre-provisioning them (e.g. at manufacturing time).  The way
   contexts are configured and stored on both ends is out of the scope
   of this document.

4.  SCHC over Sigfox

4.1.  Network Architecture

   Figure 1 represents the architecture for compression/decompression
   (C/D) and fragmentation/reassembly (F/R) based on the terminology
   defined in [RFC8376], where the Radio Gateway (RG) is a Sigfox Base
   Station and the Network Gateway (NGW) is the Sigfox cloud-based
   Network.

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       Device                                              Application
 +----------------+                                     +--------------+
 | APP1 APP2 APP3 |                                     |APP1 APP2 APP3|
 +----------------+                                     +--------------+
 |   UDP  |       |                                     |     |  UDP   |
 |  IPv6  |       |                                     |     | IPv6   |
 +--------+       |                                     |     +--------+
 | SCHC C/D & F/R |                                     |              |
 |                |                                     |              |
 +-------+--------+                                     +--------+-----+
         $                                                       .
         $   +---------+     +--------------+     +---------+    .
         +~~ |Sigfox BS|     |Sigfox Network|     |   SCHC  |    .
             |  (RG)   | === |    (NGW)     | === |F/R & C/D|.....
             +---------+     +--------------+     +---------+

                      Figure 1: Network Architecture

   In the case of the global Sigfox Network, RGs (or Base Stations) are
   distributed over multiple countries wherever the Sigfox LPWAN service
   is provided.  The NGW (or cloud-based Sigfox Core Network) is a
   single entity that connects to all Sigfox base stations in the world,
   providing hence a global single star network topology.

   The Device is sending applications flows that are compressed and/or
   fragmented by a SCHC Compressor/Decompressor (SCHC C/D + F/R) to
   reduce headers size and/or fragment the packet.  The resulting SCHC
   Message is sent over a layer two (L2) Sigfox frame to the Sigfox Base
   Stations, which then forward the SCHC Message to the Network Gateway
   (NGW).  The NGW then delivers the SCHC Message and associated
   gathered metadata to the Network SCHC C/D + F/R.

   The Sigfox Network (NGW) communicates with the Network SCHC C/D + F/R
   for compression/decompression and/or for fragmentation/reassembly.
   The Network SCHC C/D + F/R share the same set of rules as the Dev
   SCHC C/D + F/R.  The Network SCHC C/D + F/R can be collocated with
   the NGW or it could be located in a different place, as long as a
   tunnel or secured communication is established between the NGW and
   the SCHC C/D + F/R functions.  After decompression and/or reassembly,
   the packet can be forwarded over the Internet to one (or several)
   LPWAN Application Server(s) (App).

   The SCHC C/D + F/R processes are bidirectional, so the same
   principles are applicable on both uplink and downlink.

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4.2.  Uplink

   Uplink Sigfox transmissions occur in repetitions over different times
   and frequencies.  Besides these time and frequency diversities, the
   Sigfox network also provides space diversity, as potentially an
   uplink message will be received by several base stations.

   Since all messages are self-contained and base stations forward them
   all back to the same Core Network, multiple input copies can be
   combined at the NGW and hence provide for extra reliability based on
   the triple diversity (i.e. time, space and frequency).

   A detailed description of the Sigfox Radio Protocol can be found in
   [sigfox-spec].

   Messages sent from the Device to the Network are delivered by the
   Sigfox network (NGW) to the Network SCHC C/D + F/R through a
   callback/API with the following information:

   o  Device ID

   o  Message Sequence Number

   o  Message Payload

   o  Message Timestamp

   o  Device Geolocation (optional)

   o  RSSI (optional)

   o  Device Temperature (optional)

   o  Device Battery Voltage (optional)

   The Device ID is a globally unique identifier assigned to the Device,
   which is included in the Sigfox header of every message.  The Message
   Sequence Number is a monotonically increasing number identifying the
   specific transmission of this uplink message, and it is part of the
   Sigfox header.  The Message Payload corresponds to the payload that
   the Device has sent in the uplink transmission.

   The Message Timestamp, Device Geolocation, RSSI, Device Temperature
   and Device Battery Voltage are metadata parameters provided by the
   Network.

   A detailed description of the Sigfox callbacks/APIs can be found in
   [sigfox-callbacks].

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   Only messages that have passed the L2 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
   at network reception are delivered by the Sigfox Network to the
   Network SCHC C/D + F/R.

                  +---------------+-----------------+
                  | Sigfox Header | Sigfox payload  |
                  +---------------+---------------- +
                                  |   SCHC message  |
                                  +-----------------+

                     Figure 2: SCHC Message in Sigfox

   Figure 2 shows a SCHC Message sent over Sigfox, where the SCHC
   Message could be a full SCHC Packet (e.g. compressed) or a SCHC
   Fragment (e.g. a piece of a bigger SCHC Packet).

4.3.  Downlink

   Downlink transmissions are Device-driven and can only take place
   following an uplink communication.  Hence, a Device willing to
   receive downlink messages indicates so to the network in the
   preceding uplink message with a downlink request flag, and then it
   opens a fixed window for downlink reception after the uplink
   transmission.  The delay and duration of the reception window have
   fixed values.  If there is a downlink message to be sent for this
   given Device (e.g. either a response to the uplink message or queued
   information waiting to be transmitted), the network transmits it to
   the Device during the reception window.

   When a downlink message is sent to a Device, an acknowledgement is
   generated by the Device through the Sigfox protocol and reported by
   the Sigfox Network.  This acknowledgement can be retrieved through
   callbacks by the customer.

   A detailed description of the Sigfox Radio Protocol can be found in
   [sigfox-spec] and a detailed description of the Sigfox callbacks/APIs
   can be found in [sigfox-callbacks].

4.4.  SCHC Rules

   The RuleID MUST be included in the SCHC header.  The total number of
   rules to be used affects directly the Rule ID field size, and
   therefore the total size of the fragmentation header.  For this
   reason, it is recommended to keep the number of rules that are
   defined for a specific device to the minimum possible.

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   RuleIDs can be used to differenciate data traffic classes (e.g.  QoS,
   control vs. data, etc.), and data sessions.  They can also be used to
   interleave simultaneous fragmentation sessions between a Device and
   the Network.

4.5.  Fragmentation

   The SCHC specification [RFC8724] defines a generic fragmentation
   functionality that allows sending data packets or files larger than
   the maximum size of a Sigfox data frame.  The functionality also
   defines a mechanism to send reliably multiple messages, by allowing
   to resend selectively any lost fragments.

   The SCHC fragmentation supports several modes of operation.  These
   modes have different advantages and disadvantages depending on the
   specifics of the underlying LPWAN technology and application Use
   Case.  This section describes how the SCHC fragmentation
   functionality should optimally be implemented when used over a Sigfox
   LPWAN for the most typical Use Case applications.

   The L2 Word Size used by Sigfox is 1 byte (8 bits).

4.5.1.  Uplink Fragmentation

   Sigfox uplink transmissions are completely asynchronous and can take
   place in any random frequency of the allowed uplink bandwidth
   allocation.  Hence, devices can go to deep sleep mode, and then wake
   up and transmit whenever there is a need to send any information to
   the network.  In that way, there is no need to perform any network
   attachment, synchronization, or other procedure before transmitting a
   data packet.  All data packets are self-contained with all the
   required information for the network to process them accordingly.

   Since uplink transmissions occur asynchronously, an SCHC fragment can
   be transmitted at any given time by the Device.  Sigfox uplink
   messages are fixed in size, and as described in [RFC8376] they can
   carry 0-12 bytes payload.  Hence, a single SCHC Tile size per mode
   can be defined so that every Sigfox message always carries one SCHC
   Tile.

4.5.1.1.  Uplink No-ACK Mode

   No-ACK is RECOMMENDED to be used for transmitting short, non-critical
   packets that require fragmentation and do not require full
   reliability.  This mode can be used by uplink-only devices that do
   not support downlink communications, or by bidirectional devices when
   they send non-critical data.

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   Since there are no multiple windows in the No-ACK mode, the W bit is
   not present.  However it is RECOMMENDED to use FCN to indicate the
   size of the data packet.  In this sense, the data packet would need
   to be splitted into X fragments and, similarly to the other
   fragmentation modes, the first transmitted fragment would need to be
   marked with FCN = X-1.  Consecutive fragments MUST be marked with
   decreasing FCN values, having the last fragment marked with FCN =
   (All-1).  Hence, even though the No-ACK mode does not allow
   recovering missing fragments, it allows indicating implicitly to the
   Network the size of the expected packet and whether all fragments
   have been received or not.

   The RECOMMENDED Fragmentation Header size is 8 bits, and it is
   composed as follows:

   o  RuleID size: 4 bits

   o  DTag size (T): 0 bits

   o  Fragment Compressed Number (FCN) size (N): 4 bits

   o  As per [RFC8724], in the No-ACK mode the W (window) field is not
      present.

   o  RCS: Not used

4.5.1.2.  Uplink ACK-on-Error Mode: Single-byte SCHC Header

   ACK-on-Error with single-byte header is RECOMMENDED for medium-large
   size packets that need to be sent reliably.  ACK-on-Error is optimal
   for Sigfox transmissions, since it leads to a reduced number of ACKs
   in the lower capacity downlink channel.  Also, downlink messages can
   be sent asynchronously and opportunistically.

   Allowing transmission of packets/files up to 300 bytes long, the SCHC
   uplink Fragmentation Header size is RECOMMENDED to be 8 bits in size
   and is composed as follows:

   o  Rule ID size: 3 bits

   o  DTag size (T): 0 bits

   o  Window index (W) size (M): 2 bits

   o  Fragment Compressed Number (FCN) size (N): 3 bits

   o  MAX_ACK_REQUESTS: 5

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   o  WINDOW_SIZE: 7 (with a maximum value of FCN=0b110)

   o  Tile size: 11 bytes

   o  Retransmission Timer: Application-dependent

   o  Inactivity Timer: Application-dependent

   o  RCS: Not used

   The correspondent SCHC ACK in the downlink is 13 bits long, so
   padding is needed to complete the required 64 bits of Sigfox payload.

4.5.1.3.  Uplink ACK-on-Error Mode: Two-byte SCHC Header

   ACK-on-Error with two-byte header is RECOMMENDED for very large size
   packets that need to be sent reliably.  ACK-on-Error is optimal for
   Sigfox transmissions, since it leads to a reduced number of ACKs in
   the lower capacity downlink channel.  Also, downlink messages can be
   sent asynchronously and opportunistically.

   In order to allow transmission of very large packets/files up to 2250
   bytes long, the SCHC uplink Fragmentation Header size is RECOMMENDED
   to be 16 bits in size and composed as follows:

   o  Rule ID size is: 8 bits

   o  DTag size (T) is: 0 bits

   o  Window index (W) size (M): 3 bits

   o  Fragment Compressed Number (FCN) size (N): 5 bits.

   o  MAX_ACK_REQUESTS: 5

   o  WINDOW_SIZE: 31 (with a maximum value of FCN=0b11110)

   o  Tile size: 10 bytes

   o  Retransmission Timer: Application-dependent

   o  Inactivity Timer: Application-dependent

   o  RCS: Not used

   The correspondent SCHC ACK in the downlink is 43 bits long, so
   padding is needed to complete the required 64 bits of Sigfox payload.

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4.5.1.4.  All-1 behaviour + Sigfox Sequence Number

   For ACK-on-Error, as defined in [RFC8724] it is expected that the
   last SCHC fragment of the last window will always be delivered with
   an All-1 FCN.  Since this last window may not be full (i.e. it may be
   comprised of less than WINDOW_SIZE fragments), an All-1 fragment may
   follow a value of FCN higher than 1 (0b01).  In this case, the
   receiver could not derive from the FCN values alone whether there are
   any missing fragments right before the All-1 fragment or not.

   However, since a Message Sequence Number is provided by the Sigfox
   protocol together with the Sigfox Payload, the receiver can detect if
   there are missing fragments before the All-1 and hence construct the
   corresponding SCHC ACK Bitmap accordingly.

4.5.2.  Downlink Fragmentation

   In some LPWAN technologies, as part of energy-saving techniques,
   downlink transmission is only possible immediately after an uplink
   transmission.  This allows the device to go in a very deep sleep mode
   and preserve battery, without the need to listen to any information
   from the network.  This is the case for Sigfox-enabled devices, which
   can only listen to downlink communications after performing an uplink
   transmission and requesting a downlink.

   When there are fragments to be transmitted in the downlink, an uplink
   message is required to trigger the downlink communication.  In order
   to avoid potentially high delay for fragmented datagram transmission
   in the downlink, the fragment receiver MAY perform an uplink
   transmission as soon as possible after reception of a downlink
   fragment that is not the last one.  Such uplink transmission MAY be
   triggered by sending a SCHC message, such as a SCHC ACK.  However,
   other data messages can equally be used to trigger DL communications.

   Sigfox downlink messages are fixed in size, and as described in
   [RFC8376] they can carry up to 8 bytes payload.  Hence, a single SCHC
   Tile size per mode can be defined so that every Sigfox message always
   carries one SCHC Tile.

   For reliable downlink fragment transmission, the ACK-Always mode is
   RECOMMENDED.

   The SCHC downlink Fragmentation Header size is RECOMMENDED to be 8
   bits in size and is composed as follows:

   o  RuleID size: 3 bits

   o  DTag size (T): 0 bits

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   o  Window index (W) size (M) is: 0 bits

   o  Fragment Compressed Number (FCN) size (N): 5 bits

   o  MAX_ACK_REQUESTS: 5

   o  WINDOW_SIZE: 31 (with a maximum value of FCN=0b11110)

   o  Tile size: 7 bytes

   o  Retransmission Timer: Application-dependent

   o  Inactivity Timer: Application-dependent

   o  RCS: Not used

4.6.  Padding

   The Sigfox payload fields have different characteristics in uplink
   and downlink.

   Uplink frames can contain a payload size from 0 to 12 bytes.  The
   radio protocol allows sending zero bits, one single bit of
   information for binary applications (e.g. status), or an integer
   number of bytes.  Therefore, for 2 or more bits of payload it is
   required to add padding to the next integer number of bytes.  The
   reason for this flexibility is to optimize transmission time and
   hence save battery consumption at the device.

   Downlink frames on the other hand have a fixed length.  The payload
   length must be 64 bits (i.e. 8 bytes).  Hence, if less information
   bits are to be transmitted, padding would be necessary.

5.  Security considerations

   The radio protocol authenticates and ensures the integrity of each
   message.  This is achieved by using a unique device ID and an AES-128
   based message authentication code, ensuring that the message has been
   generated and sent by the device with the ID claimed in the message.

   Application data can be encrypted at the application level or not,
   depending on the criticality of the use case.  This flexibility
   allows providing a balance between cost and effort vs. risk.  AES-128
   in counter mode is used for encryption.  Cryptographic keys are
   independent for each device.  These keys are associated with the
   device ID and separate integrity and confidentiality keys are pre-
   provisioned.  A confidentiality key is only provisioned if
   confidentiality is to be used.

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   The radio protocol has protections against reply attacks, and the
   cloud-based core network provides firewalling protection against
   undesired incoming communications.

6.  Acknowledgements

   Carles Gomez has been funded in part by the ERDF and the Spanish
   Government through project TEC2016-79988-P.

   The authors would like to thank Diego Wistuba, Clement Mannequin and
   Sandra Cespedes for their useful comments and design considerations.

7.  References

7.1.  Normative References

   [RFC8376]  Farrell, S., Ed., "Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN)
              Overview", RFC 8376, DOI 10.17487/RFC8376, May 2018,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8376>.

   [RFC8724]  Minaburo, A., Toutain, L., Gomez, C., Barthel, D., and JC.
              Zuniga, "SCHC: Generic Framework for Static Context Header
              Compression and Fragmentation", RFC 8724,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8724, April 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8724>.

7.2.  Informative References

   [sigfox-callbacks]
              Sigfox, "Sigfox Callbacks",
              <https://support.sigfox.com/docs/callbacks-documentation>.

   [sigfox-spec]
              Sigfox, "Sigfox Radio Specifications",
              <https://build.sigfox.com/sigfox-device-radio-
              specifications>.

Authors' Addresses

   Juan Carlos Zuniga
   SIGFOX
   425 rue Jean Rostand
   Labege  31670
   France

   Email: JuanCarlos.Zuniga@sigfox.com
   URI:   http://www.sigfox.com/

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   Carles Gomez
   Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
   C/Esteve Terradas, 7
   08860 Castelldefels
   Spain

   Email: carlesgo@entel.upc.edu

   Laurent Toutain
   IMT-Atlantique
   2 rue de la Chataigneraie
   CS 17607
   35576 Cesson-Sevigne Cedex
   France

   Email: Laurent.Toutain@imt-atlantique.fr

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