A Taxonomy of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Back-to-Back User Agents
draft-ietf-straw-b2bua-taxonomy-00

STRAW Working Group                                           H. Kaplan 
Internet Draft                                              Acme Packet 
Intended status: Informational                         November 6, 2012 
Expires: May 22, 2013                                                   
    
    
              A Taxonomy of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) 
                         Back-to-Back User Agents 
                    draft-ietf-straw-b2bua-taxonomy-00 
    
    
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Abstract 
    
   There are numerous types of SIP Back-to-Back User Agents (B2BUAs), 
   performing different roles in different ways.  This document 
   identifies several common B2BUA roles, in order to provide taxonomy 
   other documents can use and reference. 
    
    
Table of Contents 
    
   1. Terminology...................................................2 
   2. Introduction..................................................3 
   3. B2BUA Role Types..............................................3 
      3.1. Signaling-plane B2BUA Roles..............................4 
         3.1.1 Proxy-B2BUA 4 
         3.1.2 Signaling-only 4 
         3.1.3 SDP-Modifying Signaling-only  5 
      3.2. Media-plane B2BUA Roles..................................5 
         3.2.1 Media-relay 5 
         3.2.2 Media-aware 6 
         3.2.3 Media-termination 6 
   4. Mapping SIP Device Types to B2BUA Roles.......................6 
      4.1. SIP PBXs and Softswitches................................6 
      4.2. Application Servers......................................6 
      4.3. Session Border Controllers...............................7 
      4.4. Transcoders..............................................7 
      4.5. Conference Servers.......................................7 
      4.6. P-CSCF and IBCF Functions................................8 
      4.7. S-CSCF Function..........................................8 
   5. Security Considerations.......................................8 
   6. IANA Considerations...........................................8 
   7. Acknowledgments...............................................8 
   8. References....................................................8 
      8.1. Informative References...................................8 
   Author's Address..................................................9 
    
    
1. Terminology 
    
   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 RFC 2119.  The 
   terminology in this document conforms to RFC 2828, "Internet 
   Security Glossary". 
    
   B2BUA: a SIP Back-to-Back User Agent, which is the logical 
   combination of a User Agent Server (UAS) and User Agent Client 
   (UAC). 
    
 
 
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   UAS: a SIP User Agent Server. 
    
   UAC: a SIP User Agent Client. 
    
2. Introduction 
    
   In many SIP deployments, SIP entities exist in the SIP signaling 
   path between the originating UAC and final terminating UAS, which go 
   beyond the definition of a Proxy, performing functions not defined 
   in standards-track RFCs.  The only term for such devices provided in 
   [RFC3261] is for a Back-to-Back User Agent (B2BUA), which is defined 
   as the logical concatenation of a User Agent Server (UAS) and User 
   Agent Client (UAC). 
    
   In practice, there are numerous forms of B2BUAs, operating at 
   various layers of the protocol stack, and for various purposes, and 
   with widely varying behavior from a SIP protocol perspective.  Some 
   act as pure SIP Proxies and only change to the role of B2BUA in 
   order to generate BYEs to terminate dead sessions.  Some are full 
   User Agent stacks with only high-level event and application logic 
   binding the UAS and UAC sides.  Some B2BUAs operate only in the SIP 
   signaling plane, while others participate in the media plane as 
   well. 
    
   As more and more SIP domains get deployed and interconnect, the odds 
   of a SIP session crossing such media-plane B2BUAs increases, as well 
   as the number of such B2BUAs any given SIP session may go through.  
   In other words, any given SIP session may cross any number of B2BUAs 
   both in the SIP signaling plane as well as media-plane. 
    
   This document provides a taxonomy of several common B2BUA roles, so 
   that other documents may refer to them using their given names 
   without re-defining them in each document. 
    
    
3. B2BUA Role Types 
    
   Within the context of this document, the terms refer to a B2BUA 
   role, not a particular system type.  A given system type may change 
   its role in the middle of a SIP session, for example when a Stateful 
   Proxy tears-down a session by generating BYEs; or for example when 
   an SBC performs transcoding or REFER termination. 
    
   Furthermore, this document defines 'B2BUA' following the definition 
   provided in [RFC3261], which is the logical concatenation of a UAS 
   and UAC.  A typical centralized conference server, for example, is 
   not a B2BUA because it is the target UAS of multiple UACs, whereby 
   the UACs individually and independently initiate separate SIP 
   sessions to the central conference server.  Likewise, a one-armed 
 
 
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   third-party call control transcoder as described in section 3.1 of 
   [RFC5369] is not a B2BUA; whereas an inline transcoder based on 
   [RFC5370] is a B2BUA. 
    
3.1. Signaling-plane B2BUA Roles 
 
   A Signaling-plane B2BUA is one that operates only on the SIP message 
   protocol layer, and only with SIP messages and headers but not the 
   media itself in any way.  This implies it does not modify SDP 
   bodies, although it may save them and/or operate on other MIME body 
   types.  This category is further subdivided into specific roles as 
   described in this section. 
    
3.1.1     Proxy-B2BUA 
    
   A Proxy-B2BUA is one that appears, from a SIP protocol perspective, 
   to be a SIP Proxy based on [RFC3261] and its extensions, except that 
   it maintains sufficient dialog state to generate in-dialog SIP 
   messages on its own and does so in specific cases.  The most common 
   example of this is a SIP Proxy which can generate BYE requests to 
   tear-down a dead session. 
    
   A Proxy-B2BUA does not modify the received header fields such as the 
   To, From, or Contact, and only modifies the Via and Record-Route 
   header fields following the rules in [RFC3261] and its extensions.  
   A Proxy-B2BUA neither modifies nor inspects MIME bodies (including 
   SDP), does not have any awareness of media, will forward any Method 
   type, etc. 
 
3.1.2     Signaling-only 
    
   A Signaling-only B2BUA is one that operates at the SIP layer but in 
   ways beyond those of [RFC3261] Proxies, even for normally forwarded 
   requests.  Such a B2BUA may or may not replace the Contact URI, 
   modify or remove all Via and Record-Route headers, modify the To and 
   From header fields, modify or inspect specific MIME bodies, etc.  No 
   SIP header field is guaranteed to be copied from the received 
   request on the UAS side to the generated request on the UAC side. 
    
   An example of such a B2BUA would be some forms of Application 
   Servers and PBXs, such as a server which locally processes REFER 
   requests and generates new INVITEs on behalf of the REFER's target.  
   Another example would be an [RFC3323] Privacy Service Proxy 
   performing the 'header' privacy function. 
    
 

 
 
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3.1.3     SDP-Modifying Signaling-only 
    
   An SDP-Modifying Signaling-only B2BUA is one that operates in the 
   signaling plane only and is not in the media path, but does modify 
   SDP bodies and is thus aware of and understands SDP syntax and 
   semantics.  Some Application Servers and PBXs act in this role in 
   some cases, for example to remove certain codec choices or merge two 
   media endpoints into one SDP offer. 
    
3.2. Media-plane B2BUA Roles 
    
   A Media-plane B2BUA is one that operates at both the SIP and media 
   planes, not only on SIP messages but also SDP and potentially 
   RTP/RTCP or other media.  Such a B2BUA may or may not replace the 
   Contact URI, modify or remove all Via and Record-Route headers, 
   modify the To and From header fields, etc.  No SIP header field is 
   guaranteed to be copied from the received request on the UAS side to 
   the generated request on the UAC side, and SDP will also be 
   modified. 
    
   An example of such a B2BUA would be a Session Border Controller 
   performing the functions defined in [RFC5853], a B2BUA transcoder as 
   defined in [RFC5370], a rich-ringtone Application Server, or a 
   recording system.  Another example would be an [RFC3323] Privacy 
   Service Proxy performing the 'session' privacy function. 
    
   Note that a Media-plane B2BUA need not be instantiated in a single 
   physical system, but may be decomposed into separate signaling and 
   media functions. 
    
   The Media-plane B2BUA category is further subdivided into specific 
   roles as described in this section. 
    
3.2.1     Media-relay  
    
   A B2BUA which performs a media-relay role is one that terminates the 
   media plane at the IP and UDP/TCP layers on its UAS and UAC sides, 
   but neither modifies nor restricts which forms of UDP or TCP payload 
   are carried within the UDP or TCP packets.  Such a role may only 
   support UDP or only TCP or both, as well as other transport types or 
   not.  Such a role may involve policing the IP packets to fit within 
   a bandwidth limit, or converting from IPv4 to IPV6 or vice-versa.  
   This is typically similar to a NAT behavior, except a NAT operating 
   in both directions on both the source and destination information; 
   it is often found as the default behavior in SBCs.  
    

 
 
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3.2.2     Media-aware  
    
   A B2BUA which performs a media-aware role is similar to a media-
   relay except that it inspects and potentially modifies the payload 
   carried in UDP or TCP, such as RTP or RTCP, but not at a codec or 
   higher layer.  An example of such a role is an SRTP terminator, 
   which does not need to care about the RTP payload but does care 
   about the RTP header; or a device which monitors RTCP for QoS 
   information; or a device which muxes/de-muxes RTP and RTCP packets 
   on the same 5-tuple. 
    
3.2.3     Media-termination  
    
   A B2BUA which performs a media-termination role is one that operates 
   at the media payload layer, such as RTP/RTCP codec or MSRP message 
   layer and higher.  Such a role may only terminate/generate specific 
   RTP media, such as [RFC4733] DTMF packets, or it may convert between 
   media codecs, or act as a Back-To-Back MSRP agent.  This is the role 
   performed by transcoders, conference servers, etc. 
    
    
4. Mapping SIP Device Types to B2BUA Roles 
    
   Although the B2BUA role types defined previously do not define a 
   system type, as discussed in section 3, some discussion of what 
   common system types perform which defined roles may be appropriate.  
   This section provides such a 'mapping' for general cases, to aid in 
   understanding of the roles. 
    
4.1. SIP PBXs and Softswitches 
    
   SIP-enabled Private Branch eXchanges (SIP PBXs) and Softswitches are 
   market category terms, and not specified in any standard.  In 
   general they can perform every role described in this document at 
   any given time, based on their architecture or local policy.  Some 
   are based on architectures that make them the equivalent of a SIP 
   UAS and UAC connected with a logical PRI loopback; others are built 
   as a SIP Proxy core with optional modules to "do more". 
    
4.2. Application Servers 
    
   Application Servers are a broad marketing term, and not specified in 
   any standard in general, although 3GPP and other organizations 
   specify some specific Application Server functions and behaviors.  
   Common examples of Application Servers functions are message-waiting 
   indication, find-me-follow-me services, privacy services, call-
   center ACD services, call screening, and VCC services.  Some only 
   operate in the signaling plane in either Poxy-B2BUA or Signaling-
   only B2BUA roles; others operate as full Media-termination B2BUAs, 
 
 
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   such as when providing IVR, rich-ringtone or integrated voicemail 
   services. 
    
4.3. Session Border Controllers 
    
   Session Border Controllers (SBCs) are a market category term, and 
   not specified in any standard.  Some of the common functions 
   performed by SBCs are described in [RFC5853], but in general they 
   can perform every role described in this document at any given time, 
   based on local policy.  By default, most SBCs are either Media-relay 
   or Media-aware B2BUAs, and replace the Contact URI, remove the Via 
   and Record-Route headers, modify the Call-ID, To, From, and various 
   other headers, and modify SDP.  Some SBCs remove all headers, all 
   bodies, and reject all Method types unless explicitly allowed by 
   local policy; other SBCs pass all such elements through unless 
   explicitly forbidden by local policy. 
 
4.4. Transcoders 
    
   Transcoders perform the function of transcoding one audio or video 
   media codec type to another, such as G.711 to G.729.  As such they 
   perform the Media-termination role, although they may only terminate 
   media in specific cases of codec mismatch between the two ends.  
   Although [RFC5369] and [RFC5370] define two types of SIP 
   Transcoders, in practice a popular variant of the [RFC5370] inline 
   model is to behave as a SIP B2BUA without using the resource-list 
   mechanism, but rather simply route a normal INVITE request through 
   an inline transcoder.  SIP Transcoders architectures are based on 
   everything from SIP media servers, to SBCs, to looped-back TDM 
   gateways, and thus run the gamut from replacing only specific 
   headers/bodies and SDP content needed to perform their function, to 
   replacing almost all SIP headers and SDP content.  Some transcoders 
   save and remove SDP offers in INVITEs form the UAC, and wait for an 
   offer in the response from the UAS, similar to a 3PCC model; others 
   just insert additional codecs in SDP offers and only transcode if 
   the inserted codec(s) are selected in the answer. 
 
4.5. Conference Servers 
    
   In general Conference Servers do not fall under the term 'B2BUA' as 
   defined by this document, since typically they involve multiple SIP 
   UACs initiating independent SIP sessions to the single conference 
   server UAS.  However, a conference server supporting [RFC5366], 
   whereby the received INVITE triggers the conference focus UAS to 
   initiate multiple INVITEs as a UAC, would be in a Media-termination 
   B2BUA role when performing that function. 

 
 
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4.6. P-CSCF and IBCF Functions 
    
   Proxy-CSCFs and IBCFs are functions defined by 3GPP IMS standards, 
   and when coupled with the IMS media-plane gateways (IMS AGW, TrGW, 
   etc.) typically form a logical Media-relay or Media-aware B2BUA 
   role. 
 
4.7. S-CSCF Function 
    
   S-CSCF is a function defined by 3GPP IMS standards, and typically 
   follows a Proxy-B2BUA role. 
    
5. Security Considerations 
    
   There are no security implications for this document, as it is only 
   a taxonomy. 
    
6.   IANA Considerations 
    
   This document makes no request of IANA. 
    
7.   Acknowledgments 
    
   Funding for the RFC Editor function is provided by the IETF 
   Administrative Support Activity (IASA). 
 
8.   References 
    
8.1. Informative References 
 
   [RFC3261] Rosenberg, J., Schulzrinne, H., Camarillo, G., Johnston, 
   A., Peterson, J., Sparks, R., Handley, M. and E. Schooler, "SIP: 
   Session Initiation Protocol", RFC 3261, June 2002. 
    
   [RFC3323] Peterson, J., " A Privacy Mechanism for the Session 
   Initiation Protocol (SIP)", RFC 3323, November 2002. 
    
   [RFC4733] Schulzrinne, H., Taylor, T., "RTP Payload for DTMF Digits, 
   Telephony Tones, and Telephony Signals", RFC 4733, December 2006. 
    
   [RFC5366] Camarillo, G., Johnston, A., "Conference Establishment 
   Using Request-Contained Lists in the Session Initiation Protocol 
   (SIP)", RFC 5366, October 2008. 
    
   [RFC5369] Camarillo, G., "Framework for Transcoding with the Session 
   Initiation Protocol (SIP)", RFC 5369, October 2008. 
    

 
 
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   [RFC5370] Camarillo, G., "The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) 
   Conference Bridge Transcoding Model", RFC 5370, October 2008. 
    
   [RFC5853] Hautakorpi, J, et al, "Requirements from Session 
   Initiation Protocol (SIP) Session Border Control (SBC) Deployments", 
   RFC 5853, April 2010. 
 
 
Author's Address
    
   Hadriel Kaplan
   Acme Packet 
   Email: hkaplan@acmepacket.com
 
    

 
 
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