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CoAP Option Extensions: Profile and Sec-flag
draft-wang-core-profile-secflag-options-00

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Document Type Active Internet-Draft (individual)
Authors Lei Wang , Wendong Wang , Lei Zhu , Fang Yu
Last updated 2012-07-01
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draft-wang-core-profile-secflag-options-00
CoRE                                                           Lei. Wang
Internet-Draft                                             Wendong. Wang
Intended status: Informational                                      BUPT
Expires: January 3, 2013                                        Lei. Zhu
                                                                Fang. Yu
                                                     Huawei Technologies
                                                            July 2, 2012

              CoAP Option Extensions: Profile and Sec-flag
               draft-wang-core-profile-secflag-options-00

Abstract

   This memo adds two Options for the Constrained Application Protocol
   (CoAP): Profile and Sec-flag.  The Profile Option is indicating the
   identification of an application using CoAP.  The Sec-flag Option
   complements the security considerations of CoAP

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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   This Internet-Draft will expire on January 3, 2013.

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   Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

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   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of

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   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

   This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF
   Contributions published or made publicly available before November
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   than English.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
     1.1.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   2.  Motivation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
     2.1.  Profile Option Extension  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
     2.2.  Sec-flag Option Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   3.  Profile Option  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.1.  Profile Option Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   4.  Profile Option  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
     4.1.  Sec-flag Option Definition  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   5.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   6.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   7.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
     7.1.  Normative Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
     7.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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1.  Introduction

   CoAP is a specialized web transfer protocol for machine-to-machine
   applications such as smart energy and building automation using with
   constrained nodes and networks.  This memo adds two new options for
   CoAP: Profile and Sec-flag.

   The main purpose of the Profile Option is indicating the
   identification of an application using CoAP, by reading this option
   some intermediaries (e.g. proxy) and transport networks could
   distinguish different applications and do some differentiated
   processing.

   The Sec-flag Option complements the security considerations, enabling
   NoSec pattern in a segment of the communication link path between the
   client and server, by taking care of only establishing and
   maintaining lower layer security instead of DTLS in these
   intermediate networks.

1.1.  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 [RFC2119].

2.  Motivation

2.1.  Profile Option Extension

   CoAP is a light-weight web protocol and can be used in constrained
   devices, fulfilling machine-to-machine requirements.  Because of its
   features, more and more M2M applications MAY adopt CoAP.

   CoAP applications SHOULD use an operator's network as the transport
   bearer.  Different machine-to-machine applications MAY have different
   Quality of Service (QoS) requirements in terms of required bit rates
   as well as acceptable packet delays and packet loss rates.  When
   application data is transmitted through the transport network, the
   network MAY need to identify different machine-to-machine services to
   do some differentiated processing, applying different control
   policies with subscriptions.  Before applying control policies to
   applications, transport networks SHOULD identify them and distinguish
   each one from another referring to application identification, and
   then networks MAY apply different policies- treatment to different
   applications.  Some intermediaries (e.g.CoAP proxy) MAY also would
   like to distinguish different applications and do some differentiated
   processing such as caching application data in different priorities.

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   This memo describes the extensions to CoAP protocol and is to provide
   expanding proposal(s) to fulfill the motivations and requirements,
   defining an additional Option for the Constrained Application
   Protocol (CoAP): Profile.  The Profile Option is defined as the
   identification of CoAP applications.  When CoAP messages are
   transmitted through the transport network, network entities MAY use
   some technologies to read the option!_s Option Value to identify the
   application, then apply control policies with the subscription of
   application owner.

2.2.  Sec-flag Option Extension

   The transmission path between the client and server MAY consist of
   several segments: Transport Network domain based on existing
   standards 3GPP, TISPAN, IETF,etc.,and M2M Area Network Domain based
   on existing standards and technologies like DLMS, CEN, CENELEC,PLT,
   Zigbee, M-BUS, KNX, etc.  The application data MAY be transmitted
   through different networks between the client and server.

   The basic CoAP protocol defines the DTLS binding.  DTLS overhead is
   expensive for some networks.  Intermediate network domain MAY have
   some independent and reliable security standards (e.g.  ZigBee
   standard).  In some cases, CoAP could use these security standards
   instead of DTLS to avoid DTLS overhead in some intermediate networks.
   The Sec-flag Option can be used to indicate the security information
   and ensure the integrality of the security mechanism.

3.  Profile Option

3.1.  Profile Option Definition

   The Profile Option indicates the identification of CoAP applications.
   Transport network entities MAY use some technologies to read the
   Option Value and then apply corresponding policy control.

   This option is "elective" and the Option Number is even.  It MUST NOT
   occur more than once.

   The detailed definitions and encoding SHOULD refer to the description
   of Option Format in [I-D.ietf-core-coap].

   The SDNV[RFC5050] encoding can be used.

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       +-----+----------+--------+-------------+---------+---------+
       | No. | C/E      | Name   | Format      | Length  | Default |
       +-----+----------+--------+-------------+---------+---------+
       | 2n  | Elective |Profile |(see below)  | 2B      | (empty) |
       +-----+----------+--------+-------------+---------+---------+

4.  Profile Option

   The Sec-flag Option complements the security considerations, enabling
   NoSec pattern in one or more segments of the communication link path
   between the client and server.

4.1.  Sec-flag Option Definition

       +-----+----------+--------+-------------+---------+---------+
       | No. | C/E      | Name   | Format      | Length  | Default |
       +-----+----------+--------+-------------+---------+---------+
       | 2n+1| Critical |Sec-flag|(see below)  | 1B      | (empty) |
       +-----+----------+--------+-------------+---------+---------+

   The Sec-flag Option is used for indicating the lower layer security.

   This option is "critical" and the Option Number is odd.

   The detailed definitions and encoding SHOULD refer to the description
   of Option Format in [I-D.ietf-core-coap].  The value is made up of
   security indication.

   The SDNV[RFC5050] encoding can be used.

5.  Security Considerations

   To be defined.

6.  IANA Considerations

   The following entries are added to the CoAP Option Numbers registry:

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                    +---------+----------+-------------+
                    |  Number |  Name    | Reference   |
                    +---------+----------+-------------+
                    |    2n   | Profile  | RFC XXXX    |
                    +---------+----------+-------------+
                    |   2n+1  | Sec-flag | RFC XXXX    |
                    +---------+----------+-------------+

7.  References

7.1.  Normative Reference

   [I-D.ietf-core-coap]
              Shelby, Z., Hartke, K., Bormann, C., and B. Frank,
              "Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)",
              draft-ietf-core-coap-10 (work in progress), June 2012.

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC5050]  Scott, K. and S. Burleigh, "Bundle Protocol
              Specification", RFC 5050, November 2007.

7.2.  Informative References

   [I-D.fossati-core-publish-monitor-options]
              Fossati, T., Giacomin, P., and S. Loreto, "Publish and
              Monitor Options for CoAP",
              draft-fossati-core-publish-monitor-options-01 (work in
              progress), March 2012.

Authors' Addresses

   Lei Wang
   Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
   Xitucheng road 10
   Haidian District, Beijing  100876
   P. R. China

   Email: wleiblue@163.com

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   Wendong Wang
   Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
   Xitucheng road 10
   Haidian District, Beijing  100876
   P. R. China

   Email: wdwang@bupt.edu.cn

   Lei Zhu
   Huawei Technologies
   Huawei Building, Q20 No.156 Beiqing Rd.Z-park
   Haidian District, Beijing  100095
   P. R. China

   Email: lei.zhu@huawei.com

   Fang Yu
   Huawei Technologies
   Huawei Building, Q20 No.156 Beiqing Rd.Z-park
   Haidian District, Beijing  100095
   P. R. China

   Email: grace.yufang@huawei.com

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