Internet Engineering Task Force                        M. Wasserman, Ed.
Internet-Draft                                     Sandstorm Enterprises
Intended status: Informational                             March 9, 2009
Expires: September 10, 2009


             Current Practices for Multiple Interface Hosts
                   draft-mrw-mif-current-practices-01

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Abstract

   An increasing number of hosts are operating in multiple-interface
   environments, where different network interfaces are providing
   unequal levels of service or connectivity.  This document describes



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   how some common operating systems cope with the related challenges.


Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   2.  Current practices of some operating systems  . . . . . . . . .  3
     2.1.  Nokia S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2  . . . . . . . . . .  3
     2.2.  Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition . . . . . . .  5
     2.3.  BlackBerry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     2.4.  Google Android . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     2.5.  Arena Connection Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
     2.6.  Microsoft Windows  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
     2.7.  Linux and BSD-based Operating Systems  . . . . . . . . . .  7
     2.8.  Apple Mac OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
   3.  Common solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     3.1.  Centralized connection management  . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     3.2.  Per application connection settings  . . . . . . . . . . .  9
   4.  Common problems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     4.1.  Selection of an interface providing access to a
           destination  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
     4.2.  Prioritization of interfaces for the same destination  . . 10
     4.3.  Enablers for application multihoming . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   5.  Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   6.  IANA Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   7.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   8.  Change Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   9.  Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   10. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
     10.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
     10.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13



















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1.  Introduction

   Multiple-interface hosts face several challenges not faced by single-
   interface hosts, some of which are described in
   [I-D.blanchet-mif-problem-statement].

   This document collects and analyzes publicly-available information
   about the multiple-interface solutions implemented in some widely
   used operating systems, including: Nokia S60 [S60], Microsoft Windows
   Mobile [WINDOWSMOBILE], Blackberry [BLACKBERRY], Google Android
   [ANDROID], Apple Mac OS X, Linux and BSD-based operating systems.

   In section 3, common solutions implemented in different operating
   systems are identified and generalized.

   NOTE: Further input on the behaviour of these or other operating
   systems (including newer versons) is very welcome.


2.  Current practices of some operating systems

   The following sections briefly describe the current multiple-
   interface host implementations on some widely-used operating systems.
   Please refer to the References section for pointers to original
   documentation on most of these systems, including further details.

2.1.  Nokia S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2

   Cellular devices typically run a variety of applications in parallel,
   each with different requirements for IP connectivity.  A typical
   scenario is shown in figure 1, where a cellular device is utilizing
   WLAN access for web browsing and GPRS access for transferring
   multimedia messages (MMS).  Another typical scenario would be a real-
   time VoIP session over one network interface in parallel with best
   effort web browsing on another network interface.  Yet another
   typical scenario would be global Internet access through one network
   interface and local (e.g. corporate VPN) network access through
   another.













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        Web server                                       MMS Gateway
             |                                                |
            -+--Internet----            ----Operator network--+-
                    |                          |
                +-------+                  +-------+
                |WLAN AP|                  | GGSN  |
                +-------+                  +-------+
                    |        +--------+        |
                    +--------|Cellular|--------+
                             |device  |
                             +--------+


               A cellular device with two network interfaces

                                 Figure 1

   Different network access technologies require different settings.
   For example, WLAN requires Service Set Identifier (SSID) and the GPRS
   network requires the Access Point Name (APN) of the Gateway GPRS
   Support Node (GGSN), among other parameters.  It is common that
   different accesses lead to different destination networks (e.g. to
   "Internet", "Intranet", cellular network services, etc.).

   S60 uses the concept of an Internet Access Point (IAP) [S60] that
   contains all information required for opening a network connection
   using a specific access technology.  A device may have several IAPs
   configured for different network technologies and settings (multiple
   WLAN SSIDs, GPRS APNs, dial-up numbers, and so forth).  There may
   also be 'virtual' IAPs that define parameters needed for tunnel
   establishment (e.g. for VPN).

   For each application, a correct IAP needs to be selected at the point
   when the application requires network connectivity.  This is
   essential, as the wrong IAP may not be able to support the
   application or reach the desired destination.  For example, MMS
   application must use the correct IAP in order to reach the MMS
   Gateway, which typically is not accessible from the public Internet.
   As another example, an application might need to use the IAP
   associated with its corporate VPN in order to reach internal
   corporate servers.  Binding applications to IAPs avoids several
   problems, such as choosing the correct DNS server in the presence of
   split DNS (as an application will use the DNS server list from its
   bound IAP), and overlapping private IPv4 address spaces used for
   different interfaces (as each application will use the default routes
   from its bound IAP).

   If multiple applications utilize the same IAP, the underlying network



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   connection can typically be shared.  This is often the case when
   multiple Internet-using applications are running in parallel.

   The IAP for an application can be selected in multiple ways:

   o  Statically: e.g. from a configuration interface, via client
      provisioning/device management system, or at build-time.

   o  Manually by the user: e.g. each time an application starts the
      user may be asked to select the IAP to use.  This may be needed,
      for example, if a user sometimes wishes to access his corporate
      intranet and other times would prefer to access the Internet
      directly.

   o  Automatically by the system: after the destination network has
      been selected statically or dynamically.

   The static approach is fine for certain applications, like MMS, for
   which configuration can be provisioned by the network operator and
   does not change often.  Manual selection works, but may be seen as
   troublesome by the user.  An automatic selection mechanism needs to
   have some way of knowing which destination network the user, or an
   application, is trying access.

   S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2, introduces a concept of Service
   Network Access Points (SNAPs) that group together IAPs that lead to
   the same destination.  This enables static or manual selection of the
   destination network for an application and leaves the problem of
   selecting the best of the available IAPs within a SNAP to the
   operating system.

   When SNAPs are used, it it possibly for the operating system to
   notify applications when a preferred IAP, leading to the same
   destination, becomes available (for example, when a user comes within
   range of his home WLAN access point), or when the currently used IAP
   is no longer available and applications have to reconnect via another
   IAP (for example, when a user goes out of range of his home WLAN and
   must move to the cellular network).

   Please see the source documentation for more details and screenshots:
   [S60].

2.2.  Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

   A Connection Manager architecture is described in [WINDOWSMOBILE].
   This architecture centralizes and automates network connection
   establishment and management, and makes it possible to automatically
   select a connection, to dial-in automatically or by user initiation,



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   and to optimize connection and shared resource usage.  Connection
   Manager periodically re-evaluates the validity of the connection
   selection.  The Connection Manager uses various attributes such as
   cost, security, bandwidth, error rate, and latency in its decision
   making.

   The Connection Manager selects the best possible connection for the
   application based on the destination network the application wishes
   to reach.  The selection is made between available physical and
   virtual connections (e.g.  VPN, GPRS, WLAN, and wired Ethernet) that
   are known to provide connectivity to the destination network, and the
   selection is based on the costs associated with each connection.
   Different applications are bundled to use the same network connection
   when possible, but in conflict situations when a connection cannot be
   shared, higher priority applications take precedence, and the lower
   priority applications lose connectivity until the conflict situation
   clears.

   During operation, Connection Manager opens new connections as needed,
   and also disconnects unused or idle connections.

   To optimize resource use, such as battery power and bandwidth,
   Connection Manager enables applications to synchronize network
   connection usage by allowing applications to register their
   requirements for periodic connectivity.  An application is notified
   when a suitable connection becomes available for its use.

2.3.  BlackBerry

   In BlackBerry devices [BLACKBERRY] Java applications can use one of
   two wireless gateways to proxy the connection to the Internet or to a
   corporate network.  The application can be designed to always use the
   default Internet gateway, or to use a more preferred enterprise
   gateway when available.  The intent is to hide connectivity issues
   from users.

   DISCUSS: How does the Blackberry decide when a WLAN interface, a
   cellular interface or some other physical interface is used?

2.4.  Google Android

   The Android reference documentation describes the android.net package
   [ANDROID] and the ConnectivityManager class that applications can use
   to request a route to a specified destination address via a specified
   network interface (Mobile or Wifi).  Applications also ask Connection
   Manager for permission to start using a network feature.  The
   Connectivity Manager monitors changes in network connectivity and
   attempts to failover to another network if connectivity to an active



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   network is lost.  When there are changes in network connectivity,
   applications are notified.  Applications are also able to ask for
   information about all network interfaces, including their
   availability, type and other information.

   DISCUSS: Are applications bound to use one network type at a time, or
   can one application use multiple network features in parallel?

2.5.  Arena Connection Manager

   The Arena Connection Manager is described in
   [I-D.zhang-mif-connection-manager-arena] and
   [I-D.yang-mif-connection-manager-impl-req].

2.6.  Microsoft Windows

   The multi-interface functionality currently implemented in Microsoft
   Windows operation systems is described in
   [I-D.montenegro-mif-multihoming].

   Question: Is it possible to specify specific operating systems/
   versions to which this applies?

2.7.  Linux and BSD-based Operating Systems

   Most BSD and Linux distributions rely on their DHCP client to handle
   the configuration of interface-specific information (such as an IP
   address and netmask), and a set of system-wide configuration
   information, (such a DNS server list, an NTP server list and default
   routes).  Users of these operating systems have the choice of using
   any DHCP client available for their platform, with an operating
   system default.  This section discusses the behavior of several DHCP
   clients that may be used with Linux and BSD distributions.

   The Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) DHCP Client [ISCDHCP] and its
   derivative for OpenBSD [OPENBSDDHCLIENT] can be configured with
   specific instructions for each interface.  However, each time new
   configuration data is received by the host from a DHCP server,
   regardless of which interface it is received on, the DHCP client
   rewrites the global configuration data, such as the default routes
   and the DNS server list (in /etc/resolv.conf) with the most recent
   information received.  Therefore, the last configured interface
   always become the primary one.  The ISC DHCPv6 client behaves
   similarly.

   The Phystech dhcpcd client [PHYSTECHDHCPC] behaves similarly to the
   ISC client.  It replaces the DNS server list in /etc/resolv.conf and
   the default routes each time new DHCP information is received on any



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   interface.  However, the -R flag can be used to instruct the client
   to not replace the DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf.  However, this
   flag is a global flag for the DHCP server, and is therefore
   applicable to all interfaces.  When dhcpd is called with the -R flag,
   the DNS servers are never replaced.

   The pump client [PUMP] also behaves similarly to the ISC client.  It
   replaces the DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf and the default routes
   each time new DHCP information is received on any interface.
   However, the nodns and nogateway options can be specified on a per
   interface basis, enabling the user to define which interface should
   be used to obtain the global configuration information.

   The udhcp client [UDHCP] is often used in embedded platforms based on
   busybox.  The udhcp client behaves similarly to the ISC client.  It
   rewrites default routes and the DNS server list each time new DHCP
   information is received.

   Redhat-based distributions, such as Redhat, Centos and Fedora have a
   per-interface configuration option (PEERDNS) that indicates that the
   DNS server list should not be updated based on configuration received
   on that interface.

   The most configurable DHCP clients can be set to define a primary
   interface to use only that interface for the global configuration
   data.  However, this is limited, since a mobile host might not always
   have the same set of interfaces available.  Connection managers may
   help in this situation.

   Some distributions also have a connection manager.  However, most
   connection managers serve as a GUI to the DHCP client, therefore not
   changing the functionality described above .  TODO: Verify all
   connection managers.

   TODO: DHCPv6 clients

2.8.  Apple Mac OS X

   This section is based on testing Mac OS X (version 10.5.6).

   When using multiple interfaces on Mac OS X, global configuration data
   such as default routes and the DNS server list are taken from the
   DHCP data received on the primary interface.  Therefore, the order in
   which the interfaces receive their configuration data is not
   relevant.  For example, if the primary interface receives its
   configuration data first, then the second interface receives its
   configuration data, the interface-specific information for the second
   interface will be configured, but the global configuration



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   information such as the DNS server list and default routes is not
   overwritten.


3.  Common solutions

   Essentially all operating systems use the same types of information
   to make decisions about multiple-interface operation: user input,
   operator/administrator provided information, and what has been
   statically configured or hard-coded.  It is possible to design clever
   ways for tackling the problems related to multi-homing from the set
   of dynamically available information, vendor specific policies and
   design decisions.  However, limitations on available information also
   set limits on what different operating systems can theoretically
   achieve.

   This section describes what common solution approaches the analyzed
   operating systems are known to utilize.

3.1.  Centralized connection management

   It seems to be common practice to have a centralized connection
   manager entity, which does the network interface selection based on
   application input.  The information used by the connection manager
   may be programmed into an application, learned from the users, or
   provisioned.

   Routing tables are not typically used for network interface
   selection, as the criteria for network selection is not strictly IP-
   based but is also dependent on other properties of the interface
   (cost, type, etc.).  Furthermore, multiple overlapping private IPv4
   address spaces are often exposed to a multiple-interface host, making
   it difficult to make interface selection decisions based on prefix
   matching.

3.2.  Per application connection settings

   As each application has its particular connectivity needs,
   applications are able to request what kind of connectivity they need.


4.  Common problems

   The current solutions are limited by the information available.  This
   section discusses what types of information IETF-designed protocols
   could provide to allow implementations to improve functionality in
   multi-inteface scenarios.




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   Please also see MIF problem statement document
   [I-D.blanchet-mif-problem-statement].

   DISCUSS: is this section 4 required in this document, or should we
   fully leave the problem descriptions to problem statement, or have
   here some general problems, and in problem-statement more detailed
   problems?

4.1.  Selection of an interface providing access to a destination

   As different network interfaces may provide connectivity to different
   destination networks, a host needs to be able to choose a correct
   network interface (or a set of interfaces, if the application can use
   multiple interfaces in parallel) to allow the application or IP flow
   to reach the intended destination.

4.2.  Prioritization of interfaces for the same destination

   As several interfaces may lead to the same destination network, a
   host has to choose which one to use.  It may be that if one network
   has connectivity limitations, such as firewalls or NATs, and the
   other network does not, it may be preferable to use the interface to
   the less restricted network.  This is not always the case, e.g. if
   access to the restricted network is faster or cheaper, it might be
   desirable to use that interface, if it can support the application
   and reach the desired destination.  Could the network somehow
   indicate what limitations it is imposing, or could there be new
   technologies that would help to determine the connectivity properties
   of a network?

   Improved source/destination address selection (underway in the 6man
   address selection design team), more specific routes (RFC4191), or
   other (TBD) technologies may be helpful in this area.

4.3.  Enablers for application multihoming

   When applications are bound to use single network interface at a
   time, they are unable to benefit from technologies developed for
   multihoming purposes.  Therefore technologies that help to free
   applications from being bound into a single network interface would
   be useful.  Essentially this means advanced ways to ensure that
   applications use the right network interface, and that applications
   do not accidentally use interfaces that will not support the
   application or provide connetivity to the destination.  Can
   improvements be designed for IPv4 in spite of overlapping private
   IPv4 address spaces, or only for IPv6?





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5.  Acknowledgements

   Authors of the document would like to thank following people for
   their input and feedback: Hui Deng, Jari Arkko.

   This document was prepared using xml2rfc template and related web-
   tool.


6.  IANA Considerations

   This memo includes no request to IANA.


7.  Security Considerations

   This draft describes current multiple-interface host implementations
   on some common operating systems without any focus on security
   considerations.


8.  Change Log

   The following changes were made between versions -00 and -01:

   o  Number of authors passed five, so moved to Contributors section.

   o  Added information on Microsoft Windows.

   o  Added information on Arena Connection Manager.


9.  Contributors

   The following people contributed most of the information found in
   this document:

   o  Marc Blanchet, Viagenie

   o  Hua Chen, Leadcoretech, Ltd.

   o  Shunan Fan, Huawei Technology

   o  Gabriel Montenegro, Microsoft Corporation

   o  Teemu Savolainen, Nokia





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   o  Shyam Seshadri, Microsoft Corporation

   o  Tao Sun, China Mobile

   o  Dave Thaler, Microsoft Corporation

   o  Jian Yang, Huawei Technology

   o  Yan Zhang, Leadcoretech Ltd.


10.  References

10.1.  Normative References

   [I-D.blanchet-mif-problem-statement]
              Blanchet, M., "Multiple Interfaces Problem Statement",
              draft-blanchet-mif-problem-statement-00 (work in
              progress), December 2008.

10.2.  Informative References

   [ANDROID]  Google Inc., "Android developers: package android.net",
              2009, <http://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/
              ConnectivityManager.html>.

   [BLACKBERRY]
              Research In Motion Limited, "BlackBerry Java Development
              Environment - Fundamentals Guide: Wireless gateways",
              2009, <http://na.blackberry.com/eng/deliverables/5827/
              Wireless_gateways_447132_11.jsp>.

   [I-D.montenegro-mif-multihoming]
              Montenegro, G., Thaler, D., and S. Seshadri, "Multiple
              Interfaces on Windows",
              draft-montenegro-mif-multihoming-00 (work in progress),
              March 2009.

   [I-D.yang-mif-connection-manager-impl-req]
              Yang, J., Sun, T., and S. Fan, "Multi-interface Connection
              Manager Implementation and Requirements",
              draft-yang-mif-connection-manager-impl-req-00 (work in
              progress), March 2009.

   [I-D.zhang-mif-connection-manager-arena]
              Zhang, Y., Sun, T., and H. Chen, "Multi-interface Network
              Connection Manager in Arena Platform",
              draft-zhang-mif-connection-manager-arena-00 (work in



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              progress), February 2009.

   [ISCDHCP]  Internet Software Consortium, "ISC DHCP", 2009,
              <http://www.isc.org/software/dhcp>.

   [OPENBSDDHCLIENT]
              OpenBSD, "OpenBSD dhclient", 2009,
              <http://www.openbsd.org/>.

   [PHYSTECHDHCPC]
              Phystech, "dhcpcd", 2009,
              <http://www.phystech.com/download/dhcpcd.html>.

   [PUMP]     RedHat, "PUMP", 2009, <http://redhat.com>.

   [S60]      Nokia Corporation, "S60 Platform: IP Bearer Management",
              2007, <http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/
              190358c8-7cb1-4be3-9321-f9d6788ecae5/
              S60_Platform_IP_Bearer_Management_v1_0_en.pdf.html>.

   [UDHCP]    Busybox, "uDHCP", 2009, <http://sources.busybox.net/
              index.py/trunk/busybox/networking/udhcp/>.

   [WINDOWSMOBILE]
              Microsoft Corporation, "SDK Documentation for Windows
              Mobile-Based Smartphones: Connection Manager", 2005,
              <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa457829.aspx>.


Author's Address

   Margaret Wasserman (editor)
   Sandstorm Enterprises
   14 Summer Street
   Malden, MA  02148
   USA

   Phone: +1 781 333 3200
   Email: mrw@lilacglade.org
   URI:   http://www.sandstorm.net











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