Network Working Group                                            S. Shah
Internet-Draft                                                P. Thubert
Intended status: Informational                             Cisco Systems
Expires: March 2, 2016                                   August 30, 2015


                      Deterministic Forwarding PHB
             draft-svshah-tsvwg-deterministic-forwarding-04

Abstract

   This document defines a Differentiated Services Per-Hop-Behavior
   (PHB) Group called Deterministic Forwarding (DF).  The document
   describes the purpose and semantics of this PHB.  It also describes
   creation and forwarding treatment of the service class.  The document
   also describes how the code-point can be mapped into one of the
   aggregated Diffserv service classes [RFC5127].

Status of This Memo

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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
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  DF Per Hop Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  Traffic Conditioning  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   5.  Diffserv behavior through non-DF DS domain  . . . . . . . . .   4
   6.  Potential implementation of DF scheduling . . . . . . . . . .   5
   7.  Updates to RFC4594 and RFC5127  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   8.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   9.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   10. Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   11. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     11.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     11.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8

1.  Introduction

   There is a demand to provide deterministic forwarding to certain type
   of traffic in machine to machine networks over IP.  With an
   introduction of machine to machine networks over IP, a new set of IP
   applications are emerging.  Traffic types from such applications/
   networks are some-what different from the traditional traffic types.
   Though most traffic types have characteristics similar to that of
   traditional ones [LLN-DIFF], certain control signals for some of the
   applications are extremely sensitive to latency and jitter and thus
   timely scheduled delivery.  End to end deterministic path for such
   traffic may be through one or more administered inter-connected
   machine to machine networks.

   Deterministic Forwarding (DF) PHB group is a means for each node in
   machine to machine networks, in an end to end path, to deliver



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   required deterministic behavior.  DF class in each DS node is
   allocated with a scheduled transmission time.  DS node may be
   allocated one scheduled time for the whole aggregate DF traffic, or
   may be allocated with different schedule time for each micro-flow or
   set of micro-flows in a DF class.  IP packets that wish to use
   deterministic service are assigned DF code-point, typically at the
   originator of such traffic.

   In a DS node, the level of forwarding determinism of an IP packet
   depends on scheduled time, at which packet then serviced independent
   of existence and load of any other type of traffic.  For example when
   a DF packet arrives at the DS node, it is queued until its
   provisioned scheduled time of service.  At the trigger of that
   scheduled time, service to all other traffic is pre-empted to service
   DF traffic.

   This document describes the DF PHB group.  DF capability is not a
   required function for a DS-compliant node, but a DS-compliant node
   that implements DF PHB group MUST conform to the specification in
   this document.

   Typically for an application where end to end deterministic service
   is important, relevant traffic can be serviced through DF PHB at
   every hop in the path.  However, in cases where intermediate hops (or
   DS domains) either do not support DF PHB or supports only aggregated
   service classes described in RFC5127, DF traffic in those DS domains
   MUST be mapped to Real Time Treatment class (EF PHB) defined in
   RFC5127.  Traffic in such scenario MUST be conditioned at the Edge
   before entering and after exiting such DS domains.  This is described
   further in later section.

2.  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.

3.  DF Per Hop Behavior

   The DF PHB is to implement deterministic scheduled, deterministic in
   terms of a time, forwarding treatment.  DF traffic MUST be serviced
   in a manner to meet configurable scheduled time.  A DS node may pre-
   allocate dedicated resources available at configured scheduled time
   for optionally configurable maximum size of data.  Every conforming
   packet, belonging to DF class, gets deterministic service
   irrespective of traffic in other Diffserv class and current load on
   the system.  A DS node MAY allow though its dedicated scheduled




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   resources available to other Differentiated service classes when DF
   class does not have any packets to serve during its service time.

   A DS node MAY be configured with the same parameters for the entire
   DF traffic class or different parameters for each micro-flow in a DF
   class.  For the later case, DF traffic MUST be serviced in a manner
   to meet scheduled service time for each individual micro-flow.  Per-
   flow DF parameters may be provisioned dynamically thru a signaling
   protocol.  Use of any signaling protocol is agnostic to the DF PHB
   and thus out of scope of this specification [An example of such
   signaling protocol referred in 6TisCH].  What signaling protocol
   requires to convey, at minimum to each DS node in the end to end
   path, is request for DF service along with the flow classification
   and associated DF parameters, parameters like intended time of a
   service and size of data to be transmitted during time of service.
   In a packet path, packet first is classified if it belongs to DF PHB.
   Once classified for DF PHB, it gets deterministic treatment if
   provisioned for per-flow DF parameters or else gets aggregate DF
   treatment.

4.  Traffic Conditioning

   A DF supported DS Domain MAY condition traffic at the ingress Edge of
   the domain.  Traffic conditioning MUST discard any incoming packet
   that does not conform to the configured DF service.  As per PHB
   definition, packets are required to be scheduled and delivered at a
   precise absolute or relative time interval.  Any packet that has
   missed the window of its service time MUST be discarded.  For example
   if a DF queue is provisioned to serve a packet with less than x ms of
   jitter and for an arrived packet, if next scheduled time for a packet
   results in more than x ms of jitter then such packet MUST be
   discarded.  The packet MUST also be checked against the size of the
   data.  If size of the packet is bigger than max size of the data a
   scheduled time is provisioned to service then such packet MUST be
   discarded.  In addition to DS node at the ingress Edge of the domain,
   other DS nodes in the path MAY implement Traffic Conditioning.

5.  Diffserv behavior through non-DF DS domain

   In deployments if two DF domains are connected through a domain that
   does not support DF PHB, traffic from such intermediate domain MUST
   be forwarded with low latency.  DF traffic at the egress Edge of the
   sender DF domain MUST be mapped to EF PHB aggregate service, defined
   as Real Time Service aggregation in RFC5127.  Such traffic when
   entered in the receiving DF domain MUST be conditioned, as described
   in earlier section, at the ingress Edge of that receiving domain.





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6.  Potential implementation of DF scheduling

   Following are examples of potential implementations.  They are not
   any form of guidelines or recommendations but simply a reference to
   potential implementations.

    There are at least two ways to implement scheduling for DF traffic
    class.

    1) One queue to buffer and schedule all DF traffic (from all flows),

    2) Multiple sub-queues for DF traffic class, one queue for each DF
       provisioned flow



   Any chosen DF scheduling implementation MUST run traffic conditioning
   at enqueue to decide if packets to be enqueued or discarded.
   Discussed more in later section.

      1) Single queue to buffer all DF traffic

   This single queue maintains, possibly a circular, indexed buffer
   list.  Each index logically maps to each scheduled time service.  If
   conditioning results in not to discard a packet, packet gets en-
   queued at a relevant index in the buffer list that maps to a relevant
   scheduled time slot.  If there is no packet(s) received for a
   specific scheduled time service then buffer index for that scheduled
   service remains empty.  This also means that during dequeue, at a
   schedule time service, an empty index results in no dequeued packets
   from the DF queue and thus nothing to be transmitted from the DF
   queue at that point in time.  Queuing system may de-queue packets
   from non-DF queues when an index in DF buffer list found to be an
   empty during a specific scheduled time service.

















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                                              .
                                              |`.
       EF (Low latency) ----------------||---->  `.
                                       High   |    `.
                    .                         |      `.
       rate queues  |`.                       |        `.
       AF1 ----||--->  `.                     |          `.
                    |    `.                   |            `.
       AF3 ----||--->      '------------------>              '------>
                    |     .'            Low   |            .'
       BE  ----||--->   .'                    |          .'
                    | .'                      |        .'
                    .'                        |      .'
                                 Deterministic|    .'
       DF               ----------------||---->  .'
    (scheduled time/interrupt driven de-queue)|.'




      2) multiple queues to buffer each DF traffic flows

   If conditioning results in not to discard a packet, packet gets
   enqueued in the relevant DF queue designated for that flow.  At a
   scheduled time slot, scheduler dequeues a packet from the respective
   queue for that flow.  Every scheduled time service interrupt is
   mapped to a flow specific DF queue to dequeue a packet from.


                                              .
                                              |`.
       EF (Low latency) ----------------||---->  `.
                                       High   |    `.
                    .                         |      `.
       rate queues  |`.                       |        `.
       AF1 ----||--->  `.                     |          `.
                    |    `.                   |            `.
       AF3 ----||--->      '------------------>              '------>
                    |     .'            Low   |            .'
       BE  ----||--->   .'                    |          .'
                    | .'                      |        .'
                    .'                        |      .'
       (DF queues)               Deterministic|    .'
       DF (at interval 1, 6, 11 ..) ----||---->  .'
       DF (at interval 3, 8, 13 ..) ----||---->.'
    (scheduled time/interrupt driven de-queue)|





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7.  Updates to RFC4594 and RFC5127

   This specification updates RFC4594 with an addition of a new Diffserv
   Class.  It also updates RFC5127 to aggregate DF class of traffic to
   Real Time Aggregation Class.

8.  IANA Considerations

   This document defines a new DSCP code-point DF.  IANA maintains the
   list of existing DSCPs.  Proposal is to allocate a new one for the DF
   code-point.

9.  Security Considerations

   There is no security considerations required besides ones already
   understood in the context of Differentiated services architecture

10.  Acknowledgements

   Fred Baker, Norm Finn, David Black, Brian Carpenter for their
   comments and feed-back.

11.  References

11.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2474]  Nichols, K., Blake, S., Baker, F., and D. Black,
              "Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS
              Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers", RFC 2474,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2474, December 1998,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2474>.

   [RFC2475]  Blake, S., Black, D., Carlson, M., Davies, E., Wang, Z.,
              and W. Weiss, "An Architecture for Differentiated
              Services", RFC 2475, DOI 10.17487/RFC2475, December 1998,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2475>.

   [RFC2598]  Jacobson, V., Nichols, K., and K. Poduri, "An Expedited
              Forwarding PHB", RFC 2598, DOI 10.17487/RFC2598, June
              1999, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2598>.

   [RFC4594]  Babiarz, J., Chan, K., and F. Baker, "Configuration
              Guidelines for DiffServ Service Classes", RFC 4594,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC4594, August 2006,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4594>.






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   [RFC5127]  Chan, K., Babiarz, J., and F. Baker, "Aggregation of
              Diffserv Service Classes", RFC 5127, DOI 10.17487/RFC5127,
              February 2008, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5127>.

11.2.  Informative References

   [TiSCH]    Thubert, P., Watteyne, T., and R. Assimiti, "An
              Architecture for IPv6 over the TSCH mode of IEEE
              802.15.4e, I-D.draft-ietf-6tisch-architecture", Nov 2013.

   [LLN-DIFF]
              Shah, S. and P. Thubert, "Differentiated Service Class
              Recommendations for LLN Traffic, I-D.draft-svshah-tsvwg-
              lln-diffserv-recommendations", Aug 2013.

Authors' Addresses

   Shitanshu Shah
   Cisco Systems
   170 W. Tasman Drive
   San Jose, CA  95134
   US

   Email: svshah@cisco.com


   Pascal Thubert
   Cisco Systems
   Village d'Entreprises Green Side
   400, Avenue de Roumanille
   Batiment T3
   Biot - Sophia Antipolis  06410
   FRANCE

   Email: pthubert@cisco.com
















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