Middlebox Communications (midcom) Protocol Requirements
RFC 3304
| Document | Type | RFC - Informational (August 2002; Errata) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Richard Swale , Melinda Shore , Scott Brim , Philip Mart , Paul Sijben | ||
| Last updated | 2020-01-21 | ||
| Stream | IETF | ||
| Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized with errata bibtex | ||
| Stream | WG state | (None) | |
| Document shepherd | No shepherd assigned | ||
| IESG | IESG state | RFC 3304 (Informational) | |
| Action Holders |
(None)
|
||
| Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
| Telechat date | |||
| Responsible AD | Scott Bradner | ||
| IESG note | Responsible: RFC Editor | ||
| Send notices to | (None) | ||
Network Working Group R. P. Swale
Request for Comments: 3304 BTexact Technologies
Category: Informational P. A. Mart
Marconi Communications
P. Sijben
Lucent Technologies
S. Brim
M. Shore
Cisco Systems
August 2002
Middlebox Communications (midcom) Protocol Requirements
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2002). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
This document specifies the requirements that the Middlebox
Communication (midcom) protocol must satisfy in order to meet the
needs of applications wishing to influence the middlebox function.
These requirements were developed with a specific focus on network
address translation and firewall middleboxes.
1. Introduction
This document is one of two developed by the Middlebox Communication
(midcom) working group to address the requirements and framework for
a protocol between middleboxes and "midcom agents." This document
presents midcom requirements; [MCFW] presents the context and
framework. [MCFW] also presents terminology and definitions and
should be read in tandem with this one.
These requirements were developed by examining the midcom framework
and extracting requirements, both explicit and implicit, that
appeared there.
Swale, et al. Informational [Page 1]
RFC 3304 Midcom Requirements August 2002
2. Requirements
Each requirement is presented as a statement, followed by brief
explanatory material as appropriate. Terminology is defined in
[MCFW]. There may be overlap between requirements.
2.1. Protocol machinery
2.1.1.
The Midcom protocol must enable a Midcom agent requiring the services
of a middlebox to establish an authorized association between itself
and the middlebox.
This states that the protocol must allow the middlebox to identify an
agent requesting services and make a determination as to whether or
not the agent will be permitted to do so.
2.1.2.
The Midcom protocol must allow a Midcom agent to communicate with
more than one middlebox simultaneously.
In any but the most simple network, an agent is likely to want to
influence the behavior of more than one middlebox. The protocol
design must not preclude the ability to do this.
2.1.3.
The Midcom protocol must allow a middlebox to communicate with more
than one Midcom agent simultaneously.
There may be multiple instances of a single application or multiple
applications desiring service from a single middlebox, and different
agents may represent them. The protocol design must not preclude the
ability to do so.
2.1.4.
Where a multiplicity of Midcom Agents are interacting with a given
middlebox, the Midcom protocol must provide mechanisms ensuring that
the overall behavior is deterministic.
This states that the protocol must include mechanisms for avoiding
race conditions or other situations in which the requests of one
agent may influence the results of the requests of other agents in an
unpredictable manner.
Swale, et al. Informational [Page 2]
RFC 3304 Midcom Requirements August 2002
2.1.5.
The Midcom protocol must enable the middlebox and any associated
Midcom agents to establish a known and stable state. This must
include the case of power failure, or other failure, where the
protocol must ensure that any resources used by a failed element can
be released.
This states that the protocol must provide clear identification for
requests and results and that protocol operations must be atomic with
respect to the midcom protocol.
2.1.6.
The middlebox must be able to report its status to a Midcom agent
with which it is associated.
2.1.7.
The protocol must support unsolicited messages from middlebox to
agent, for reporting conditions detected asynchronously at the
middlebox.
It may be the case that exceptional conditions or other events at the
middlebox (resource shortages, intrusion mitigation) will cause the
middlebox to close pinholes or release resources without consulting
the associated Midcom agent. In that event, the protocol must allow
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