A Framework for Packet Selection and Reporting
RFC 5474

• Status
• IESG evaluation record
• IESG writeups
• Email expansions
• History

• Versions
• 13

Network Working Group                                   N. Duffield, Ed.
Request for Comments: 5474                          AT&T Labs - Research
Category: Informational                                         D. Chiou
                                                     University of Texas
                                                               B. Claise
                                                     Cisco Systems, Inc.
                                                            A. Greenberg
                                                               Microsoft
                                                         M. Grossglauser
                                                            EPFL & Nokia
                                                              J. Rexford
                                                    Princeton University
                                                              March 2009

            A Framework for Packet Selection and Reporting

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) 2009 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents in effect on the date of
   publication of this document (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.

   This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF
   Contributions published or made publicly available before November
   10, 2008.  The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this
   material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow
   modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process.
   Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling
   the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified
   outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may
   not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format
   it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other
   than English.

Duffield, et al.             Informational                      [Page 1]
RFC 5474             Packet Selection and Reporting           March 2009

Abstract

   This document specifies a framework for the PSAMP (Packet SAMPling)
   protocol.  The functions of this protocol are to select packets from
   a stream according to a set of standardized Selectors, to form a
   stream of reports on the selected packets, and to export the reports
   to a Collector.  This framework details the components of this
   architecture, then describes some generic requirements, motivated by
   the dual aims of ubiquitous deployment and utility of the reports for
   applications.  Detailed requirements for selection, reporting, and
   exporting are described, along with configuration requirements of the
   PSAMP functions.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................4
   2. PSAMP Documents Overview ........................................4
   3. Elements, Terminology, and High-Level Architecture ..............5
      3.1. High-Level Description of the PSAMP Architecture ...........5
      3.2. Observation Points, Packet Streams, and Packet Content .....5
      3.3. Selection Process ..........................................6
      3.4. Reporting ..................................................7
      3.5. Metering Process ...........................................8
      3.6. Exporting Process ..........................................8
      3.7. PSAMP Device ...............................................9
      3.8. Collector ..................................................9
      3.9. Possible Configurations ....................................9
   4. Generic Requirements for PSAMP .................................11
      4.1. Generic Selection Process Requirements ....................11
      4.2. Generic Reporting Requirements ............................12
      4.3. Generic Exporting Process Requirements ....................12
      4.4. Generic Configuration Requirements ........................13
   5. Packet Selection ...............................................13
      5.1. Two Types of Selectors ....................................13
      5.2. PSAMP Packet Selectors ....................................14
      5.3. Selection Fraction Terminology ............................17
      5.4. Input Sequence Numbers for Primitive Selectors ............18
      5.5. Composite Selectors .......................................19
      5.6. Constraints on the Selection Fraction .....................19
   6. Reporting ......................................................19