Reporting IP Network Performance Metrics: Different Points of View
RFC 6703

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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                         A. Morton
Request for Comments: 6703                               G. Ramachandran
Category: Informational                                      G. Maguluri
ISSN: 2070-1721                                                AT&T Labs
                                                             August 2012

   Reporting IP Network Performance Metrics: Different Points of View

Abstract

   Consumers of IP network performance metrics have many different uses
   in mind.  This memo provides "long-term" reporting considerations
   (e.g., hours, days, weeks, or months, as opposed to 10 seconds),
   based on analysis of the points of view of two key audiences.  It
   describes how these audience categories affect the selection of
   metric parameters and options when seeking information that serves
   their needs.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents
   approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6703.

Morton, et al.                Informational                     [Page 1]
RFC 6703                    Reporting Metrics                August 2012

Copyright Notice

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   document authors.  All rights reserved.

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   it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other
   than English.

Morton, et al.                Informational                     [Page 2]
RFC 6703                    Reporting Metrics                August 2012

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................4
   2. Purpose and Scope ...............................................4
   3. Reporting Results ...............................................5
      3.1. Overview of Metric Statistics ..............................5
      3.2. Long-Term Reporting Considerations .........................6
   4. Effect of POV on the Loss Metric ................................8
      4.1. Loss Threshold .............................................8
           4.1.1. Network Characterization ............................8
           4.1.2. Application Performance ............................11
      4.2. Errored Packet Designation ................................11
      4.3. Causes of Lost Packets ....................................11
      4.4. Summary for Loss ..........................................12
   5. Effect of POV on the Delay Metric ..............................12
      5.1. Treatment of Lost Packets .................................12
           5.1.1. Application Performance ............................13
           5.1.2. Network Characterization ...........................13
           5.1.3. Delay Variation ....................................14
           5.1.4. Reordering .........................................15
      5.2. Preferred Statistics ......................................15
      5.3. Summary for Delay .........................................16
   6. Reporting Raw Capacity Metrics .................................16
      6.1. Type-P Parameter ..........................................17
      6.2. A priori Factors ..........................................17