Rate Measurement Test Protocol Problem Statement and Requirements
RFC 7497
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) A. Morton
Request for Comments: 7497 AT&T Labs
Category: Informational April 2015
ISSN: 2070-1721
Rate Measurement Test Protocol Problem Statement and Requirements
Abstract
This memo presents a problem statement for access rate measurement
for test protocols to measure IP Performance Metrics (IPPM). Key
rate measurement test protocol aspects include the ability to control
packet characteristics on the tested path, such as asymmetric rate
and asymmetric packet size.
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/rfc7497.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2015 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
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Morton Informational [Page 1]
RFC 7497 Rate Problem Statement April 2015
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1. Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. Active Rate Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4. Measurement Method Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5. Test Protocol Control and Generation Requirements . . . . . . 9
6. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7. Operational Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
8.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
8.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1. Introduction
There are many possible rate measurement scenarios. This memo
describes one rate measurement problem and presents a rate
measurement problem statement for test protocols to measure IP
Performance Metrics (IPPM).
When selecting a form of access to the Internet, subscribers are
interested in the performance characteristics of the various
alternatives. Standardized measurements can be a basis for
comparison between these alternatives. There is an underlying need
to coordinate measurements that support such comparisons and to test
control protocols to fulfill this need. The figure below depicts
some typical measurement points of access networks.
User /====== Fiber ======= Access Node \
Device -|------ Copper ------- Access Node -|-- Infrastructure -- GW
or Host \------ Radio ------- Access Node /
GW = Gateway
The access rate scenario or use case has received widespread
attention of Internet-access subscribers and seemingly all Internet-
industry players, including regulators. This problem is being
approached with many different measurement methods. The eventual
protocol solutions to this problem (and the systems that utilize the
protocol) may not directly involve users, such as when tests reach
from the infrastructure to a service-specific device, such as a
residential gateway. However, no aspect of the problem precludes
users from developing a test protocol controlled via command line
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RFC 7497 Rate Problem Statement April 2015
interfaces on both ends. Thus, a very wide range of test protocols,
active measurement methods, and system solutions are the possible
outcomes of this problem statement.
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