Management of Networks with Constrained Devices: Problem Statement and Requirements
RFC 7547

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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                     M. Ersue, Ed.
Request for Comments: 7547                                Nokia Networks
Category: Informational                                     D. Romascanu
ISSN: 2070-1721                                                    Avaya
                                                        J. Schoenwaelder
                                                Jacobs University Bremen
                                                              U. Herberg
                                                                May 2015

            Management of Networks with Constrained Devices:
                   Problem Statement and Requirements

Abstract

   This document provides a problem statement, deployment and management
   topology options, as well as requirements addressing the different
   use cases of the management of networks where constrained devices are
   involved.

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/rfc7547.

Ersue, et al.                 Informational                     [Page 1]
RFC 7547       Constrained Mgmt. Problem Statement & Reqs.      May 2015

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2015 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
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................3
      1.1. Overview ...................................................3
      1.2. Terminology ................................................4
      1.3. Network Types and Characteristics in Focus .................5
      1.4. Constrained Device Deployment Options ......................9
      1.5. Management Topology Options ...............................10
      1.6. Managing the Constrainedness of a Device or Network .......10
      1.7. Configuration and Monitoring Functionality Levels .........13
   2. Problem Statement ..............................................14
   3. Requirements on the Management of Networks with
      Constrained Devices ............................................16
      3.1. Management Architecture/System ............................18
      3.2. Management Protocols and Data Models ......................22
      3.3. Configuration Management ..................................25
      3.4. Monitoring Functionality ..................................27
      3.5. Self-Management ...........................................32
      3.6. Security and Access Control ...............................33
      3.7. Energy Management .........................................35
      3.8. Software Distribution .....................................37
      3.9. Traffic Management ........................................37
      3.10. Transport Layer ..........................................39
      3.11. Implementation Requirements ..............................40
   4. Security Considerations ........................................41
   5. Informative References .........................................42
   Acknowledgments ...................................................44
   Authors' Addresses ................................................44

Ersue, et al.                 Informational                     [Page 2]
RFC 7547       Constrained Mgmt. Problem Statement & Reqs.      May 2015

1.  Introduction

1.1.  Overview

   Constrained devices (also known as sensors, smart objects, or smart
   devices) with limited CPU, memory, and power resources can be
   connected to a network.  It might be based on unreliable or lossy
   channels, it may use wireless technologies with limited bandwidth and
   a dynamic topology, or it may need the service of a gateway or proxy
   to connect to the Internet.  In other scenarios, the constrained