Skip to main content

Concluded WG IP Flow Information Export (ipfix)

Note: The data for concluded WGs is occasionally incorrect.

WG Name IP Flow Information Export
Acronym ipfix
Area Operations and Management Area (ops)
State Concluded
Charter charter-ietf-ipfix-07 Approved
Document dependencies
Additional resources Issue tracker, Wiki
Personnel Chairs Juergen Quittek, Nevil Brownlee
Area Director Benoît Claise
Mailing list Address ipfix@ietf.org
To subscribe http://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ipfix
Archive https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/ipfix

Final Charter for Working Group

The IPFIX working group has specified the information model (to describe
IP flows) and the IPFIX protocol (to transfer IP flow data from IPFIX
exporters to collectors). Several implementers have already built
applications using the IPFIX protocol. As a result of a series of IPFIX
interoperability testing events the WG has produced guidelines for IPFIX
implementation and testing as well as recommendations for handling
special cases such as bidirectional flow reporting and reducing
redundancy in flow records.

The IPFIX WG has developed a mediation framework, that defines IPFIX
mediators for processing flow records for various purposes including
aggregation, anonymization, etc. For configuring IPFIX devices, a YANG
module has been developed.

  1. Having a solid standardized base for IPFIX deployment and operation
    and several existing implementations, the IPFIX WG will revisit the
    IPFIX protocol specifications (RFC 5101) and the IPFIX information
    element specification (RFC 5102) in order to in order to advance them to
    the next stage on the standards track.

All following items 2.-7. will be in line with the revised versions of
the IPFIX protocol specifications and the IPFIX information model.

  1. In order to provide guidelines to developers and reviewers (including
    IE doctors) of new IPFIX information elements and for better defining
    the process of registering new information elements at IANA the IPFIX WG
    will create an information element developers and reviewers guideline
    document.

  2. The export of IPFIX flow records from IPFIX mediators introduces a
    set of potential issues at the protocol level, such as the loss of
    information on the original exporter, loss of base time information,
    loss of original options template information, etc. The IPFIX WG will
    define a set of specifications for applying the IPFIX protocol at
    mediators, including new specifications for protocol issues not
    envisioned by the IPFIX protocol itself.

4.In order to support the aggregation of flow records at IPFIX mediators
the IPFIX WG will define how to export aggregated flow information using
IPFIX. An aggregated flow is essentially an IPFIX flow representing
packets from multiple original Flows sharing some set of common
properties.

  1. The IPFIX WG will investigate the use of the IPFIX protocol for
    exporting MIB objects, avoiding the need to define new IPFIX information
    elements for existing management information base objects that are
    already fully specified. This method requires the specification of new
    template set and options template sets to allow the export of MIB
    objects along with IPFIX information elements.

  2. The IPFIX MIB module (RFC 5815) defined a way to register packet
    selector functions at IANA. The WG agreed that another method would be
    preferable that requires a minor change of RFC 5815. The IPFIX WG will
    produce a new version of RFC 5815 with small modifications of the IANA
    actions and DESCRIPTION clauses in the MIB modules.

  3. Operational experiences showed that it would be useful to define
    several new information elements for data link monitoring covering frame
    size, type, sections of frames, and VLAN information. The IPFIX WG will
    create a document defining these new information elements.

Milestones

Date Milestone Associated documents
Apr 2013 Submit export of MIB objects for publication as Standards track RFC

Done milestones

Date Milestone Associated documents
Done Submit revised RFC 5102 for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit IPFIX use at mediators for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit revised RFC 5101 for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit data link IEs for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit intermediate aggregation for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit guidelines for IE developers and reviewers for publication as Informational BCP RFC
Done Submit revised IPFIX MIB for publications as Standards track RFC
Done Publish Internet-Draft revising RFC 5101
Done Submit flow selection I-D to IESG for publication as Standards Track RFC
Done Publish Internet-Draft revising RFC 5102
Done Publish Internet-Draft on guidelines for IE developers and Reviewers
Done Publish Internet-Draft on revised IPFIX MIB
Done Publish Internet-Draft on data link IEs
Done Publish Internet-Draft on exporting MIB objects
Done Publish Internet-Draft on intermediate aggregation
Done Publish Internet-Draft on IPFIX use at mediators
Done Submit structuring information elements I-D to IESG for publication as Standards Track RFC
Done Submit anonymization support I-D to IESG for publication as Experimental RFC
Done Submit final version of PSAMP MIB module
Done Submit Mediation Framework I-D to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit Configuration Data Model draft to IESG for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit Mediation Problem Statement I-D to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit initial draft on structuring information elements
Done Submit initial draft on flow selection
Done Submit initial draft on anonymization support
Done Submit Single SCTP Stream draft to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit Type Export draft to IESG for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Submit IPFIX MIB draft to IESG for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Publish Internet draft on IPFIX Mediation Problem Statement
Done Submit File Format draft to IESG for publication as Standards track RFC
Done Publish Internet draft on IPFIX Type Information Export
Done Publish Internet draft on Single SCTP Stream Reporting
Done Publish Internet draft on IPFIX File Format
Done Publish Internet draft on IPFIX Configuration Data Model
Done Submit IPFIX Biflows draft to IESG for publication as Standards Track RFC
Done Submit IPFIX Implementation Guidelines draft to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit IPFIX Reducing Redundancy draft to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit IPFIX Testing draft to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX Implementation Guidelines
Done Publish Internet Draft on Handling IPFIX Bidirectional Flows
Done Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX MIB
Done Publish Internet Draft on Reducing Redundancy in IPFIX data transfer
Done Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX Testing
Done Submit IPFX-ARCHITECTURE to IESG for publication as Proposed Standard RFC
Done Submit IPFX-PROTOCOL to IESG for publication as Proposed Standard RFC
Done Submit IPFX-APPLICABILITY to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit IPFX-INFO_MODEL to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit IPFIX Protocol Evaluation Report to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Submit IPFX-REQUIREMENTS to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
Done Select IPFIX protocol, revise Architecture and Data Model drafts
Done Submit Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Applicability Statement
Done Submit Internet-Draft on IPFIX Protocol Evaluation Report
Done Submit Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Architecture
Done Submit Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Data Model
Done Submit Revised Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Requirements