IP Performance Metrics (ippm)

Last Modified: 2008-08-21

Additional information is available at tools.ietf.org/wg/ippm

Chair(s):

  • Matthew Zekauskas <matt@internet2.edu>

  • Henk Uijterwaal <henk@ripe.net>

    Transport Area Director(s):

  • Magnus Westerlund <magnus.westerlund@ericsson.com>
  • Lars Eggert <lars.eggert@nokia.com>

    Transport Area Advisor:

  • Lars Eggert <lars.eggert@nokia.com>

    Technical Advisor(s):

  • Andy Bierman <ietf@andybierman.com>

    Mailing Lists:

    General Discussion: ippm@ietf.org
    To Subscribe: https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ippm
    In Body: subscribe
    Archive: http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/ippm/index.html

    Description of Working Group:

    Note: Andy Bierman serves as MIB advisor.

    The IPPM WG will develop a set of standard metrics that can be applied
    to the quality, performance, and reliability of Internet data delivery
    services. These metrics will be designed such that they can be
    performed by network operators, end users, or independent testing
    groups. It is important that the metrics not represent a value
    judgment (i.e. define "good" and "bad"), but rather provide unbiased
    quantitative measures of performance.

    Functions peripheral to Internet data delivery services, such as
    NOC/NIC services, are beyond the scope of this working group.

    The IPPM WG will produce documents that define specific metrics and
    procedures for accurately measuring and documenting these metrics.
    The metrics are:

      - connectivity

      - one-way delay and loss

      - round-trip delay and loss

      - delay variation

      - loss patterns

      - packet reordering

      - bulk transport capacity

      - link bandwidth capacity

    This is the cumulative set, including the metricsalready completed
    and published.

    The working group will closely review and then be guided by an
    IESG document on how metrics advance along the standards track within
    the IETF.  This document will also be relevant to the work of the
    benchmarking working group (BMWG).  The first draft of this document
    was discussed at IETF 51. Additionally, the WG will produce Proposed
    Standard AS documents, comparable to applicability statements in RFC
    2026, that will focus on procedures for measuring the individual
    metrics and how these metrics characterize features that are important
    to different service classes, such as bulk transport, periodic
    streams,
    or multimedia streams. It is specifically out of scope for this
    working
    group to actually characterize traffic, for example to characterize a
    voice-over-IP stream. Each AS document will discuss the performance
    characteristics that are pertinent to a specified service class;
    clearly identify the set of metrics that aid in the description of
    those characteristics; specify the methodologies required to collect
    said metrics; and lastly, present the requirements for the common,
    unambiguous reporting of testing results. Specific topics of these
    AS documents must be approved by the Area Directors as charter
    additions.

    The WG will produce a protocol to enable communication among test
    equipment that implements the one-way metrics. The intent is to create
    a protocol that provides a base level of functionality that will allow
    different manufacturer's equipment that implements the metrics
    according to a standard to interoperate. A protocol requirements
    document will guide the protocol design.

    The WG will also produce a MIB to retrieve the results of IPPM
    metrics, such as one-way delay and loss, to facilitate the
    communication of metrics to existing network management systems. Thus,
    the group will create a MIB that contains predominantly read only
    variables.  If, after the protocol requirements document is finished,
    the group decides that it is appropriate to add variables that control
    the underlying measurements that the metrics report, such a control
    structure may be added as a separate document, subject to review by
    the IESG.

    The intent of the WG is to cooperate with other appropriate standards
    bodies and forums (such as T1A1.3, ITU-T SG 12 and SG 13) to promote
    consistent approaches and metrics. Within the IETF process, IPPM
    metrics definitions will be subject to as rigorous a scrutiny for
    usefulness, clarity, and accuracy as other protocol standards. The
    IPPM WG will interact with other areas of IETF activity whose scope
    intersect with the requirement of these specific metrics. These
    include working groups such as BMWG, RMONMIB, and TEWG.

    Goals and Milestones:

    Done  Submit drafts of standard metrics for connectivity and treno-bulk-throughput.
    Done  Submit a framework document describing terms and notions used in the IPPM effort, and the creation of metrics by the working group to IESG for publication as an Informational RFC.
    Done  Submit documents on delay and loss to IESG for publication as Informational RFCs.
    Done  Submit a document on connectivity to IESG for publication as an Informational RFC.
    Done  Submit a document on bulk-throughput to IESG for publication as an Informational RFC.
    Done  Submit draft on loss pattern sample metrics to the IESG for publication as an Informational RFC.
    Done  Submit draft on metrics for periodic streams to the IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard RFC.
    Done  Submit draft on IP delay variation to the IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard RFC.
    Done  First draft for AS on one-way delay and loss.
    Done  Submit draft on One-Way Active Measurement Protocol Requirements to the IESG for consideration as an Informational RFC.
    Done  Create initial draft on a MIB for reporting IPPM metrics.
    Done  Create initial draft on a packet reordering metric.
    Done  Create draft on a One-Way Active Measurement Protocol that satisfies the requirements document.
    Done  Submit draft on the One-Way Active Measurement Protocol to the IESG for consideration as a PS.
    Done  Submit draft on implementation reports for RFCs 2678-2681 to the IESG
    Done  Submit initial draft on framework for Composition and Aggregation Metrics
    Done  Submit draft on the One-Way Active Measurement Protocol to the IESG for consideration as a PS
    Done  Submit draft on a packet reordering metric to the IESG for Proposed Standard
    Done  Submit initial applicability statement for the IPPM and ITU Jitter Measurements to the WG
    Done  Submit link bandwidth capacity definitions draft to the IESG, for consideration as an Informational RFC
    Done  Submit draft on storing results of traceroute measurements to the IESG
    May 2008  Submit draft on Two-way active measurements protocol (TWAMP) to the IESG for consideration as proposed standard
    May 2008  Develop new charter text
    Jul 2008  Delay Variation Applicability Statement (Informational) to IESG Review
    Nov 2008  Submit draft on spatial composition of metrics to the IESG
    Nov 2008  Submit draft on Temporal Aggregation of Metrics to the IESG
    Nov 2008  Submit draft on spatial decomposition and multicast metrics to the IESG

    Internet-Drafts:

    IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) for spatial and multicast (114131 bytes)
    Spatial Composition of Metrics (52713 bytes)
    Reporting IP Performance Metrics to Users (61166 bytes)
    Information Model and XML Data Model for Traceroute Measurements (163796 bytes)
    A One-Way Packet Duplication Metric (27007 bytes)
    Packet Delay Variation Applicability Statement (92510 bytes)
    More Features for TWAMP (17188 bytes)

    Request For Comments:

    Framework for IP Performance Metrics (RFC 2330) (94387 bytes)
    IPPM Metrics for Measuring Connectivity (RFC 2678) (18087 bytes)
    A One-way Delay Metric for IPPM (RFC 2679) (43542 bytes)
    A One-way Packet Loss Metric for IPPM (RFC 2680) (32266 bytes)
    A Round-trip Delay Metric for IPPM (RFC 2681) (44357 bytes)
    A Framework for Defining Empirical Bulk Transfer Capacity Metrics (RFC 3148) (36041 bytes)
    One-way Loss Pattern Sample Metrics (RFC 3357) (30570 bytes)
    IP Packet Delay Variation Metric for IPPM (RFC 3393) (47731 bytes)
    Network performance measurement for periodic streams (RFC 3432) (52493 bytes)
    A One-way Active Measurement Protocol Requirements (RFC 3763) (23360 bytes)
    IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) metrics registry (RFC 4148) (23074 bytes)
    A One-way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP) (RFC 4656) (132303 bytes)
    Packet Reordering Metrics (RFC 4737) (94699 bytes)
    Defining Network Capacity (RFC 5136) (30682 bytes)
    A Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) (RFC 5357) (61960 bytes)
    IETF Secretariat - Please send questions, comments, and/or suggestions to ietf-web@ietf.org.

    Return to working group directory.

    Return to IETF home page.