Network Working Group                                  Lars-Erik Jonsson
INTERNET-DRAFT                                                  Ericsson
Expires: February 2001                                   August 15, 2001A new Request for Comments is now available in online RFC libraries.

        RFC 3243

        Title:      RObust Header Compression (ROHC):
                    Requirements and Assumptions for ROHC 0-byte IP/UDP/RTP
                    Compression
            <draft-ietf-rohc-rtp-0-byte-requirements-01.txt>

Status of this memo

   This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
   all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other
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   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
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   This document is a submission of the IETF ROHC WG. Comments should be
   directed to its mailing list, rohc@cdt.luth.se.

Abstract
        Author(s):  L-E. Jonsson
        Status:     Informational
        Date:       April 2002
        Mailbox:    lars-erik.jonsson@ericsson.com
        Pages:      6
        Characters: 12451
        Updates/Obsoletes/SeeAlso:    None

        I-D Tag:    draft-ietf-rohc-rtp-0-byte-requirements-02.txt

        URL:        ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc3243.txt

This document contains requirements for the 0-byte IP/UDP/RTP
(Internet Protocol/User Datagram Protocol/Real-Time Transport
Protocol) header compression scheme to be developed by the ROHC WG. Robust
Header Compression (ROHC) Working Group.  It also includes the basic
assumptions for the typical link layers over which 0-byte compression
may be implemented over implemented, and assumptions about its usage in general.

                          for 0-byte ROHC RTP

1.  Introduction

   The goal of the ROHC WG is to develop header compression schemes that
   perform well over links with high error rates and long link roundtrip
   times. The schemes must perform well for cellular links, using
   technologies such as WCDMA, EDGE, and CDMA-2000. However, the schemes
   should also be applicable to other future link technologies with high
   loss and long roundtrip times.

   ROHC RTP has become a very efficient, robust and capable compression
   scheme, able to compress the IP/UDP/RTP headers down to a total size
   of one octet only.

This makes ROHC RTP an excellent solution for the
   future cellular environments with new air interfaces, such as WCDMA,
   making even speech services possible over IP with an insignificantly
   lower spectrum efficiency than with existing circuit switched
   solutions.

   However, all-IP cellular networks will be built also with already
   existing air interfaces such as GSM and IS-95, which are less
   flexible with radio bearers optimized for specific frame sizes
   matching the speech codecs used. This means that not a single octet
   of header can be added without using the next higher fixed packet
   size of the link and that document is obviously very costly. In the long run,
   this should of course be solved with new more flexible air
   interfaces, but until then it would be desirable if an efficiency
   comparable to the circuit switched case could be achieved also for
   the already deployed speech codecs when used over the existing air
   interfaces. To achieve that, it must be possible to completely
   eliminate the headers for a majority product of the packets during normal
   operation, and this is the purpose Robust Header Compression Working
Group of 0-byte header compression. All
   functionality normally provided by the 1-otet header must then be
   provided by some other means, typically by utilizing functionality
   from the lower layer. It is important to remember that the purpose of
   0-byte header compression is to provide optimal efficiency IETF.

This memo provides information for
   applications matching the link layer characteristics, Internet community.  It does
not efficiency
   in general.

   As a starting point for these requirements, the well established
   requirements base developed in the ROHC WG has been used. From that,
   the requirements have evolved through inputs from the 3GPP2 community
   and from discussions within the WG.

2.  Assumptions for the applicability of 0-byte RTP header compression

   The purpose of 0-byte header compression is to provide optimal usage
   of certain links when the traffic pattern of a packet stream
   completely matches the characteristics specify an Internet standard of that link. There are no
   assumptions that only packet streams complying with that pattern will
   occur, but optimal efficiency can any kind.  Distribution of course not be provided when this
memo is not the case.

                          for 0-byte ROHC RTP

   To make 0-byte header compression feasible, it unlimited.

This announcement is assumed that lower
   layers can provide the necessary functionality needed sent to replace the
   1-octet headers and fulfil the requirements defined in section three.
   An example is the synchronized nature of most cellular links, which
   can provide sequencing and timing information IETF list and make packet loss
   detection possible.

3.  Requirements on 0-byte RTP header compression

   Since 0-byte header compression for ROHC IP/UDP/RTP is a variant of
   regular ROHC RTP compression [ROHC], these requirements are described
   as deltas to those defined in the regular RTP requirements [RTP-REQ].
   For simplicity, this section is also separated into the same three
   subsections as the requirements in [RTP-REQ], where the first deals
   with header compression impacts on the rest of the Internet
   infrastructure, the second concerns the headers RFC-DIST list.
Requests to be compressed and
   the third covers efficiency and link technology related issues.

3.1.  Impact on Internet infrastructure

   The meaning of header compression is in no way changed by the
   introduction of 0-byte header compression. No additional impact on
   the Internet infrastructure is thus allowed. The "Transparency" and
   "Ubiquity" requirements of [RTP-REQ, section 2.1] therefore also
   apply added to 0-byte RTP compression without any modifications.

3.2.  Supported headers and kinds of RTP streams

   The 0-byte RTP compression scheme have in general the same
   requirements on supported headers and RTP streams as regular ROHC RTP
   [RTP-REQ, section 2.2]. However, there are some aspects regarding or deleted from the
   "Genericity" and IPSEC requirements that IETF distribution list
should be noted.

   The "Genericity" requirement of [RTP-REQ] states that compression of
   headers of arbitrary RTP streams must be supported, and this is also
   true for the 0-byte compression scheme sent to the extent that it is not
   allowed IETF-REQUEST@IETF.ORG.  Requests to assume certain RTP behavior. However, as also stated in
   [RTP-REQ], this does not preclude optimizations for certain media
   types where the traffic pattern is known. For 0-byte RTP, this means
   that the scheme must be able to handle arbitrary RTP streams to
   fulfil the requirements of section 3.1. However, due
added to or deleted from the typical
   characteristics of 0-byte compression, by requiring a traffic pattern
   that suites the link it is implemented over to RFC-DIST distribution list should
be able to compress
   down to 0-byte headers, it becomes optimized for applications with
   link-suited traffic patterns. For traffic that do not comply with the
   link properties, the scheme must automatically and immediately fall
                          for 0-byte ROHC RTP

   back sent to non-0-byte RTP compression and not have any impact RFC-DIST-REQUEST@RFC-EDITOR.ORG.

Details on the
   packet stream.

   Regarding IPSEC, it should be noted that 0-byte compression can not
   be achieved if parts of the original headers are encrypted obtaining RFCs via FTP or carry
   randomly changing fields. IPSEC and 0-byte RTP header compression
   therefore does not go well together. If IPSEC is used and prevents 0-
   byte compression, the scheme must fall back to a less efficient
   compression that can handle all present header fields. Of course,
   this applies not only to IPSEC but to all cases where headers can not EMAIL may be compressed down to 0-byte.

3.3.  Performance issues

   All the performance requirements of [RTP-REQ] also applies obtained by sending
an EMAIL message to 0-byte
   RTP header compression, rfc-info@RFC-EDITOR.ORG with the following additions and exceptions:

    - Performance/Spectral Efficiency: message body
help: ways_to_get_rfcs.  For packet streams with traffic
      patterns that matches the characteristics of the link 0-byte
      header compression is implemented over, the performance should be
      such that 0-byte header packets are generated for most of the
      time during normal operation. 0-byte headers would then replace
      most of the 1-octet headers used by regular ROHC RTP [ROHC].

      Justification: Spectrum efficiency is a primary goal. Studies
      have shown that example:

        To: rfc-info@RFC-EDITOR.ORG
        Subject: getting rfcs

        help: ways_to_get_rfcs

Requests for certain applications and link technologies,
      even a single octet of header may result in a significant
      decrease in spectrum efficiency compared to existing circuit
      switched solutions.

    - Header Compression Coexistence: The scheme must fit into the ROHC
      framework together with other ROHC profiles.

      Justification: Implementation simplicity is an important issue
      and the 0-byte RTP compression scheme special distribution should therefore have as
      much as possible in common with the regular IP/UDP/RTP profile.

    - Unidirectional links: It is of less importance that the 0-byte
      header compression scheme must be able addressed to work also over
      unidirectional links.

      Justification. 0-byte header compression is targeting links that
      typically are bi-directional.

                          for 0-byte ROHC RTP

4.  IANA Considerations

   A protocol which meets these requirements, e.g., [LLA], will require either the IANA to assign various numbers. This document by itself, however,
   does not require any IANA involvement.

5.  Security Considerations

   A protocol specified to meet these requirements, e.g., [LLA], may
   have a number
author of security aspects to consider.  This document by
   itself, however, does not add any security risks.

6.  References

   [RTP-REQ]   Degermark, M., "Requirements for robust IP/UDP/RTP
               header compression", RFC 3096, July 2001.

   [ROHC]      Bormann, C., et. al., "Robust Header Compression
               (ROHC)", the RFC 3095, July 2001.

   [LLA]       Jonsson, L-E. and G. Pelletier, "A Link-Layer Assisted
               ROHC Profile for IP/UDP/RTP", Internet Draft, work in
               progress, August 2001.
               <draft-ietf-rohc-rtp-lla-00.txt>

7.  Author's address

   Lars-Erik Jonsson              Tel: +46 (920) 20 21 07
   Ericsson Erisoft AB            Fax: +46 (920) 20 20 99
   Box 920
   SE-971 28 Lulea
   Sweden                         E-mail: lars-erik.jonsson@ericsson.com
                          for 0-byte ROHC RTP

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This Internet-Draft expires February 15, 2001.
RFC-EDITOR@RFC-EDITOR.ORG.  Please consult RFC 2223, Instructions to RFC
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