wdiff draft-morton-ippm-rfc4148-obsolete-02.txt draft-morton-ippm-rfc4148-obsolete-03.txt

Network Working Group A. Morton
Internet-Draft AT&T Labs
Obsoletes: 4148 (if approved) January 10, 2011
Updates: 4737, 5560, 5644, 6049
(if approved)
Intended status: Standards Track October 25, 2010 Informational
Expires: April 28, July 14, 2011

RFC 4148 and the IPPM Metrics Registry are Obsolete
draft-morton-ippm-rfc4148-obsolete-02
draft-morton-ippm-rfc4148-obsolete-03

Abstract

This memo recommends that reclassifies RFC 4148, the IP Performance Metrics (IPPM)
Registry be reclassified as Historic, Obsolete, and withdraws the IANA IPPM Metrics Registry
itself be withdrawn from use. use because it is obsolete. The current registry
structure has been found to be insufficiently detailed to uniquely
identify IPPM metrics. Despite apparent efforts to find current or
even future users, no one has responded to the third quarter of 2010 call for interest in
the RFC 4148 registry.

Requirements Language

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119]. registry during the second half of 2010.

Status of this Memo

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provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Recommendation Action to Reclassify RFC 4148 and Withdraw the corresponding IANA
registry as Obsolete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . 4
3. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5
6. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5
6.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5
6.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6

1. Introduction

The IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) framework [RFC2330] describes
several ways to record options and metric parameter settings, in
order to account for sources of measurement variability. For
example, Section 13 of[RFC2330] describes the notion of "Type P" so
that metrics can be specified in general, but the specifics (such as
payload length in octets and protocol type) can replace P to
disambiguate the results.

When the IPPM Metric Registry [RFC4148] was designed, the variability
of the Type P notion, and the variability possible with the many
metric parameters (see Section 4.1 of [RFC2679] ) was not fully
appreciated. Further, some of the early metric definitions only
indicate Poisson streams [RFC2330] (see the metrics in [RFC2679],
[RFC2680], and [RFC3393]), but later work standardized the methods
for Periodic Stream measurements [RFC3432], adding to the variability
possible when characterizing a metric exactly.

It is not believed to be feasible or even useful to register every
possible combination of Type P, metric parameters, and Stream
parameters using the current structure of the IPPM Metric Registry.

The IPPM Metrics Registry is believed to have very few, few users, if any users. any.
Evidence of this provided by the fact that one registry entry was
syntactically incorrect for months after [RFC5644] was published.
The text ":=" was used for the metrics in that document instead of
"::=". It took eight months before someone complained offered that a parser
found the error. Even the original registry author agrees that the
current registry is not efficient, and has submitted a proposal to
effectively create a new registry
[draft-stephan-ippm-registry-ext-00, work in progress]. registry.

Despite apparent efforts to find current or even future users, no one
has responded to the third quarter second half of 2010 call for interest in the RFC
4148 registry. Therefore, the IETF could now declare declares the registry Historic
Obsolete without any further reservations.

When a registry is declared Historic, designated Obsolete, it simply prevents IANA from
registering new objects, in this case new metrics. So, even if a
registry user was eventually found, they could continue to use the
current registry and its contents will continue to be available.

The most recently published memo that added metrics to the registry
is [RFC6049]. This memo updates all previous memos that registered
new metrics, including [RFC4737] and [RFC5560], so that the
registry's Obsolete status will be evident.

2. Recommendation Action to Reclassify RFC 4148 and Withdraw the corresponding IANA registry as
Obsolete

Due to the ambiguities between the current metrics registrations and
the metrics used, and the apparent minimal adoption of the registry
in practice, this memo RECOMMENDS it is required that:

o the IETF reclassify [RFC4148] as Historic Obsolete.

o the IANA withdraw the current IPPM Metrics Registry from further
updates and note that it too is Obsolete.

It is assumed that parties who wish to establish a replacement
registry function will work to specify such a registry.

3. Security Considerations

This memo and its recommendations have no known impact on the
security of the Internet (especially if there is a zombie apocalypse
on the day it is published; humans will have many more security
issues to worry about stemming from the rise of the un-dead).

4. IANA Considerations

Metrics defined in IETF are have been typically registered in the IANA
IPPM METRICS REGISTRY as described in initial version of the registry
[RFC4148]. However, areas for improvement of this registry have been
identified, and the registry structure has to be revisited when there
is working group consensus to do so.

The current consensus is to withdraw designate the IPPM Metrics Registry, as
originally described in [RFC4148]. [RFC4148], as Obsolete.

The DESCRIPTION of the registry MIB should be modified as follows,
and the first two sentences should be included on any IANA-maintained
web-page describing this registry or its contents (with the RFC
number of this memo replacing "XXXX"):

DESCRIPTION

"With the approval and publication of RFC XXXX, this module is
designated Obsolete.

The registry will no longer be updated, and the current contents will
be maintained as-is on the day that RFC XXXX was published.

The original Description text follows below:

This module defines a registry for IP Performance Metrics.

... "

5. Acknowledgements

Henk Uijterwaal suggested additional rationale for the recommendation
in this memo.

6. References

6.1. Normative References

[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels",

[RFC4148] Stephan, E., "IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) Metrics
Registry", BCP 14, 108, RFC 2119, March 1997. 4148, August 2005.

6.2. Informative References

[RFC2330] Paxson, V., Almes, G., Mahdavi, J., and M. Mathis,
"Framework for IP Performance Metrics", RFC 2330,
May 1998.

[RFC2679] Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A One-way
Delay Metric for IPPM", RFC 2679, September 1999.

[RFC2680] Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A One-way
Packet Loss Metric for IPPM", RFC 2680, September 1999.

[RFC3393] Demichelis, C. and P. Chimento, "IP Packet Delay Variation
Metric for IP Performance Metrics (IPPM)", RFC 3393,
November 2002.

[RFC3432] Raisanen, V., Grotefeld, G., and A. Morton, "Network
performance measurement with periodic streams", RFC 3432,
November 2002.

[RFC4148] Stephan, E., "IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) Metrics
Registry", BCP 108,

[RFC4737] Morton, A., Ciavattone, L., Ramachandran, G., Shalunov,
S., and J. Perser, "Packet Reordering Metrics", RFC 4148, August 2005. 4737,
November 2006.

[RFC5560] Uijterwaal, H., "A One-Way Packet Duplication Metric",
RFC 5560, May 2009.

[RFC5644] Stephan, E., Liang, L., and A. Morton, "IP Performance
Metrics (IPPM): Spatial and Multicast", RFC 5644,
October 2009.

6.2. Informative References

[....] "None", .

[RFC6049] Morton, A. and E. Stephan, "Spatial Composition of
Metrics", RFC 6049, January 2011.

Author's Address

Al Morton
AT&T Labs
200 Laurel Avenue South
Middletown,, NJ 07748
USA

Phone: +1 732 420 1571
Fax: +1 732 368 1192
Email: acmorton@att.com
URI: http://home.comcast.net/~acmacm/