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diff --git a/doc/rfc/rfc4901.txt b/doc/rfc/rfc4901.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..11eb908 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/rfc/rfc4901.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1907 @@ + + + + + + +Network Working Group J. Ash, Ed. +Request for Comments: 4901 J. Hand, Ed. +Category: Standards Track AT&T + A. Malis, Ed. + Verizon Communications + June 2007 + + + Protocol Extensions for Header Compression over MPLS + +Status of This Memo + + This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the + Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for + improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet + Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state + and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. + +Copyright Notice + + Copyright (C) The IETF Trust (2007). + +Abstract + + This specification defines how to use Multi-Protocol Label Switching + (MPLS) to route Header-Compressed (HC) packets over an MPLS label + switched path. HC can significantly reduce packet-header overhead + and, in combination with MPLS, can also increases bandwidth + efficiency and processing scalability in terms of the maximum number + of simultaneous compressed flows that use HC at each router). Here + we define how MPLS pseudowires are used to transport the HC context + and control messages between the ingress and egress MPLS label + switching routers. This is defined for a specific set of existing HC + mechanisms that might be used, for example, to support voice over IP. + This specification also describes extension mechanisms to allow + support for future, as yet to be defined, HC protocols. In this + specification, each HC protocol operates independently over a single + pseudowire instance, very much as it would over a single point-to- + point link. + + + + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 1] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +Table of Contents + + 1. Introduction ....................................................3 + 2. Terminology .....................................................3 + 3. Header Compression over MPLS Protocol Overview ..................6 + 4. Protocol Specifications ........................................11 + 4.1. MPLS Pseudowire Setup and Signaling .......................13 + 4.2. Header Compression Scheme Setup, Negotiation, and + Signaling .................................................14 + 4.2.1. Configuration Option Format [RFC3544] ..............15 + 4.2.2. RTP-Compression Suboption [RFC3544] ................17 + 4.2.3. Enhanced RTP-Compression Suboption [RFC3544] .......18 + 4.2.4. Negotiating Header Compression for Only TCP + or Only Non-TCP Packets [RFC3544] ..................19 + 4.2.5. Configuration Option Format [RFC3241] ..............20 + 4.2.6. PROFILES Suboption [RFC3241] .......................21 + 4.3. Encapsulation of Header Compressed Packets ................22 + 4.4. Packet Reordering .........................................23 + 5. HC Pseudowire Setup Example ....................................24 + 6. Security Considerations ........................................29 + 7. Acknowledgements ...............................................29 + 8. IANA Considerations ............................................29 + 9. Normative References ...........................................30 + 10. Informative References ........................................31 + 11. Contributors ..................................................33 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 2] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +1. Introduction + + Voice over IP (VoIP) typically uses the encapsulation + voice/RTP/UDP/IP. When MPLS labels [RFC3031] are added, this becomes + voice/RTP/UDP/IP/MPLS-labels. MPLS VPNs (e.g., [RFC4364]) use label + stacking, and in the simplest case of IPv4 the total packet header is + at least 48 bytes, while the voice payload is often no more than 30 + bytes, for example. When IPv6 is used, the relative size of the + header in comparison to the payload is even greater. The interest in + header compression (HC) is to exploit the possibility of + significantly reducing the overhead through various compression + mechanisms, such as with enhanced compressed RTP (ECRTP) [RFC3545] + and robust header compression (ROHC) [RFC3095, RFC3095bis, RFC4815], + and also to increase scalability of HC. MPLS is used to route HC + packets over an MPLS label switched path (LSP) without + compression/decompression cycles at each router. Such an HC over + MPLS capability can increase bandwidth efficiency as well as the + processing scalability of the maximum number of simultaneous + compressed flows that use HC at each router. Goals and requirements + for HC over MPLS are discussed in [RFC4247]. The solution using MPLS + pseudowire (PW) technology put forth in this document has been + designed to address these goals and requirements. + +2. Terminology + + 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]. + + Context: the state associated with a flow subject to IP header + compression. While the exact nature of the context is specific to a + particular HC protocol (CRTP, ECRTP, ROHC, etc.), this state + typically includes: + + - the values of all of the fields in all of the headers (IP, UDP, + TCP, RTP, Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), etc.) that the + particular header compression protocol operates on for the last + packet of the flow sent (by the compressor) or received (by the + decompressor). + + - the change in the value of some of the fields in the IP, UDP, + TCP, etc. headers between the last two consecutive sent packets + (compressor) or received packets (decompressor) of the flow. + Some of the fields in the header change by a constant amount + between subsequent packets in the flow most of the time. Saving + the changes in these fields from packet to packet allows + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 3] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + verification that a constant rate of change is taking place, and + to take appropriate action when a deviation from the normal + changes are encountered. + + For most HC protocols, a copy of the context of each compressed flow + is maintained at both the compressor and the decompressor. + + compressed Real-time Transport Protocol (CRTP): a particular HC + protocol described in [RFC2508]. + + Context ID (CID): a small number, typically 8 or 16 bits, used to + identify a particular flow, and the context associated with the flow. + Most HC protocols in essence work by sending the CID across the link + in place of the full header, along with any unexpected changes in the + values in the various fields of the headers. + + Enhanced Compressed Real-time Protocol (ECRTP): a particular HC + protocol described in [RFC3545]. + + Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC): a group of packets that are + forwarded in the same manner (e.g., over the same LSP, with the same + forwarding treatment) + + Header Compression scheme (HC scheme): a particular method of + performing HC and its associated protocol. Multiple methods of HC + have been defined, including Robust Header Compression (ROHC + [RFC3095, RFC3095bis]), compressed RTP (CRTP, [RFC2508]), enhanced + CRTP (ECRTP, [RFC3545]), and IP Header Compression (IPHC, [RFC2507]). + This document explicitly supports all of the HC schemes listed above, + and is intended to be extensible to others that may be developed. + + Header Compression channel (HC channel): a session established + between a header compressor and a header decompressor using a single + HC scheme, over which multiple individual flows may be compressed. + From this perspective, every PPP link over which HC is operating + defines a single HC channel, and based on this specification, every + HC PW defines a single HC channel. HC PWs are bi-directional, which + means that a unidirectional leg of the PW is set up in each + direction. One leg of the bi-directional PW may be set up to carry + only compression feedback, not header compressed traffic. An HC + channel should not be confused with the individual traffic flows that + may be compressed using a single Context ID. Each HC channel manages + a set of unique CIDs. + + IP Header Compression (IPHC): a particular HC protocol described in + [RFC2507] + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 4] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + Label: a short fixed length physically contiguous identifier that is + used to identify a FEC, usually of local significance + + Label Stack: an ordered set of labels + + Label Switched Path (LSP): the path through one or more LSRs at one + level of the hierarchy followed by a packet in a particular + forwarding equivalence class (FEC) + + Label Switching Router (LSR): an MPLS node that is capable of + forwarding native L3 packets + + MPLS domain: a contiguous set of nodes that operate MPLS routing and + forwarding and which are also in one Routing or Administrative Domain + + MPLS label: a label that is carried in a packet header, and that + represents the packet's FEC + + MPLS node: a node that is running MPLS. An MPLS node will be aware + of MPLS control protocols, will operate one or more L3 routing + protocols, and will be capable of forwarding packets based on labels. + An MPLS node may also optionally be capable of forwarding native L3 + packets. + + Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS): an IETF working group and the + effort associated with the working group, including the technology + (signaling, encapsulation, etc.) itself + + Packet Switched Network (PSN): Within the context of Pseudowire PWE3, + this is a network using IP or MPLS as the mechanism for packet + forwarding. + + Protocol Data Unit (PDU): the unit of data output to, or received + from, the network by a protocol layer. + + Pseudowire (PW): a mechanism that carries the essential elements of + an emulated service from one provider edge router to one or more + other provider edge routers over a PSN + + Pseudowire Emulation Edge to Edge (PWE3): a mechanism that emulates + the essential attributes of service (such as a T1 leased line or + Frame Relay) over a PSN + + Pseudowire PDU (PW-PDU): a PDU sent on the PW that contains all of + the data and control information necessary to emulate the desired + service + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 5] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + PSN Tunnel: a tunnel across a PSN, inside which one or more PWs can + be carried + + PSN Tunnel Signaling: a protocol used to set up, maintain, and tear + down the underlying PSN tunnel + + PW Demultiplexer: data-plane method of identifying a PW terminating + at a provider edge router + + Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP): a protocol for end-to-end network + transport for applications transmitting real-time data, such as audio + or video [RFC3550]. + + Robust Header Compression (ROHC): a particular HC protocol consisting + of a framework [RFC3095bis] and a number of profiles for different + protocols, e.g., for RTP, UDP, ESP [RFC3095], and IP [RFC3843] + + Tunnel: a method of transparently carrying information over a network + +3. Header Compression over MPLS Protocol Overview + + To implement HC over MPLS, after the ingress router applies the HC + algorithm to the IP packet, the compressed packet is forwarded on an + MPLS LSP using MPLS labels, and then the egress router restores the + uncompressed header. Any of a number of HC algorithms/protocols can + be used. These algorithms have generally been designed for operation + over a single point-to-point link-layer hop. MPLS PWs [RFC3985], + which are used to provide emulation of many point-to-point link layer + services (such as frame relay permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) and + ATM PVCs) are used here to provide emulation of a single, point-to- + point link layer hop over which HC traffic may be transported. + + Figure 1 illustrates an HC over MPLS channel established on an LSP + that traverses several LSRs, from R1/HC --> R2 --> R3 --> R4/HD, + where R1/HC is the ingress router performing HC, and R4/HD is the + egress router performing header decompression (HD). This example + assumes that the packet flow being compressed has RTP/UDP/IP headers + and is using a HC scheme such as ROHC, CRTP, or ECRTP. Compression + of the RTP/UDP/IP header is performed at R1/HC, and the compressed + packets are routed using MPLS labels from R1/HC to R2, to R3, and + finally to R4/HD, without further decompression/recompression cycles. + The RTP/UDP/IP header is decompressed at R4/HD and can be forwarded + to other routers, as needed. This example assumes that the + application is VoIP and that the HC algorithm operates on the RTP, + UDP, and IP headers of the VoIP flows. This is an extremely common + application of HC, but need not be the only one. The HC algorithms + supported by the protocol extensions specified in this document may + operate on TCP or IPsec ESP headers as well. + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 6] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + | + | data (e.g., voice)/RTP/UDP/IP/link layer + V + _____ + | | + |R1/HC| Header Compression (HC) Performed + |_____| + | + | data (e.g., voice)/compressed-header/MPLS-labels + V + _____ + | | + | R2 | Label Switching + |_____| (no compression/decompression) + | + | data (e.g., voice)/compressed-header/MPLS-labels + V + _____ + | | + | R3 | Label Switching + |_____| (no compression/decompression) + | + | data (e.g., voice)/compressed-header/MPLS-labels + V + _____ + | | + |R4/HD| Header Decompression (HD) Performed + |_____| + | + | data (e.g., voice)/RTP/UDP/IP/link layer + V + + Figure 1: Example of HC over MPLS over Routers R1 --> R4 + + In the example scenario, HC therefore takes place between R1 and R4, + and the MPLS LSP transports data/compressed-header/MPLS-labels + instead of data/RTP/UDP/IP/MPLS-labels, often saving more than 90% of + the RTP/UDP/IP overhead. Typically there are two MPLS labels (8 + octets) and a link-layer HC control parameter (2 octets). The MPLS + label stack and link-layer headers are not compressed. Therefore, HC + over MPLS can significantly reduce the header overhead through + compression mechanisms. + + HC reduces the IP/UDP/RTP headers to 2-4 bytes for most packets. + Half of the reduction in header size comes from the observation that + half of the bytes in the IP/UDP/RTP headers remain constant over the + life of the flow. After sending the uncompressed header template + once, these fields may be removed from the compressed headers that + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 7] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + follow. The remaining compression comes from the observation that + although several fields change in every packet, the difference from + packet to packet is often constant or at least limited, and therefore + the second-order difference is zero. + + The compressor and decompressor both maintain a context for each + compressed flow. The context is the session state shared between the + compressor and decompressor. The details of what is included in the + context may vary between HC schemes. The context at the compressor + would typically include the uncompressed headers of the last packet + sent on the flow, and some measure of the differences in selected + header field values between the last packet transmitted and the + packet(s) transmitted just before it. The context at the + decompressor would include similar information about received + packets. With this information, all that must be communicated across + the wire is an indication of which flow a packet is associated with + (the CID), and some compact encoding of the second order differences + (i.e., the harder to predict differences) between packets. + + MPLS PWs [RFC3985] are used to transport the HC packets between the + ingress and egress MPLS LSRs. Each PW acts like a logical point-to- + point link between the compressor and the decompressor. Each PW + supports a single HC channel, which, from the perspective of the HC + scheme operation, is similar to a single PPP link or a single frame + relay PVC. One exception to this general model is that PWs carry + only packets with compressed headers, and do not share the PW with + uncompressed packets. + + The PW architecture specifies the use of a label stack with at least + 2 levels. The label at the bottom of the stack is called the PW + label. The PW label acts as an identifier for a particular PW. With + HC PWs, the compressor adds the label at the bottom of the stack and + the decompressor removes this label. No LSRs between the compressor + and decompressor inspect or modify this label. Labels higher in the + stack are called the packet switch network (PSN) labels, and are used + to forward the packet through the MPLS network as described in + [RFC3031]. The decompressor uses the incoming MPLS PW label (the + label at the bottom of the stack), along with the CID to locate the + proper decompression context. Standard HC methods (e.g., ECRTP, + ROHC, etc.) are used to determine the contexts. The CIDs are + assigned by the HC as normal, and there would be no problem if + duplicate CIDs are received at the HD for different PWs, which + support different compressed channels. For example, if two different + compressors, HCa and HCb, both assign the same CID to each of 2 + separate flows destined to decompressor HDc, HDc can still + differentiate the flows and locate the proper decompression context + for each, because the tuples <PWlabel-HCa, CID> and <PWlabel-HCb, + CID> are still unique. + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 8] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + In addition to the PW label and PSN label(s), HC over MPLS packets + also carry a HC control parameter. The HC control parameter contains + both a packet type field and a packet length field. The packet type + field is needed because each HC scheme supported by this + specification defines multiple packet types, for example, "full + header" packets, which are used to initialize and/or re-synchronize + the context between compressor and decompressor, vs. normal HC + packets. And most of the HC schemes require that the underlying link + layer protocols provide the differentiation between packet types. + Similarly, one of the assumptions that is part of most of the HC + schemes is that the packet length fields in the RTP/UDP/IP, etc. + headers need not be explicitly sent across the network, because the + IP datagram length can be implicitly determined from the lower + layers. This specification assumes that, with one exception, the + length of an HC IP datagram can be determined from the link layers of + the packets transmitted across the MPLS network. The exception is + for packets that traverse an Ethernet link. Ethernet requires + padding for packets whose payload size is less than 46 bytes in + length. So the HC control parameter contains a length field of 6 + bits to encode the lengths of any HC packets less than 64 bytes in + length. + + HC PWs are set up by the PW signaling protocol [RFC4447]. [RFC4447] + actually defines a set of extensions to the MPLS label distribution + protocol (LDP) [RFC3036]. As defined in [RFC4447], LDP signaling to + set up, tear down, and manage PWs is performed directly between the + PW endpoints, in this case, the compressor and the decompressor. PW + signaling is used only to set up the PW label at the bottom of the + stack, and is used independently of any other signaling that may be + used to set up PSN labels. So, for example, in Figure 1, LDP PW + signaling would be performed directly between R1/HC and R4/HD. + Router R2 and R3 would not participate in PW signaling. + + [RFC4447] provides extensions to LDP for PWs, and this document + provides further extensions specific to HC. Since PWs provide a + logical point-to-point connection over which HC can be run, the + extensions specified in this document reuse elements of the protocols + used to negotiate HC over the Point-to-Point Protocol [RFC1661]. + [RFC3241] specifies how ROHC is used over PPP and [RFC3544] specifies + how several other HC schemes (CRTP, ECRTP, IPHC) are used over PPP. + Both of these RFCs provide configuration options for negotiating HC + over PPP. The formats of these configuration options are reused here + for setting up HC over PWs. When used in the PPP environment, these + configuration options are used as extensions to PPP's IP Control + Protocol [RFC1332] and the detailed PPP options negotiations process + described in [RFC1661]. This is necessary because a PPP link may + support multiple protocols, each with its own addressing scheme and + options. Achieving interoperability requires a negotiation process + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 9] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + so that the nodes at each end of the link can agree on a set of + protocols and options that both support. However, a single HC PW + supports only HC traffic using a single HC scheme. So while the + formats of configuration options from [RFC3241] and [RFC3544] are + reused here, the detailed PPP negotiation process is not. Instead, + these options are reused here just as descriptors (TLVs in the + specific terminology of LDP and [RFC4447]) of basic parameters of an + HC PW. These parameters are further described in Section 4. The HC + configuration parameters are initially generated by the decompressor + and describe what the decompressor is prepared to receive. + + Most HC schemes use a feedback mechanism which requires bi- + directional flow of HC packets, even if the flow of compressed IP + packets is in one direction only. The basic signaling process of + [RFC4447] sets up unidirectional PWs, and must be repeated in each + direction in order to set up the bi-directional flow needed for HC. + + Figure 1 illustrates an example data flow set up from R1/HC --> R2 + --> R3 --> R4/HD, where R1/HC is the ingress router where header + compression is performed, and R4/HD is the egress router where header + decompression is done. Each router functions as an LSR and supports + signaling of LSP/PWs. See Section 5 for a detailed example of how + the flow depicted in Figure 1 is established. + + All the HC schemes used here are built so that if an uncompressible + packet is seen, it should just be sent uncompressed. For some types + of compression (e.g., IPHC-TCP), a non-compressed path is required. + For IPHC-TCP compression, uncompressible packets occur for every TCP + flow. Another way that this kind of issue can occur is if MAX_HEADER + is configured lower than the longest header, in which case, + compression might not be possible in some cases. + + The uncompressed packets associated with HC flows (e.g., uncompressed + IPHC-TCP packets) can be sent through the same MPLS tunnel along with + all other non-HC (non-PW) IP packets. MPLS tunnels can transport + many types of packets simultaneously, including non-PW IP packets, + layer 3 VPN packets, and PW (e.g., HC flow) packets. In the + specification, we assume that there is a path for uncompressed + traffic, and it is a compressor decision as to what would or would + not go in the HC-PW. + + + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 10] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +4. Protocol Specifications + + Figure 2 illustrates the PW stack reference model to support PW + emulated services. + + +-------------+ +-------------+ + | Layer2 | | Layer2 | + | Emulated | | Emulated | + | Services | Emulated Service | Services | + | |<==============================>| | + +-------------+ +-------------+ + | HC | Pseudowire | HD | + |Demultiplexer|<==============================>|Demultiplexer| + +-------------+ +-------------+ + | PSN | PSN Tunnel | PSN | + | MPLS |<==============================>| MPLS | + +-------------+ +-------------+ + | Physical | | Physical | + +-----+-------+ +-----+-------+ + + Figure 2: Pseudowire Protocol Stack Reference Model + + Each HC-HD compressed channel is mapped to a single PW and associated + with 2 PW labels, one in each direction. A single PW label MUST be + used for many HC flows (could be 100's or 1000's) rather than + assigning a different PW label to each flow. The latter approach + would involve a complex mechanism for PW label assignment, freeing up + of labels after a flow terminates, etc., for potentially 1000's of + simultaneous HC flows. On the other hand, the mechanism for CID + assignment, freeing up, etc., is in place and there is no need to + duplicate it with PW assignment/deassignment for individual HC flows. + + Multiple PWs SHOULD be established in case different quality of + service (QoS) requirements are needed for different compressed + streams. The QoS received by the flow would be determined by the EXP + bit marking in the PW label. Normally, all RTP packets would get the + same EXP marking [RFC3270], equivalent to expedited forwarding (EF) + treatment [RFC3246] in Diffserv. However, the protocol specified in + this document applies to several different types of streams, not just + RTP streams, and QoS treatment other than EF may be required for + those streams. + + Figure 3 shows the HC over MPLS protocol stack (with uncompressed + header): + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 11] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + Media stream + RTP + UDP + IP + HC control parameter + MPLS label stack (at least 2 labels for this application) + Link layer under MPLS (PPP, PoS, Ethernet) + Physical layer (SONET/SDH, fiber, copper) + + + +--------------+ + | Media stream | + +--------------+ + \_______ ______/ + 2-4 octets V + +------+--------------+ + Compressed /RTP/UDP/IP/ |header| | + +------+--------------+ + \__________ __________/ + 2 octets V + +------+---------------------+ + HC Control Parameter |header| | + +------+---------------------+ + \______________ _____________/ + 8 octets V + +------+----------------------------+ + MPLS Labels |header| | + +------+----------------------------+ + \_________________ _________________/ + V + +------------------------------------------+ + Link Layer under MPLS | | + +------------------------------------------+ + \____________________ _____________________/ + V + +-------------------------------------------------+ + Physical Layer | | + +-------------------------------------------------+ + + Figure 3: Header Compression over MPLS Media Stream Transport + + The HC control parameter MUST be used to identify the packet types + for the HC scheme in use. The MPLS labels technically define two + layers: the PW identifier and the MPLS tunnel identifier. The PW + label MUST be used as the demultiplexer field by the HD, where the PW + label appears at the bottom label of an MPLS label stack. The LSR + that will be performing decompression MUST ensure that the label it + distributes (e.g., via LDP) for a channel is unique. There can also + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 12] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + be other MPLS labels, for example, to identify an MPLS VPN. The + IP/UDP/RTP headers are compressed before transmission, leaving the + rest of the stack alone, as shown in Figure 3. + +4.1. MPLS Pseudowire Setup and Signaling + + PWs MUST be set up in advance for the transport of media streams + using [RFC4447] control messages exchanged by the HC-HD endpoints. + Furthermore, a PW type MUST be used to indicate the HC scheme being + used on the PW. [RFC4447] specifies the MPLS label distribution + protocol (LDP) [RFC3036] extensions to set up and maintain the PWs, + and defines new LDP objects to identify and signal attributes of PWs. + Any acceptable method of MPLS label distribution MAY be used for + distributing the MPLS tunnel label [RFC3031]. These methods include + LDP [RFC3036], RSVP-TE [RFC3209], or configuration. + + To assign and distribute the PW labels, an LDP session MUST be set up + between the PW endpoints using the extended discovery mechanism + described in [RFC3036]. The PW label bindings are distributed using + the LDP downstream unsolicited mode described in [RFC3036]. An LDP + label mapping message contains a FEC object, a label object, and + possible other optional objects. The FEC object indicates the + meaning of the label, identifies the PW type, and identifies the PW + that the PW label is bound to. See [RFC4447] for further explanation + of PW signaling. + + This specification defines new PW type values to be carried within + the FEC object to identify HC PWs for each HC scheme. The PW type is + a 15-bit parameter assigned by IANA, as specified in the [RFC4446] + registry, and MUST be used to indicate the HC scheme being used on + the PW. IANA has set aside the following PW type values for + assignment according to the registry specified in RFC 4446, Section + 3.2: + + PW type Description Reference + ============================================================= + 0x001A ROHC Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC3095bis] + 0x001B ECRTP Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC3545] + 0x001C IPHC Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC2507] + 0x001D CRTP Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC2508] + + The HC control parameter enables distinguishing between various + packets types (e.g., uncompressed, UDP compressed, RTP compressed, + context-state, etc.). However, the HC control parameter indications + are not unique across HC schemes, and therefore the PW type value + allows the HC scheme to be identified. + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 13] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +4.2. Header Compression Scheme Setup, Negotiation, and Signaling + + As described in the previous section, the HC PW MUST be used for + compressed packets only, which is configured at PW setup. If a flow + is not compressed, it MUST NOT be placed on the HC PW. HC PWs MUST + be bi-directional, which means that a unidirectional leg of the PW + MUST be set up in each direction. One leg of the bi-directional PW + MAY be set up to carry only compression feedback, not header + compressed traffic. The same PW type MUST be used for PW signaling + in both directions. + + HC scheme parameters MAY be manually configured, but if so, manual + configuration MUST be done in both directions. If HC scheme + parameters are signaled, the Interface Parameters Sub-TLV MUST be + used on any unidirectional legs of a PW that will carry HC traffic. + For a unidirectional leg of a PW that will carry only compression + feedback, the components of the Interface Parameters Sub-TLV + described below are not relevant and MUST NOT be used. + + The PW HC approach relies on the PW/MPLS layer to convey HC channel + configuration information. The Interface Parameters Sub-TLV [IANA, + RFC4447] must be used to signal HC channel setup and specify HC + parameters. That is, the configuration options specified in + [RFC3241, RFC3544] are reused in this specification to specify PW- + specific parameters, and to configure the HC and HD ports at the + edges of the PW so that they have the necessary capabilities to + interoperate with each other. + + Pseudowire Interface Parameter Sub-TLV type values are specified in + [RFC4446]. IANA has set aside the following Pseudowire Interface + Parameter Sub-TLV type values according to the registry specified in + RFC 4446, Section 3.3: + + Parameter ID Length Description Reference + --------- --------------- ---------------------------- --------- + 0x0D up to 256 bytes ROHC over MPLS configuration RFC 4901 + RFC 3241 + 0x0F up to 256 bytes CRTP/ECRTP/IPHC HC over MPLS RFC 4901 + configuration RFC 3544 + + TLVs identified in [RFC3241] and [RFC3544] MUST be encapsulated in + the PW Interface Parameters Sub-TLV and used to negotiate header + compression session setup and parameter negotiation for their + respective protocols. The TLVs supported in this manner MUST include + the following: + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 14] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + o Configuration Option Format, RTP-Compression Suboption, Enhanced + RTP-Compression Suboption, TCP/non-TCP Compression Suboptions, as + specified in [RFC3544] + + o Configuration Option Format, PROFILES Suboption, as specified in + [RFC3241] + + These TLVs are now specified in the following sections. + +4.2.1. Configuration Option Format [RFC3544] + + Both the network control protocol for IPv4, IPCP [RFC1332] and the + IPv6 Network Control Protocol (NCP), IPV6CP [RFC2472] may be used to + negotiate IP HC parameters for their respective controlled protocols. + The format of the configuration option is the same for both IPCP and + IPV6CP. This configuration option MUST be included for ECRTP, CRTP + and IPHC PW types and MUST NOT be included for ROHC PW types. A + decompressor MUST reject this option (if misconfigured) for ROHC PW + types and send an explicit error message to the compressor [RFC3544]. + + Description + + This NCP configuration option is used to negotiate parameters for + IP HC. Successful negotiation of parameters enables the use of + Protocol Identifiers FULL_HEADER, COMPRESSED_TCP, + COMPRESSED_TCP_NODELTA, COMPRESSED_NON_TCP, and CONTEXT_STATE as + specified in [RFC2507]. The option format is summarized below. + The fields are transmitted from left to right. + + 0 1 2 3 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | IP-Compression-Protocol | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | TCP_SPACE | NON_TCP_SPACE | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | F_MAX_PERIOD | F_MAX_TIME | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | MAX_HEADER | suboptions... | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Type + 2 + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 15] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + Length + >= 14 + + The length may be increased if the presence of additional + parameters is indicated by additional suboptions. + + IP-Compression-Protocol + 0061 (hex) + + TCP_SPACE + The TCP_SPACE field is two octets and indicates the maximum + value of a context identifier in the space of context + identifiers allocated for TCP. + + Suggested value: 15 + + TCP_SPACE must be at least 0 and at most 255 (the value 0 + implies having one context). This field is not used for CRTP + (PW type 0x001B) and ECRTP (PW type 0x001B) PWs. For these PW + types, it should be set to its suggested value by the sender + and ignored by the receiver. + + NON_TCP_SPACE + The NON_TCP_SPACE field is two octets and indicates the maximum + value of a context identifier in the space of context + identifiers allocated for non-TCP. These context identifiers + are carried in COMPRESSED_NON_TCP, COMPRESSED_UDP and + COMPRESSED_RTP packet headers. + + Suggested value: 15 + + NON_TCP_SPACE must be at least 0 and at most 65535 (the value 0 + implies having one context). + + F_MAX_PERIOD + Maximum interval between full headers. No more than + F_MAX_PERIOD COMPRESSED_NON_TCP headers may be sent between + FULL_HEADER headers. + + Suggested value: 256 + + A value of zero implies infinity, i.e., there is no limit to + the number of consecutive COMPRESSED_NON_TCP headers. This + field is not used for CRTP (PW type 0x001B) and ECRTP (PW type + 0x001B) PWs. For these PW types, it should be set to its + suggested value by the sender and ignored by the receiver. + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 16] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + F_MAX_TIME + Maximum time interval between full headers. COMPRESSED_NON_TCP + headers may not be sent more than F_MAX_TIME seconds after + sending the last FULL_HEADER header. + + Suggested value: 5 seconds + + A value of zero implies infinity. This field is not used for + CRTP (PW type 0x001B) and ECRTP (PW type 0x001B) PWs. For + these PW types, it should be set to its suggested value by the + sender and ignored by the receiver. + + MAX_HEADER + The largest header size in octets that may be compressed. + + Suggested value: 168 octets + + The value of MAX_HEADER should be large enough so that at least + the outer network layer header can be compressed. To increase + compression efficiency MAX_HEADER should be set to a value + large enough to cover common combinations of network and + transport layer headers. + + suboptions + The suboptions field consists of zero or more suboptions. Each + suboption consists of a type field, a length field and zero or + more parameter octets, as defined by the suboption type. The + value of the length field indicates the length of the suboption + in its entirety, including the lengths of the type and length + fields. + + 0 1 2 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | Parameters...| + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + +4.2.2. RTP-Compression Suboption [RFC3544] + + The RTP-Compression suboption is included in the NCP IP-Compression- + Protocol option for IPHC if IP/UDP/RTP compression is to be enabled. + This suboption MUST be included for CRTP PWs (0x001C) and MUST NOT be + included for other PW types. + + Inclusion of the RTP-Compression suboption enables use of additional + Protocol Identifiers COMPRESSED_RTP and COMPRESSED_UDP along with + additional forms of CONTEXT_STATE as specified in [RFC2508]. + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 17] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + Description + + Enables the use of Protocol Identifiers COMPRESSED_RTP, + COMPRESSED_UDP, and CONTEXT_STATE as specified in [RFC2508]. + + 0 1 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Type + 1 + + Length + 2 + +4.2.3. Enhanced RTP-Compression Suboption [RFC3544] + + To use the enhanced RTP HC defined in [RFC3545], a new suboption 2 is + added. Suboption 2 is negotiated instead of, not in addition to, + suboption 1. This suboption MUST be included for ECRTP PWs (0x001B) + and MUST NOT be included for other PW types. + + Note that suboption 1 refers to the RTP-Compression Suboption, as + specified in Section 4.2.2, and suboption 2 refers to the Enhanced + RTP-Compression Suboption, as specified in Section 4.2.3. These + suboptions MUST NOT occur together. If they do (e.g., if + misconfigured), a decompressor MUST reject this option and send an + explicit error message to the compressor [RFC3544]. + + Description + + Enables the use of Protocol Identifiers COMPRESSED_RTP and + CONTEXT_STATE as specified in [RFC2508]. In addition, it enables + the use of [RFC3545] compliant compression including the use of + Protocol Identifier COMPRESSED_UDP with additional flags and use + of the C flag with the FULL_HEADER Protocol Identifier to indicate + use of HDRCKSUM with COMPRESSED_RTP and COMPRESSED_UDP packets. + + 0 1 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Type + 2 + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 18] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + Length + 2 + +4.2.4. Negotiating Header Compression for Only TCP or Only Non-TCP + Packets [RFC3544] + + In [RFC3544] it was not possible to negotiate only TCP HC or only + non-TCP HC because a value of 0 in the TCP_SPACE or the NON_TCP_SPACE + fields actually means that 1 context is negotiated. + + A new suboption 3 is added to allow specifying that the number of + contexts for TCP_SPACE or NON_TCP_SPACE is zero, disabling use of the + corresponding compression. This suboption MUST be included for IPHC + PWs (0x001C) and MUST NOT be included for other PW types. + + Description + + Enable HC for only TCP or only non-TCP packets. + + 0 1 2 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | Parameter | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Type + 3 + + Length + 3 + + Parameter + + The parameter is 1 byte with one of the following values: + + 1 = the number of contexts for TCP_SPACE is 0 + 2 = the number of contexts for NON_TCP_SPACE is 0 + + This suboption overrides the values that were previously assigned to + TCP_SPACE and NON_TCP_SPACE in the IP HC option. + + If suboption 3 is included multiple times with parameter 1 and 2, + compression is disabled for all packets. + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 19] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +4.2.5. Configuration Option Format [RFC3241] + + Both the network control protocol for IPv4, IPCP [RFC1332] and the + IPv6 NCP, IPV6CP [RFC2472] may be used to negotiate IP HC parameters + for their respective controlled protocols. The format of the + configuration option is the same for both IPCP and IPV6CP. This + configuration option MUST be included for ROHC PW types and MUST NOT + be included for ECRTP, CRTP, and IPHC PW types. A decompressor MUST + reject this option (if misconfigured) for ECRTP, CRTP, and IPHC PW + types, and send an explicit error message to the compressor + [RFC3544]. + + Description + + This NCP configuration option is used to negotiate parameters for + ROHC. The option format is summarized below. The fields are + transmitted from left to right. + + 0 1 2 3 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | IP-Compression-Protocol | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | MAX_CID | MRRU | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | MAX_HEADER | suboptions... | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Type + 2 + + Length + >= 10 + + The length may be increased if the presence of additional + parameters is indicated by additional suboptions. + + IP-Compression-Protocol + 0003 (hex) + + MAX_CID + The MAX_CID field is two octets and indicates the maximum value of + a context identifier. + + Suggested value: 15 + + MAX_CID must be at least 0 and at most 16383 (The value 0 implies + having one context). + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 20] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + MRRU + The MRRU field is two octets and indicates the maximum + reconstructed reception unit (see [RFC3095bis], Section 5.1.2). + + Suggested value: 0 + + MAX_HEADER + The largest header size in octets that may be compressed. + + Suggested value: 168 octets + + The value of MAX_HEADER should be large enough so that at least + the outer network layer header can be compressed. To increase + compression efficiency MAX_HEADER should be set to a value large + enough to cover common combinations of network and transport layer + headers. + + NOTE: The four ROHC profiles defined in RFC 3095 do not provide + for a MAX_HEADER parameter. The parameter MAX_HEADER defined by + this document is therefore without consequence in these profiles + because the maximum compressible header size is unspecified. + Other profiles (e.g., ones based on RFC 2507) can make use of the + parameter by explicitly referencing it. + + suboptions + The suboptions field consists of zero or more suboptions. Each + suboption consists of a type field, a length field, and zero or + more parameter octets, as defined by the suboption type. The + value of the length field indicates the length of the suboption in + its entirety, including the lengths of the type and length fields. + + 0 1 2 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | Parameters...| + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + +4.2.6. PROFILES Suboption [RFC3241] + + The set of profiles to be enabled is subject to negotiation. Most + initial implementations of ROHC implement profiles 0x0000 to 0x0003. + This option MUST be supplied. + + Description + + Define the set of profiles supported by the decompressor. + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 21] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + 0 1 2 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Type | Length | Profiles... | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Type + 1 + + Length + 2n+2 + + Value + n octet-pairs in ascending order, each octet-pair specifying a + ROHC profile supported. + + HC flow identification is being done now in many ways. Since there + are multiple possible approaches to the problem, no specific method + is specified in this document. + +4.3. Encapsulation of Header Compressed Packets + + The HC control parameter is used to identify the packet types for + IPHC [RFC2507], CRTP [RFC2508], and ECRTP [RFC3545], as shown in + Figure 4: + + 1 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + |0 0 0 0|Pkt Typ| Length |Res| + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + + Figure 4: HC Control Parameter + + where: + + "Packet Type" encoding: + 0: ROHC Small-CIDs + 1: ROHC Large-CIDs + 2: FULL_HEADER + 3: COMPRESSED_TCP + 4: COMPRESSED_TCP_NODELTA + 5: COMPRESSED_NON_TCP + 6: COMPRESSED_RTP_8 + 7: COMPRESSED_RTP_16 + 8: COMPRESSED_UDP_8 + 9: COMPRESSED_UDP_16 + 10: CONTEXT_STATE + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 22] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + 11-15: Not yet assigned. (See Section 8, "IANA Considerations", + for discussion of the registration rules.) + + As discussed in [ECMP-AVOID], since this MPLS payload type is not IP, + the first nibble is set to 0000 to avoid being mistaken for IP. This + is also consistent with the encoding of the PW MPLS control word + (PWMCW) described in [RFC4385]; however, the HC control parameter is + not intended to be a PWMCW. + + Note that ROHC [RFC3095, RFC3095bis] provides its own packet type + within the protocol; however, the HC control parameter MUST still be + used to avoid the problems identified above. Since the "Packet Type" + will be there anyway, it is used to indicate ROHC CID size, in the + same way as with PPP. + + The HC control parameter length field is ONLY used for short packets + because padding may be appended by the Ethernet Data Link Layer. If + the length is greater than or equal to 64 octets, the length field + MUST be set to zero. If the MPLS payload is less than 64 bytes, then + the length field MUST be set to the length of the PW payload plus the + length of the HC control parameter. Note that the last 2 bits in the + HC control parameter are reserved. + +4.4. Packet Reordering + + Packet reordering for ROHC is discussed in [RFC4224], which is a + useful source of information. In case of lossy links and other + reasons for reordering, implementation adaptations are needed to + allow all the schemes to be used in this case. Although CRTP is + viewed as having risks for a number of PW environments due to + reordering and loss, it is still the protocol of choice in many + cases. CRTP was designed for reliable point to point links with + short delays. It does not perform well over links with a high rate + of packet loss, packet reordering, and long delays. In such cases, + ECRTP [RFC3545] may be considered to increase robustness to both + packet loss and misordering between the compressor and the + decompressor. This is achieved by repeating updates and sending of + absolute (uncompressed) values in addition to delta values for + selected context parameters. IPHC should use TCP_NODELTA, ECRTP + should send absolute values, ROHC should be adapted as discussed in + [RFC4224]. An evaluation and simulation of ECRTP and ROHC reordering + is given in [REORDER-EVAL]. + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 23] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +5. HC Pseudowire Setup Example + + This example will trace the setup of an MPLS PW supporting bi- + directional ECRTP [RFC3545] traffic. The example assumes the + topology shown in Figure 1. The PW will be set up between LSRs R1/HC + and R4/HD. LSRs R2 and R3 have no direct involvement in the + signaling for this PW, other than to transport the signaling traffic. + + For this example, it is assumed that R1/HC has already obtained the + IP address of R4/HD used for LDP signaling, and vice versa, that both + R1/HC and R4/HD have been configured with the same 32-bit PW ID, as + described in Section 5.2 of [RFC4447], and that R1/HC has been + configured to initiate the LDP discovery process. Furthermore, we + assume that R1/HC has been configured to receive a maximum of 200 + simultaneous ECRTP flows from R4/HD, and R4/HD has been configured to + receive a maximum of 255 ECRTP flows from R1/HC. + + Assuming that there is no existing LDP session between R1/HC and + R4/HD, the PW signaling must start by setting up an LDP session + between them. As described earlier in this document, LDP extended + discovery is used between HC over MPLS LSRs. Since R1/HC has been + configured to initiate extended discovery, it will send LDP Targeted + Hello messages to R4/HD's IP address at UDP port 646. The Targeted + Hello messages sent by R1/HC will have the "R" bit set in the Common + Hello Parameters TLV, requesting R4/HD to send Targeted Hello + messages back to R1/HC. Since R4/HD has been configured to set up an + HC PW with R1/HD, R4/HD will do as requested and send LDP Targeted + Hello messages as unicast UDP packets to UDP port 646 of R1/HC's IP + address. + + When R1/HC receives a Targeted Hello message from R4/HD, it may begin + establishing an LDP session to R4/HD. It starts this by initiating a + TCP connection on port 646 to R4/HD's signaling IP address. After + successful TCP connection establishment, R1/HC sends an LDP + Initialization message to R4/HD with the following characteristics: + + When R1/HC receives a Targeted Hello message from R4/HD, it may begin + establishing an LDP session to R4/HD. The procedure described in + Section 2.5.2 of [RFC3036] is used to determine which LSR is the + active LSR and which is the passive LSR. Assume that R1/HC has the + numerically higher IP address and therefore takes the active role. + R1/HC starts by initiating a TCP connection on port 646 to R4/HD's + signaling IP address. After successful TCP connection establishment, + R1/HC sends an LDP Initialization message to R4/HD with the following + characteristics: + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 24] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + o Common Session Parameters TLV: + - A bit = 0 (Downstream Unsolicited Mode) + - D bit = 0 (Loop Detection Disabled) + - PVLim = 0 (required when D bit = 0) + - Receive LDP identifier (taken from R4/HD's Hello message) + > 4 octets LSR identifier (typically an IP address with IPv4) + > 2 octet Label space identifier (typically 0) + o No Optional Parameters TLV + + Following the LDP session initialization state machine of Section + 2.5.4 of [RFC3036], R4/HD would send a similar Initialization message + to R1/HD. The primary difference would be that R4/HD would use the + LDP identifier it received in R1/HC's Hello message(s) as the Receive + LDP identifier. Assuming that all other fields in the Common Session + Parameters TLV were acceptable to both sides, R1/HC would send an LDP + Keepalive message to R4/HD, R4/HD would send a LDP Keepalive message + to R1/HC, and the LDP session would become operational. + + At this point, either R1/HC or R4/HD may send LDP Label Mapping + messages to configure the PW. The Label Mapping message sent by a + particular router advertises the label that should be used at the + bottom of the MPLS label stack for all packets sent to that router + and associated with the particular PW. The Label Mapping message + sent from R1/HC to R4/HD would have the following characteristics: + + o FEC TLV + - FEC Element type 0x80 (PWid FEC Element, as defined in [RFC4447] + - Control Parameter bit = 1 (Control Parameter present) + - PW type = 0x001B (ECRTP [RFC3545]) + - Group ID as chosen by R1/HC + - PW ID = the configured value for this PW, which must be the same + as that sent in the Label Mapping message by R4/HD + - Interface Parameter Sub-TLVs + > Interface MTU sub-TLV (Type 0x01) + > CRTP/ECRTP/IPHC HC over MPLS configuration sub-TLV (Type 0x0F) + + Type = 2 (From RFC 3544) + + Length = 16 + + TCP_SPACE = Don't Care (leave at suggested value = 15) + + NON_TCP_SPACE = 200 (configured on R1) + + F_MAX_PERIOD = Don't Care (leave at suggested value = 256) + + F_MAX_TIME = Don't Care (leave at suggested value = 5 + seconds) + + MAX_HEADER = 168 (Suggested Value) + + Enhanced RTP-Compression Suboption + & Type = 2 + & Length = 2 + o Label TLV - contains label selected by R1, Lr1 + o No Optional Parameters + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 25] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + The Label Mapping message sent from R4/HD to R1/HC would be almost + identical to the one sent in the opposite direction, with the + following exceptions: + + o R4/HD could select a different Group ID + o The Value of NON_TCP_SPACE in the CRTP/ECRTP/IPHC HC over MPLS + configuration sub-TLV would be 255 instead of 200, as configured + on R4/HD + o R4/HD would choose its own value for the Label TLV, Lr4 + + As soon as either R1/HC or R4/HD has both transmitted and received + Label Mapping Messages with the same PW Type and PW ID, that HC + endpoint considers the PW established. R1/HC could send ECRTP + packets using the label it received in the Label Mapping Message from + R4/HD, Lr4, and could identify received ECRTP packets by the label it + had sent to R4/HD, Lr1. And vice versa. + + In this case, assume that R1/HC has an IPv4 RTP flow to send to R4/HD + that it wishes to compress using the ECRTP PW just set up. The RTP + flow is G.729 media with 20 bytes of payload in each RTP packet. In + this particular case, the IPv4 identifier changes by a small constant + value between consecutive packets in the stream. In the RTP layer of + the flow, the Contributing Source Identifiers count is 0. R1/HC + decides to use 8-bit Context Identifiers for the compressed flow. + Also, R1/HC determines that compression in this particular flow + should be able to recover from the loss of 2 consecutive packets + without requiring re-synchronization of the context (i.e., the "N" + value from [RFC3545] is 2). + + The first 3 (N + 1) packets of this flow would be sent as FULL_HEADER + packets. The MPLS and PW headers at the beginning of these packets + would be formatted as follows: + + 0 1 2 3 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Label | Exp |S| TTL | + | XX | XX |0| XX | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Label | Exp |S| TTL | + | Lr4 | XX |1| >0 | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | |Pkt Typ| Length |Res| + |0 0 0 0| 2 | 62 |0 0| + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + ^ + | + -- 2 == FULL_HEADER + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 26] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + where XX signifies either + a. value determined by the MPLS routing layer + b. don't care + + Immediately following the above header would come the FULL_HEADER + packet as defined in [RFC3545], which basically consists of the + IP/UDP/RTP header, with the IP and UDP length field replaced by + values encoding the CID, sequence number, and "generation", as + defined in [RFC3545]. The length field value of 62 comprises: + + o 2 bytes of HC control parameter (included in the above diagram) + o 20 bytes of the IP header portion of the RFC 3545 FULL_HEADER + o 8 bytes of the UDP header portion of the RFC 3545 FULL_HEADER + o 12 bytes of the RTP header portion of the RFC 3545 FULL_HEADER + o 20 bytes of G.729 payload + + The next 3 RTP packets from this flow would be sent as + COMPRESSED_UDP_8, to establish the absolute and delta values of the + IPv4 identifier and RTP timestamp fields. These packets would use + the same ECRTP CID as the previous 3 FULL_HEADER packets. The MPLS + and PW headers at the beginning of these packets would be formatted + as follows: + + 0 1 2 3 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Label | Exp |S| TTL | + | XX | XX |0| XX | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Label | Exp |S| TTL | + | Lr4 | XX |1| >0 | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | |Pkt Typ| Length |Res| + |0 0 0 0| 8 | 36 |0 0| + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + ^ + | + -- 8 == COMPRESSED_UDP_8 + + There is no change in the MPLS label stack between the FULL_HEADER + packets and the COMPRESSED_UDP packets. The HC control parameter + changes to reflect another ECRTP packet type following the control + parameter, and a change of packet length. The length changes because + the new packet type more compactly encodes the headers. The length + field value of 36 comprises: + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 27] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + o 2 bytes of HC control parameter (included in the above diagram) + o 1 byte of CID + o 2 bytes of COMPRESSED_UDP fields that are not octet-aligned: + - 4 bits of COMPRESSED_UDP flags + - 4 bits of sequence number + - 5 bits of COMPRESSED UDP extension flags + - 3 bits MUST_BE_ZERO + o 2 bytes of UDP checksum or HDRCKSUM + o 1 byte of delta IPv4 ID + o 2 bytes of delta RTP timestamp (changes by 160 in this case, + differential encoding will encode as 2 bytes) + o 2 bytes of absolute IPv4 ID + o 4 bytes of absolute RTP timestamp + o 20 bytes of G.729 payload + + After the context for the IPv4 ID and RTP timestamp is initialized. + Subsequent packets on this flow, at least until the end of the talk + spurt or until there is some other unexpected change in the + IP/UDP/RTP headers, may be sent as COMPRESSED_RTP_8 packets. Again, + the same MPLS stack would be used for these packets, and the same + value of the CID would be used in this case as for the packets + described above. The MPLS and PW headers at the beginning of these + packets would be formatted as follows: + + 0 1 2 3 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Label | Exp |S| TTL | + | XX | XX |0| XX | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | Label | Exp |S| TTL | + | Lr4 | XX |1| >0 | + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + | |Pkt Typ| Length |Res| + |0 0 0 0| 6 | 26 |0 0| + +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ + ^ + | + -- 6 == COMPRESSED_RTP_8 + + The HC control parameter again changes to reflect another ECRTP + packet type following the control parameter, and shorter length + associated with an even more compact encoding of headers. The length + field value of 26 comprises: + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 28] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + o 2 bytes of HC control parameter (included in the above diagram) + o 1 byte of CID + o 1 byte COMPRESSED_UDP fields that are not octet-aligned: + - 4 bits of COMPRESSED_RTP flags + - 4 bits of sequence number + o 2 bytes of UDP checksum or HDRCKSUM + o 20 bytes of G.729 payload + + Additional flows in the same direction may be compressed using the + same basic encapsulation, including the same PW label. The CID that + is part of the HC protocol is used to differentiate flows. For + traffic in the opposite direction, the primary change would be the PW + label, Lr4, used in the example above would be replaced by the label + Lr1 that R1/HC provides to R4/HD. + +6. Security Considerations + + MPLS PW security considerations in general are discussed in [RFC3985] + and [RFC4447], and those considerations also apply to this document. + This document specifies an encapsulation and not the protocols that + may be used to carry the encapsulated packets across the PSN, or the + protocols being encapsulated. Each such protocol may have its own + set of security issues, but those issues are not affected by the + encapsulations specified herein. + + The security considerations of the supported HC protocols [RFC2507, + RFC2508, RFC3095, RFC3095bis, RFC3545] all apply to this document as + well. + +7. Acknowledgements + + The authors appreciate valuable inputs and suggestions from Loa + Andersson, Scott Brim, Stewart Bryant, Spencer Dawkins, Adrian + Farrel, Victoria Fineberg, Eric Gray, Allison Mankin, Luca Martini, + Colin Perkins, Kristofer Sandlund, Yaakov Stein, George Swallow, Mark + Townsley, Curtis Villamizar, and Magnus Westerlund. + +8. IANA Considerations + + As discussed in Section 4.1, PW type values have been assigned by + IANA, as follows: + + 0x001A ROHC Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC3095bis] + 0x001B ECRTP Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC3545] + 0x001C IPHC Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC2507] + 0x001D CRTP Transport Header-compressed Packets [RFC2508] + + Procedures for registering new PW type values are given in [RFC4446]. + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 29] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + As discussed in Section 4.2, Pseudowire Interface Parameter Sub-TLV + type values have been specified by IANA, as follows: + + Parameter ID Length Description Reference + --------- --------------- ---------------------------- --------- + 0x0D up to 256 bytes ROHC over MPLS configuration RFC 4901 + RFC 3241 + 0x0F up to 256 bytes CRTP/ECRTP/IPHC HC over MPLS RFC 4901 + configuration RFC 3544 + + As discussed in Section 4.3, IANA has defined a new registry, "Header + Compression Over MPLS HC Control Parameter Packet Type". This is a + four-bit value. Packet Types 0 through 10 are defined in Section 4.3 + of this document. Packet Types 11 to 15 are to be assigned by IANA + using the "Expert Review" policy defined in [RFC2434]. + +9. Normative References + + [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate + Requirement Levels", RFC 2119, March 1997. + + [RFC3031] Rosen, E., Viswanathan, A., and R. Callon, + "Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture", RFC + 3031, January 2001. + + [RFC3036] Andersson, L., Doolan, P., Feldman, N., Fredette, A., + and B. Thomas, "LDP Specification", RFC 3036, January + 2001. + + [RFC3241] Bormann, C., "Robust Header Compression (ROHC) over + PPP", RFC 3241, April 2002. + + [RFC3544] Engan, M., Casner, S., Bormann, C., and T. Koren, "IP + Header Compression over PPP", RFC 3544, July 2003. + + [RFC4447] Martini, L., Ed., Rosen, E., El-Aawar, N., Smith, T., + and G. Heron, "Pseudowire Setup and Maintenance Using + the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP)", RFC 4447, + April 2006. + + + + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 30] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +10. Informative References + + [ECMP-AVOID] Swallow, G., Bryant, S., and L. Andersson, "Avoiding + Equal Cost Multipath Treatment in MPLS Networks", Work + in Progress, February 2007. + + [REORDER-EVAL] Knutsson, C., "Evaluation and Implementation of Header + Compression Algorithm ECRTP", http://epubl.luth.se/ + 1402-1617/2004/286/LTU-EX-04286-SE.pdf. + + [RFC1332] McGregor, G., "The PPP Internet Protocol Control + Protocol (IPCP)", RFC 1332, May 1992. + + [RFC1661] Simpson, W., Ed., "The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)", + STD 51, RFC 1661, July 1994. + + [RFC2434] Narten, T. and H. Alvestrand, "Guidelines for Writing + an IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26, RFC + 2434, October 1998. + + [RFC2472] Haskin, D. and E. Allen, "IP Version 6 over PPP", RFC + 2472, December 1998. + + [RFC2507] Degermark, M., Nordgren, B., and S. Pink, "IP Header + Compression", RFC 2507, February 1999. + + [RFC2508] Casner, S. and V. Jacobson, "Compressing IP/UDP/RTP + Headers for Low-Speed Serial Links", RFC 2508, + February 1999. + + [RFC3095] Bormann, C., et al., "RObust Header Compression + (ROHC): Framework and four profiles: RTP, UDP, ESP, + and uncompressed", RFC 3095, July 2001. + + [RFC3095bis] Jonsson, L-E. Pelletier, G., and K. Sandlund, "The + RObust Header Compression (ROHC) Framework", Work in + Progress, November 2006. + + [RFC3209] Awduche, D., et al., "RSVP-TE: Extensions to RSVP for + LSP Tunnels," RFC 3209, December 2001. + + [RFC3544] Koren, T., et al., "IP Header Compression over PPP," + RFC 3544, July 2003. + + [RFC3545] Koren, T., et al., "Compressing IP/UDP/RTP Headers on + Links with High Delay, Packet Loss, and Reordering," + RFC 3545, July 2003. + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 31] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + + [RFC3246] Davie, B., et al., "An Expedited Forwarding PHB (Per- + Hop Behavior)," RFC 3246, March 2002. + + [RFC3270] Le Faucheur, F., et al., "Multi-Protocol Label + Switching (MPLS) Support of Differentiated Services," + RFC 3270, May 2002. + + [RFC3550] Schulzrinne, H., et al., "RTP: A Transport Protocol + for Real-Time Applications," RFC 3550, July 2003. + + [RFC3843] Jonsson, L-E. and G. Pelletier, "RObust Header + Compression (ROHC): A Compression Profile for IP", RFC + 3843, June 2004. + + [RFC3985] Bryant, S., Pate, P., "Pseudo Wire Emulation Edge-to- + Edge (PWE3) Architecture," RFC 3985, March 2005. + + [RFC4224] Pelletier, G., et al., "RObust Header Compression + (ROHC): ROHC over Channels that can Reorder Packets," + RFC 4224, January 2006. + + [RFC4247] Ash, G., Goode, B., Hand, J., "Requirements for Header + Compression over MPLS", RFC 4247, November 2005. + + [RFC4364] Rosen, E., Rekhter, Y., "BGP/MPLS IP Virtual Private + Networks (VPN)s", RFC 4364, February 2006. + + [RFC4385] Bryant, S., et al., "Pseudowire Emulation Edge-to-Edge + (PWE3) Control Word for Use over an MPLS PSN," RFC + 4385, February 2006. + + [RFC4446] Martini, L., et al., "IANA Allocations for Pseudo Wire + Edge To Edge Emulation (PWE3)," RFC 4446, April 2006. + + [RFC4815] Jonsson, L-E., Sandlund, K., Pelletier, G., and P. + Kremer, "RObust Header Compression (ROHC): Corrections + and Clarifications to RFC 3095", RFC 4815, February + 2007. + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 32] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +11. Contributors + + Besides the editors listed below, the following people contributed to + the document: + + Bur Goode + AT&T + Phone: +1 203-341-8705 + EMail: bgoode@att.com + + Lars-Erik Jonsson + Optand 737 + SE-831 92 Ostersund, Sweden + Phone: +46 70 365 20 58 + EMail: lars-erik@lejonsson.com + + Raymond Zhang + Infonet Services Corporation + 2160 E. Grand Ave. El Segundo, CA 90025 USA + EMail: zhangr@bt.infonet.com + +Editors' Addresses + + Jerry Ash + AT&T + Email: gash5107@yahoo.com + + Jim Hand + AT&T + Room MT A2-1A03 + 200 Laurel Avenue + Middletown, NJ 07748, USA + Phone: +1 732-420-3017 + EMail: jameshand@att.com + + Andrew G. Malis + Verizon Communications + 40 Sylvan Road + Waltham, MA 02451 USA + EMail: andrew.g.malis@verizon.com + + + + + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 33] + +RFC 4901 Header Compression over MPLS Protocol June 2007 + + +Full Copyright Statement + + Copyright (C) The IETF Trust (2007). + + This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions + contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors + retain all their rights. + + This document and the information contained herein are provided on an + "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS + OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY, THE IETF TRUST AND + THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS + OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF + THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED + WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. + +Intellectual Property + + The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any + Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to + pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in + this document or the extent to which any license under such rights + might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has + made any independent effort to identify any such rights. Information + on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be + found in BCP 78 and BCP 79. + + Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any + assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an + attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of + such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this + specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository at + http://www.ietf.org/ipr. + + The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any + copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary + rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement + this standard. Please address the information to the IETF at + ietf-ipr@ietf.org. + +Acknowledgement + + Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the + Internet Society. + + + + + + + +Ash, et al. Standards Track [Page 34] + |