path: root/doc/rfc/rfc9411.txt

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                      B. Balarajah
Request for Comments: 9411                                              
Obsoletes: 3511                                          C. Rossenhoevel
Category: Informational                                         EANTC AG
ISSN: 2070-1721                                               B. Monkman
                                                              NetSecOPEN
                                                              March 2023


    Benchmarking Methodology for Network Security Device Performance

Abstract

   This document provides benchmarking terminology and methodology for
   next-generation network security devices, including next-generation
   firewalls (NGFWs) and next-generation intrusion prevention systems
   (NGIPSs).  The main areas covered in this document are test
   terminology, test configuration parameters, and benchmarking
   methodology for NGFWs and NGIPSs.  (It is assumed that readers have a
   working knowledge of these devices and the security functionality
   they contain.)  This document aims to improve the applicability,
   reproducibility, and transparency of benchmarks and to align the test
   methodology with today's increasingly complex layer 7 security-
   centric network application use cases.  As a result, this document
   makes RFC 3511 obsolete.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents
   approved by the IESG are candidates for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 7841.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9411.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2023 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the
   Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described
   in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction
   2.  Requirements Language
   3.  Scope
   4.  Test Setup
     4.1.  Testbed Configuration
     4.2.  DUT/SUT Configuration
       4.2.1.  Security Effectiveness Configuration
     4.3.  Test Equipment Configuration
       4.3.1.  Client Configuration
       4.3.2.  Backend Server Configuration
       4.3.3.  Traffic Flow Definition
       4.3.4.  Traffic Load Profile
   5.  Testbed Considerations
   6.  Reporting
     6.1.  Introduction
     6.2.  Detailed Test Results
     6.3.  Benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators
   7.  Benchmarking Tests
     7.1.  Throughput Performance with Application Traffic Mix
       7.1.1.  Objective
       7.1.2.  Test Setup
       7.1.3.  Test Parameters
       7.1.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.2.  TCP Connections Per Second with HTTP Traffic
       7.2.1.  Objective
       7.2.2.  Test Setup
       7.2.3.  Test Parameters
       7.2.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.3.  HTTP Throughput
       7.3.1.  Objective
       7.3.2.  Test Setup
       7.3.3.  Test Parameters
       7.3.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.4.  HTTP Transaction Latency
       7.4.1.  Objective
       7.4.2.  Test Setup
       7.4.3.  Test Parameters
       7.4.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.5.  Concurrent TCP Connection Capacity with HTTP Traffic
       7.5.1.  Objective
       7.5.2.  Test Setup
       7.5.3.  Test Parameters
       7.5.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.6.  TCP or QUIC Connections per Second with HTTPS Traffic
       7.6.1.  Objective
       7.6.2.  Test Setup
       7.6.3.  Test Parameters
       7.6.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.7.  HTTPS Throughput
       7.7.1.  Objective
       7.7.2.  Test Setup
       7.7.3.  Test Parameters
       7.7.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.8.  HTTPS Transaction Latency
       7.8.1.  Objective
       7.8.2.  Test Setup
       7.8.3.  Test Parameters
       7.8.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
     7.9.  Concurrent TCP or QUIC Connection Capacity with HTTPS
           Traffic
       7.9.1.  Objective
       7.9.2.  Test Setup
       7.9.3.  Test Parameters
       7.9.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
   8.  IANA Considerations
   9.  Security Considerations
   10. References
     10.1.  Normative References
     10.2.  Informative References
   Appendix A.  Test Methodology - Security Effectiveness Evaluation
     A.1.  Test Objective
     A.2.  Testbed Setup
     A.3.  Test Parameters
       A.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
       A.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
     A.4.  Test Results Validation Criteria
     A.5.  Measurement
     A.6.  Test Procedures and Expected Results
       A.6.1.  Step 1: Background Traffic
       A.6.2.  Step 2: CVE Emulation
   Appendix B.  DUT/SUT Classification
   Acknowledgements
   Contributors
   Authors' Addresses

1.  Introduction

   It has been 18 years since the IETF initially recommended test
   methodology and terminology for firewalls [RFC3511].  Firewalls have
   evolved significantly from the days of simple access control list
   (ACL) filters.  As the underlying technology progresses and improves,
   recommending test methodology and terminology for firewalls,
   requirements, and expectations for network security elements has
   increased tremendously.  Security function implementations have
   evolved and diversified into intrusion detection and prevention,
   threat management, analysis of encrypted traffic, and more.  In an
   industry of growing importance, well-defined and reproducible key
   performance indicators (KPIs) are increasingly needed to enable fair
   and reasonable comparisons of network security functions.  These
   reasons led to the creation of a new next-generation network security
   device benchmarking document, which makes [RFC3511] obsolete.  The
   measurement of performance for processing IP-fragmented traffic (see
   Section 5.9 of [RFC3511])is not included in this document since IP
   fragmentation does not commonly occur in traffic anymore, unlike how
   it might have at the time when [RFC3511] was written.  It should also
   be noted that [RFC2647] retains significant value and was consulted
   frequently while creating this document.

   For a more detailed explanation of what an NGFW is, see the Wikipedia
   article [Wiki-NGFW].

2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
   BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

3.  Scope

   This document provides testing terminology and testing methodology
   for modern and next-generation network security devices that are
   configured in Active ("Inline", see Figures 1 and 2) mode.  It covers
   the validation of security effectiveness configurations of network
   security devices, followed by performance benchmark testing.  This
   document focuses on advanced, realistic, and reproducible testing
   methods.  Additionally, it describes testbed environments, test tool
   requirements, and test result formats.

   The performance testing methodology described in this document is not
   intended for security devices or systems that rely on machine
   learning or behavioral analysis.  If such features are present in a
   Device Under Test / System Under Test (DUT/SUT), they should be
   disabled.

4.  Test Setup

   The test setup defined in this document applies to all benchmarking
   tests described in Section 7.  The test setup MUST be contained
   within an isolated test environment (see Section 3 of [RFC6815]).

4.1.  Testbed Configuration

   Testbed configuration MUST ensure that any performance implications
   that are discovered during the benchmark testing aren't due to the
   inherent physical network limitations, such as the number of physical
   links and forwarding performance capabilities (throughput and
   latency) of the network devices in the testbed.  For this reason,
   this document recommends avoiding external devices, such as switches
   and routers, in the testbed wherever possible.

   In some deployment scenarios, the network security devices (DUT/SUT)
   are connected to routers and switches, which will reduce the number
   of entries in MAC (Media Access Control) or Address Resolution
   Protocol / Neighbor Discovery (ARP/ND) tables of the DUT/SUT.  If MAC
   or ARP/ND tables have many entries, this may impact the actual DUT/
   SUT performance due to MAC and ARP/ND table lookup processes.  This
   document also recommends using test equipment with the capability of
   emulating layer 3 routing functionality instead of adding external
   routers in the testbed.

   The testbed setup for Option 1 (Figure 1) is the RECOMMENDED testbed
   setup for the benchmarking test.

   +-----------------------+                   +-----------------------+
   | +-------------------+ |   +-----------+   | +-------------------+ |
   | | Emulated Router(s)| |   |           |   | | Emulated Router(s)| |
   | |    (Optional)     | +----- DUT/SUT  +-----+    (Optional)     | |
   | +-------------------+ |   |           |   | +-------------------+ |
   | +-------------------+ |   +-----------+   | +-------------------+ |
   | |     Clients       | |                   | |      Servers      | |
   | +-------------------+ |                   | +-------------------+ |
   |                       |                   |                       |
   |   Test Equipment      |                   |   Test Equipment      |
   +-----------------------+                   +-----------------------+

                     Figure 1: Testbed Setup - Option 1

   If the test equipment used is not capable of emulating OSI layer 3
   routing functionality or if the number of used ports is mismatched
   between the test equipment and the DUT/SUT (which is needed for test
   equipment port aggregation), the test setup can be configured as
   shown in Figure 2.

    +-------------------+      +-----------+      +--------------------+
    |Aggregation Switch/|      |           |      | Aggregation Switch/|
    | Router            +------+  DUT/SUT  +------+ Router             |
    |                   |      |           |      |                    |
    +----------+--------+      +-----------+      +--------+-----------+
               |                                           |
               |                                           |
   +-----------+-----------+                   +-----------+-----------+
   |                       |                   |                       |
   | +-------------------+ |                   | +-------------------+ |
   | | Emulated Router(s)| |                   | | Emulated Router(s)| |
   | |     (Optional)    | |                   | |     (Optional)    | |
   | +-------------------+ |                   | +-------------------+ |
   | +-------------------+ |                   | +-------------------+ |
   | |      Clients      | |                   | |      Servers      | |
   | +-------------------+ |                   | +-------------------+ |
   |                       |                   |                       |
   |    Test Equipment     |                   |    Test Equipment     |
   +-----------------------+                   +-----------------------+

                     Figure 2: Testbed Setup - Option 2

4.2.  DUT/SUT Configuration

   The same DUT/SUT configuration MUST be used for all benchmarking
   tests described in Section 7.  Since each DUT/SUT will have its own
   unique configuration, users MUST configure their devices with the
   same parameters and security features that would be used in the
   actual deployment of the device or a typical deployment.  The DUT/SUT
   MUST be configured in "Inline" mode so that the traffic is actively
   inspected by the DUT/SUT.

   Tables 2 and 3 below describe the RECOMMENDED and OPTIONAL sets of
   network security features for NGFWs and NGIPSs, respectively.  If the
   recommended security features are not enabled in the DUT/SUT for any
   reason, the reason MUST be reported with the benchmarking test
   results.  For example, one reason for not enabling the anti-virus
   feature in an NGFW may be that this security feature was not required
   for a particular customer deployment scenario.  It MUST be also noted
   in the benchmarking test report that not enabling the specific
   recommended security features may impact the performance of the DUT/
   SUT.  The selected security features MUST be consistently enabled on
   the DUT/SUT for all benchmarking tests described in Section 7.

   To improve repeatability, a summary of the DUT/SUT configuration,
   including a description of all enabled DUT/SUT features, MUST be
   published with the benchmarking results.

   The following table provides a brief description of the security
   feature; these are approximate taxonomies of features commonly found
   in currently deployed NGFWs and NGIPSs.  The features provided by
   specific implementations may be named differently and not necessarily
   have configuration settings that align with the taxonomy.

   +================+==================================================+
   | DUT/SUT        | Description                                      |
   | Features       |                                                  |
   +================+==================================================+
   | TLS Inspection | The DUT/SUT intercepts and decrypts              |
   |                | inbound HTTPS traffic between servers and        |
   |                | clients.  Once the content inspection has        |
   |                | been completed, the DUT/SUT encrypts the         |
   |                | HTTPS traffic with ciphers and keys used         |
   |                | by the clients and servers.  For TLS 1.3,        |
   |                | the DUT works as a middlebox (proxy) and         |
   |                | holds the certificates and Pre-Shared Keys       |
   |                | (PSKs) that are trusted by the client and        |
   |                | represent the identity of the real server.       |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | IDS/IPS        | The DUT/SUT detects and blocks exploits          |
   |                | targeting known and unknown                      |
   |                | vulnerabilities across the monitored             |
   |                | network.                                         |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Anti-Malware   | The DUT/SUT detects and prevents the             |
   |                | transmission of malicious executable code        |
   |                | and any associated communications across         |
   |                | the monitored network.  This includes data       |
   |                | exfiltration as well as command and              |
   |                | control channels.                                |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Anti-Spyware   | Anti-Spyware is a subcategory of Anti-           |
   |                | Malware.  Spyware transmits information          |
   |                | without the user's knowledge or                  |
   |                | permission.  The DUT/SUT detects and             |
   |                | blocks the initial infection or                  |
   |                | transmission of data.                            |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Anti-Botnet    | The DUT/SUT detects and blocks traffic to        |
   |                | or from botnets.                                 |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Anti-Evasion   | The DUT/SUT detects and mitigates attacks        |
   |                | that have been obfuscated in some manner.        |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Web Filtering  | The DUT/SUT detects and blocks malicious         |
   |                | websites, including defined                      |
   |                | classifications of websites across the           |
   |                | monitored network.                               |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Data Loss      | The DUT/SUT detects and prevents data            |
   | Protection     | breaches and data exfiltration, or it            |
   | (DLP)          | detects and blocks the transmission of           |
   |                | sensitive data across the monitored              |
   |                | network.                                         |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Certificate    | The DUT/SUT validates certificates used in       |
   | Validation     | encrypted communications across the              |
   |                | monitored network.                               |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Logging and    | The DUT/SUT logs and reports all traffic         |
   | Reporting      | at the flow level across the monitored           |
   |                | network.                                         |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Application    | The DUT/SUT detects known applications as        |
   | Identification | defined within the traffic mix selected          |
   |                | across the monitored network.                    |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
   | Deep Packet    | The DUT/SUT inspects the content of the          |
   | Inspection     | data packet.                                     |
   | (DPI)          |                                                  |
   +----------------+--------------------------------------------------+

                   Table 1: Security Feature Description

          +============================+=============+==========+
          | DUT/SUT (NGFW) Features    | RECOMMENDED | OPTIONAL |
          +============================+=============+==========+
          | TLS Inspection             |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | IDS/IPS                    |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Anti-Spyware               |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Anti-Virus                 |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Anti-Botnet                |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Anti-Evasion               |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Web Filtering              |             |    x     |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Data Loss Protection (DLP) |             |    x     |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | DDoS Protection            |             |    x     |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Certificate Validation     |             |    x     |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+
          | Application Identification |      x      |          |
          +----------------------------+-------------+----------+

                      Table 2: NGFW Security Features

         +==============================+=============+==========+
         | DUT/SUT (NGIPS) Features     | RECOMMENDED | OPTIONAL |
         +==============================+=============+==========+
         | TLS Inspection               |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+
         | Anti-Malware                 |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+
         | Anti-Spyware                 |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+
         | Anti-Botnet                  |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+
         | Application Identification   |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+
         | Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+
         | Anti-Evasion                 |      x      |          |
         +------------------------------+-------------+----------+

                      Table 3: NGIPS Security Features

   Note: With respect to TLS Inspection, there are scenarios where it
   will be optional.

   Below is a summary of the DUT/SUT configuration:

   *  The DUT/SUT MUST be configured in "Inline" mode.

   *  "Fail-Open" behavior MUST be disabled.

   *  All RECOMMENDED security features are enabled.

   *  Logging and reporting MUST be enabled.  The DUT/SUT SHOULD log all
      traffic at the flow level (5-tuple).  If the DUT/SUT is designed
      to log all traffic at different levels (e.g., IP packet levels),
      it is acceptable to conduct tests.  However, this MUST be noted in
      the test report.  Logging to an external device is permissible.

   *  Geographical location filtering SHOULD be configured.  If the DUT/
      SUT is not designed to perform geographical location filtering, it
      is acceptable to conduct tests without this feature.  However,
      this MUST be noted in the test report.

   *  Application Identification and Control MUST be configured to
      trigger applications from the defined traffic mix.

   In addition, a realistic number of access control lists (ACLs) SHOULD
   be configured on the DUT/SUT where ACLs are configurable and
   reasonable based on the deployment scenario.  For example, it is
   acceptable not to configure ACLs in an NGIPS since NGIPS devices do
   not require the use of ACLs in most deployment scenarios.  This
   document determines the number of access policy rules for four
   different classes of the DUT/SUT: Extra Small (XS), Small (S), Medium
   (M), and Large (L).  A sample DUT/SUT classification is described in
   Appendix B.

   The ACLs defined in Table 4 MUST be configured from top to bottom in
   the correct order, as shown in the table.  This is due to ACL types
   listed in specificity-decreasing order, with "block" first, followed
   by "allow", representing a typical ACL-based security policy.  The
   ACL entries MUST be configured with routable IP prefixes by the DUT/
   SUT, where applicable.  (Note: There will be differences between how
   security vendors implement ACL decision making.)  The configured ACL
   MUST NOT block the test traffic used for the benchmarking tests.

   +===================================================+==============+
   |                                                   |DUT/SUT       |
   |                                                   |Classification|
   |                                                   |# Rules       |
   +=============+=============+==============+========+===+==+===+===+
   | Rules Type  | Match       | Description  | Action |XS |S |M  |L  |
   |             | Criteria    |              |        |   |  |   |   |
   +=============+=============+==============+========+===+==+===+===+
   | Application | Application | Any          | block  |5  |10|20 |50 |
   | layer       |             | application  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | not included |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | in the       |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | measurement  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | traffic      |        |   |  |   |   |
   +-------------+-------------+--------------+--------+---+--+---+---+
   | Transport   | SRC IP and  | Any SRC IP   | block  |25 |50|100|250|
   | layer       | TCP/UDP DST | prefix used  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             | ports       | and any DST  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | ports not    |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | used in the  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | measurement  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | traffic      |        |   |  |   |   |
   +-------------+-------------+--------------+--------+---+--+---+---+
   | IP layer    | SRC/DST IP  | Any SRC/DST  | block  |25 |50|100|250|
   |             |             | IP subnet    |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | not used in  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | the          |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | measurement  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | traffic      |        |   |  |   |   |
   +-------------+-------------+--------------+--------+---+--+---+---+
   | Application | Application | Half of the  | allow  |10 |10|10 |10 |
   | layer       |             | applications |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | included in  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | the          |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | measurement  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | traffic (see |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | the note     |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | below)       |        |   |  |   |   |
   +-------------+-------------+--------------+--------+---+--+---+---+
   | Transport   | SRC IP and  | Half of the  | allow  |>1 |>1|>1 |>1 |
   | layer       | TCP/UDP DST | SRC IPs used |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             | ports       | and any DST  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | ports used   |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | in the       |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | measurement  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | traffic (one |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | rule per     |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | subnet)      |        |   |  |   |   |
   +-------------+-------------+--------------+--------+---+--+---+---+
   | IP layer    | SRC IP      | The rest of  | allow  |>1 |>1|>1 |>1 |
   |             |             | the SRC IP   |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | prefix range |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | used in the  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | measurement  |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | traffic (one |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | rule per     |        |   |  |   |   |
   |             |             | subnet)      |        |   |  |   |   |
   +-------------+-------------+--------------+--------+---+--+---+---+

                       Table 4: DUT/SUT Access List

   Note 1: Based on the test customer's specific use case, the testers
   can increase the number of rules.

   Note 2: If half of the applications included in the test traffic are
   less than 10, the missing number of ACL entries (placeholder rules)
   can be configured for any application traffic not included in the
   test traffic.

   Note 3: In the event that the DUT/SUT is designed to not use ACLs, it
   is acceptable to conduct tests without them.  However, this MUST be
   noted in the test report.

4.2.1.  Security Effectiveness Configuration

   The selected security features (defined in Tables 2 and 3) of the
   DUT/SUT MUST be configured effectively to detect, prevent, and report
   the defined security vulnerability sets.  This section defines the
   selection of the security vulnerability sets from the Common
   Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) list [CVE] for testing.  The
   vulnerability set should reflect a minimum of 500 CVEs from no older
   than 10 calendar years to the current year.  These CVEs should be
   selected with a focus on in-use software commonly found in business
   applications, with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)
   Severity of High (7-10).

   This document is primarily focused on performance benchmarking.
   However, it is RECOMMENDED to validate the security features
   configuration of the DUT/SUT by evaluating the security effectiveness
   as a prerequisite for performance benchmarking tests defined in
   Section 7.  In case the benchmarking tests are performed without
   evaluating security effectiveness, the test report MUST explain the
   implications of this.  The methodology for evaluating security
   effectiveness is defined in Appendix A.

4.3.  Test Equipment Configuration

   In general, test equipment allows configuring parameters in different
   protocol layers.  Extensive proof-of-concept tests conducted to
   support preparation of this document showed that benchmarking results
   are strongly affected by the choice of protocol stack parameters,
   especially OSI layer 4 transport protocol parameters.  For more
   information on how TCP and QUIC parameters will impact performance,
   review [fastly].  To achieve reproducible results that will be
   representative of real deployment scenarios, careful specification
   and documentation of the parameters are required.

   This section specifies common test equipment configuration parameters
   applicable for all benchmarking tests defined in Section 7.  Any
   benchmarking-test-specific parameters are described under the test
   setup section of each benchmarking test individually.

4.3.1.  Client Configuration

   This section specifies which parameters should be considered while
   configuring emulated client endpoints in the test equipment.  Also,
   this section specifies the RECOMMENDED values for certain parameters.
   The values are the defaults typically used in most of the client
   operating system types.

   Pre-standard evaluations have shown that it is possible to set a wide
   range of arbitrary parameters for OSI layer 4 transport protocols on
   test equipment leading to optimization of client-specific results;
   however, only well-defined common parameter sets help to establish
   meaningful and comparable benchmarking results.  For these reasons,
   this document recommends specific sets of transport protocol
   parameters to be configured on test equipment used for benchmarking.

4.3.1.1.  TCP Stack Attributes

   The TCP stack of the emulated client endpoints MUST fulfill the TCP
   requirements defined in Appendix B of [RFC9293].  In addition, this
   section specifies the RECOMMENDED values for TCP parameters
   configured using the parameters described below.

   The IPv4 and IPv6 Maximum Segment Sizes (MSSs) are set to 1460 bytes
   and 1440 bytes, respectively.  TX and RX initial receive window sizes
   are set to 65535 bytes.  The client's initial congestion window
   should not exceed 10 times the MSS.  Delayed ACKs are permitted, and
   the maximum client delayed ACK should not exceed 10 times of the MSS
   before a forced ACK; also, the maximum delayed ACK timer is allowed
   to be set to 200 ms.  Up to three retries are allowed before a
   timeout event is declared.  The TCP PSH flag is set to high in all
   traffic.  The source port range is 1024-65535.  The clients initiate
   TCP connections via a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN/ACK, ACK) and
   close TCP connections via either a TCP three-way close (FIN, FIN/ACK,
   ACK) or a TCP four-way close (FIN, ACK, FIN, ACK).

4.3.1.2.  QUIC Specification

   QUIC stack emulation on the test equipment MUST conform to [RFC9000]
   and [RFC9001].  This section specifies the RECOMMENDED values for
   certain QUIC parameters to be configured on test equipment used for
   benchmarking purposes only.  The QUIC stream type (defined in
   Section 2.1 of [RFC9000]) is set to "Client-Initiated,
   Bidirectional". 0-RTT and early data are disabled.  The QUIC
   connection termination method is an immediate close (Section 10.2 of
   [RFC9000]).  Flow control is enabled.  UDP payloads are set to the
   datagram size of 1232 bytes for IPv6 and 1252 bytes for IPv4.  In
   addition, transport parameters and default values defined in
   Section 18.2 of [RFC9000] are RECOMMENDED to configure on test
   equipment.  Also, this document references Appendices B.1 and B.2 of
   [RFC9002] for congestion-control-related constants and variables.
   Any configured QUIC and UDP parameter MUST be documented in the test
   report.

4.3.1.3.  Client IP Address Space

   The client IP space contains the following attributes.

   *  If multiple IP blocks are used, they MUST consist of multiple
      unique, discontinuous static address blocks.

   *  A default gateway MAY be used.

   *  The differentiated services code point (DSCP) marking should be
      set to Default Forwarding (DF) '000000' on the IPv4 Type of
      Service (ToS) field and IPv6 Traffic Class field.

   *  One or more extension headers MAY be used for IPv6 clients.  If
      multiple extension headers are needed for traffic emulation, this
      document references [RFC8200] to choose the correct order of the
      extension headers within an IPv6 packet.  Testing with one or more
      extension headers may impact the performance of the DUT.  The
      extension headers MUST be documented and reported.

   The following equation can be used to define the total number of
   client IP addresses that need to be configured on the test equipment.

      Desired total number of client IP addresses = Target throughput
      [Mbit/s] / Average throughput per IP address [Mbit/s]

   As shown in the example list below, the value for "Average throughput
   per IP address" can be varied depending on the deployment and use
   case scenario.

   Example 1  DUT/SUT deployment scenario 1: 6-7 Mbit/s per IP (e.g.,
              1,400-1,700 IPs per 10 Gbit/s of throughput)

   Example 2  DUT/SUT deployment scenario 2: 0.1-0.2 Mbit/s per IP
              (e.g., 50,000-100,000 IPs per 10 Gbit/s of throughput)

   Client IP addresses MUST be distributed between IPv4 and IPv6 based
   on the deployment and use case scenario.  The following options MAY
   be considered for a selection of ratios for both IP addresses and
   traffic load distribution.

   Option 1  100 % IPv4, no IPv6

   Option 2  80 % IPv4, 20% IPv6

   Option 3  50 % IPv4, 50% IPv6

   Option 4  20 % IPv4, 80% IPv6

   Option 5  no IPv4, 100% IPv6

   Note: IANA has assigned IP address ranges for testing purposes, as
   described in Section 8.  If the test scenario requires more IP
   addresses or subnets than IANA has assigned, this document recommends
   using private IPv4 address ranges or Unique Local Address (ULA) IPv6
   address ranges for the testing.

4.3.1.4.  Emulated Web Browser Attributes

   The client (emulated web browser) contains attributes that will
   materially affect the traffic load.  The objective is to emulate
   modern, typical browser attributes to improve the relevance of the
   result set for typical deployment scenarios.

   The emulated browser MUST negotiate HTTP version 1.1 or higher.  The
   emulated browser SHOULD advertise a User-Agent header.  The emulated
   browser MUST enforce content length validation.  HTTP header
   compression MAY be set to enable.  If HTTP header compression is
   configurable in the test equipment, it MUST be documented if it was
   enabled or disabled.  Depending on test scenarios and the chosen HTTP
   version, the emulated browser MAY open multiple TCP or QUIC
   connections per server endpoint IP at any time, depending on how many
   sequential transactions need to be processed.

   For HTTP/2 traffic emulation, the emulated browser opens multiple
   concurrent streams per connection (multiplexing).  For HTTPS
   requests, the emulated browser MUST send an "h2" protocol identifier
   using the TLS extension Application-Layer Protocol Negotiation
   (ALPN).  The following default values (see [Undertow]) are the
   RECOMMENDED settings for certain HTTP/2 parameters to be configured
   on test equipment used for benchmarking purposes only:

   *  Maximum frame size: 16384 bytes

   *  Initial window size: 65535 bytes

   *  HPACK header field table size: 4096 bytes

   *  Server push enable: false (Note: In [Undertow], the default
      setting is true.  However, for testing purposes, this document
      recommends setting the value to false for server push.)

   This document refers to [RFC9113] for further details of HTTP/2.  If
   any additional parameters are used to configure the test equipment,
   they MUST be documented.

   For HTTP/3 traffic emulation, the emulated browsers initiate secure
   QUIC connections using TLS 1.3 ([RFC9001] describes how TLS is used
   to secure QUIC).  This document refers to [RFC9114] for HTTP/3
   specifications.  The specification for transport protocol parameters
   is defined in Section 4.3.1.2.  QPACK configuration settings, such as
   MAX_TABLE_CAPACITY and QPACK_BLOCKED_STREAMS, are set to zero
   (default), as defined in [RFC9204].  Any HTTP/3 parameters used for
   test equipment configuration MUST be documented.

   For encrypted traffic, the following attributes are defined as the
   negotiated encryption parameters.  The test clients MUST use TLS
   version 1.2 or higher.  The TLS record size MAY be optimized for the
   HTTPS response object size, up to a record size of 16 KB.  If Server
   Name Indication (SNI) is required (especially if the server is
   identified by a domain name), the client endpoint MUST send TLS
   extension SNI information when opening a security tunnel.  Each
   client connection MUST perform a full TLS handshake, and session
   reuse or resumption MUST be disabled.  (Note: Real web browsers use
   session reuse or resumption.  However, for testing purposes, this
   feature must not be used to measure the DUT/SUT performance in the
   worst-case scenario.)

   The following ciphers and keys supported by TLS 1.2 are RECOMMENDED
   for the HTTPS-based benchmarking tests defined in Section 7.

   1.  ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 with Prime256v1 (Signature Hash
       Algorithm: ecdsa_secp256r1_sha256 and Supported group: secp256r1)

   2.  ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 with RSA 2048 (Signature Hash
       Algorithm: rsa_pkcs1_sha256 and Supported group: secp256r1)

   3.  ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 with Secp384r1 (Signature Hash
       Algorithm: ecdsa_secp384r1_sha384 and Supported group: secp384r1)

   4.  ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 with RSA 4096 (Signature Hash
       Algorithm: rsa_pkcs1_sha384 and Supported group: secp384r1)

   Note: The above ciphers and keys were those commonly used for
   enterprise-grade encryption cipher suites for TLS 1.2 at of the time
   of publication (2023).  Individual certification bodies should use
   ciphers and keys that reflect evolving use cases.  These choices MUST
   be documented in the resulting test reports with detailed information
   on the ciphers and keys used, along with reasons for the choices.

   IANA recommends the following cipher suites for use with TLS 1.3, as
   defined in [RFC8446].

   1.  TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

   2.  TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

   3.  TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256

   4.  TLS_AES_128_CCM_SHA256

4.3.2.  Backend Server Configuration

   This section specifies which parameters should be considered while
   configuring emulated backend servers using test equipment.

4.3.2.1.  TCP Stack Attributes

   The TCP stack on the server-side MUST be configured similarly to the
   client-side configuration described in Section 4.3.1.1.

4.3.2.2.  QUIC Specification

   The QUIC parameters on the server-side MUST be configured similarly
   to the client-side configuration.  Any configured QUIC parameter MUST
   be documented in the report.

4.3.2.3.  Server Endpoint IP Addressing

   The sum of the server IP space MUST contain the following attributes.

   *  The server IP blocks MUST consist of unique, discontinuous static
      address blocks with one IP per server Fully Qualified Domain Name
      (FQDN) endpoint per test port.

   *  A default gateway is permitted.  The DSCP marking is set to DF
      '000000' on the IPv4 ToS field and IPv6 Traffic Class field.  One
      or more extension headers for the IPv6 server are permitted.  If
      multiple extension headers are required, this document references
      [RFC8200] to choose the correct order of the extension headers
      within an IPv6 packet.

   *  The server IP address distribution between IPv4 and IPv6 MUST be
      identical to the client IP address distribution ratio.

   Note: IANA has assigned IP address blocks for the testing purpose
   described in Section 8.  If the test scenario requires more IP
   addresses or address blocks than IANA has assigned, this document
   recommends using private IPv4 address ranges or Unique Local Address
   (ULA) IPv6 address ranges for the testing.

4.3.2.4.  HTTP/HTTPS Server Pool Endpoint Attributes

   The HTTP 1.1 and HTTP/2 server pools listen on TCP ports 80 and 443
   for HTTP and HTTPS.  The HTTP/3 server pool listens on any UDP port.
   The server MUST emulate the same HTTP version (HTTP 1.1, HTTP/2, or
   HTTP/3) and settings chosen by the client (emulated web browser).
   For the HTTPS server, TLS version 1.2 or higher MUST be used with a
   maximum record size of 16 KB.  Ticket resumption or session ID reuse
   MUST NOT be used for TLS 1.2; also, session ticket or session cache
   MUST NOT be used for TLS 1.3.  The server MUST serve a certificate to
   the client.  The cipher suite and key size on the server-side MUST be
   configured similarly to the client-side configuration described in
   Section 4.3.1.4.

4.3.3.  Traffic Flow Definition

   At the beginning of the test (the init phase; see Section 4.3.4), the
   server endpoint initializes, and the server endpoint will be ready to
   accept TCP or QUIC connections as well as inbound HTTP and HTTPS
   requests.  The client endpoints initialize and are given attributes
   such as a MAC and IP address.  After the init phase of the test, each
   client sweeps through the given server IP space, generating a service
   recognizable by the DUT.  Sequential and pseudorandom sweep methods
   are acceptable.  The method used MUST be stated in the final report.
   Thus, a balanced mesh between client endpoints and server endpoints
   will be generated in a client IP and port to server IP and port
   combination.  Each client endpoint performs the same actions as other
   endpoints, with the difference being the source IP of the client
   endpoint and the target server IP pool.  The client MUST use the
   server IP address or FQDN in the host header.

4.3.3.1.  Description of Intra-Client Behavior

   Client endpoints are independent of other clients that are
   concurrently executing.  When a client endpoint initiates traffic,
   this section describes how the client steps through different
   services.  Once the test is initialized, the client endpoints
   randomly hold (perform no operation) for a few milliseconds for
   better randomization of the start of client traffic.  Each client
   (HTTP 1.1 or HTTP/2) will either open a new TCP connection or connect
   to an HTTP persistent connection that is still open to that specific
   server.  HTTP/3 clients will open UDP streams within QUIC
   connections.  At any point that the traffic profile may require
   encryption, a TLS encryption tunnel will form, presenting the URL or
   IP address request to the server.  If using SNI, the server MUST then
   perform an SNI name check by comparing the proposed FQDN to the
   domain embedded in the certificate.  Only when correct will the
   server process the HTTPS response object.  The initial response
   object to the server is based on benchmarking tests described in
   Section 7.  Multiple additional sub-URLs (response objects on the
   service page) MAY be requested simultaneously.  This MAY be to the
   same server IP as the initial URL.  Each sub-object will also use a
   canonical FQDN and URL path.

4.3.4.  Traffic Load Profile

   The loading of traffic is described in this section.  The loading of
   a traffic load profile has five phases: Init, ramp up, sustain, ramp
   down, and collection.

   Init phase:
      Testbed devices, including the client and server endpoints, should
      negotiate layer 2-3 connectivity, such as MAC learning and ARP/ND.
      Only after successful MAC learning or ARP/ND SHALL the test
      iteration move to the next phase.  No measurements are made in
      this phase.  The minimum recommended time for the Init phase is 5
      seconds.  During this phase, the emulated clients MUST NOT
      initiate any sessions with the DUT/SUT; in contrast, the emulated
      servers should be ready to accept requests from the DUT/SUT or
      emulated clients.

   Ramp Up phase:
      The test equipment MUST start to generate the test traffic.  It
      MUST use a set of the approximate number of unique client IP
      addresses to generate traffic.  The traffic MUST ramp up from zero
      to the desired target objective.  The target objective is defined
      for each benchmarking test.  The duration for the ramp up phase
      MUST be configured long enough that the test equipment does not
      overwhelm the DUT's/SUT's stated performance metrics defined in
      Section 6.3, namely TCP or QUIC connections per second, inspected
      throughput, concurrent TCP or QUIC connections, and application
      transactions per second.  No measurements are made in this phase.

   Sustain phase:
      This phase starts when all required clients are active and
      operating at their desired load condition.  In the sustain phase,
      the test equipment MUST continue generating traffic to a constant
      target value for a constant number of active clients.  The minimum
      RECOMMENDED time duration for the sustain phase is 300 seconds.
      This is the phase where measurements occur.  The test equipment
      MUST measure and record statistics continuously.  The sampling
      interval for collecting the raw results and calculating the
      statistics MUST be less than 2 seconds.

   Ramp Down phase:
      The test traffic slows down from the target number to 0, and no
      measurements are made.

   Collection phase:
      The last phase is administrative and will occur when the test
      equipment merges and collates the report data.

5.  Testbed Considerations

   This section describes steps for a reference test (pre-test) that
   controls the test environment, including test equipment, focusing on
   physical and virtualized environments and test equipment.  Below are
   the RECOMMENDED steps for the reference test.

   1.  Perform the reference test either by configuring the DUT/SUT in
       the most trivial setup (fast forwarding) or without the presence
       of the DUT/SUT.

   2.  Generate traffic from the traffic generator.  Choose a traffic
       profile used for the HTTP or HTTPS throughput performance test
       with the smallest object size.

   3.  Ensure that any ancillary switching or routing functions added in
       the test equipment do not limit performance by introducing packet
       loss or latency.  This is specifically important for virtualized
       components (e.g., vSwitches or vRouters).

   4.  Verify that the generated traffic (performance) of the test
       equipment matches and reasonably exceeds the expected maximum
       performance of the DUT/SUT.

   5.  Record the network performance metrics packet loss and latency
       introduced by the test environment (without the DUT/SUT).

   6.  Assert that the testbed characteristics are stable during the
       entire test session.  Several factors might influence stability,
       specifically for virtualized testbeds, for example, additional
       workloads in a virtualized system, load balancing, and movement
       of virtual machines during the test or simple issues, such as
       additional heat created by high workloads leading to an emergency
       CPU performance reduction.

   The reference test MUST be performed before the benchmarking tests
   (described in Section 7) start.

6.  Reporting

   This section describes how the benchmarking test report should be
   formatted and presented.  It is RECOMMENDED to include two main
   sections in the report: the introduction and the detailed test
   results sections.

6.1.  Introduction

   The following attributes should be present in the introduction
   section of the test report.

   1.  Time and date of the execution of the tests

   2.  Summary of testbed software and hardware details

       a.  DUT/SUT hardware/virtual configuration

           *  Make and model of the DUT/SUT, which should be clearly
              identified

           *  Port interfaces, including speed and link information

           *  If the DUT/SUT is a Virtual Network Function (VNF)

           *  Host (server) hardware and software details

           *  Interface acceleration type (such as Data Plane
              Development Kit (DPDK) and single-root input/output
              virtualization (SR-IOV))

           *  Used CPU cores

           *  Used RAM

           *  Resource sharing (e.g., pinning details and Non-Uniform
              Memory Access (NUMA) node) configuration details

           *  Hypervisor version

           *  Virtual switch version

           *  Details of any additional hardware relevant to the DUT/
              SUT, such as controllers

       b.  DUT/SUT software

           *  Operating system name

           *  Version

           *  Specific configuration details (if any)

       c.  DUT-/SUT-enabled features

           *  Configured DUT/SUT features (see Tables 2 and 3)

           *  Attributes of the abovementioned features

           *  Any additional relevant information about the features

       d.  Test equipment hardware and software

           *  Test equipment vendor name

           *  Hardware details, including model number and interface
              type

           *  Test equipment firmware and test application software
              version

           *  If the test equipment is a virtual solution

           *  The host (server) hardware and software details

           *  Interface acceleration type (such as DPDK and SR-IOV)

           *  Used CPU cores

           *  Used RAM

           *  Resource sharing (e.g., pinning details and NUMA node)
              configuration details

           *  Hypervisor version

           *  Virtual switch version

       e.  Key test parameters

           *  Used cipher suites and keys

           *  IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distribution

           *  Number of configured ACLs

           *  TCP and UDP stack parameter, if tested

           *  QUIC, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 parameters, if tested

       f.  Details of the application traffic mix used in the
           benchmarking test Throughput Performance with Application
           Traffic Mix (Section 7.1)

           *  Name of applications and layer 7 protocols

           *  Percentage of emulated traffic for each application and
              layer 7 protocols

           *  Percentage of encrypted traffic, used cipher suites, and
              keys (the RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys are defined in
              Section 4.3.1.4)

           *  Used object sizes for each application and layer 7
              protocols

   3.  Results Summary / Executive Summary

       a.  Results should be presented with an introduction section
           documenting the summary of results in a prominent, easy-to-
           read block.

6.2.  Detailed Test Results

   In the results section of the test report, the following attributes
   should be present for each benchmarking test.

   a.  KPIs MUST be documented separately for each benchmarking test.
       The format of the KPI metrics MUST be presented as described in
       Section 6.3.

   b.  The next level of details should be graphs showing each of these
       metrics over the duration (sustain phase) of the test.  This
       allows the user to see the measured performance stability changes
       over time.

6.3.  Benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators

   This section lists key performance indicators (KPIs) for overall
   benchmarking tests.  All KPIs MUST be measured during the sustain
   phase of the traffic load profile described in Section 4.3.4.  Also,
   the KPIs MUST be measured from the result output of test equipment.

   Concurrent TCP Connections
      The aggregate number of simultaneous connections between hosts
      across the DUT/SUT or between hosts and the DUT/SUT (defined in
      [RFC2647]).

   Concurrent QUIC Connections
      The aggregate number of simultaneous connections between hosts
      across the DUT/SUT.

   TCP Connections Per Second
      The average number of successfully established TCP connections per
      second between hosts across the DUT/SUT or between hosts and the
      DUT/SUT.  As described in Section 4.3.1.1, the TCP connections are
      initiated by clients via a TCP three-way handshake (SYN, SYN/ACK,
      ACK).  Then, the TCP session data is sent, and then the TCP
      sessions are closed via either a TCP three-way close (FIN, FIN/
      ACK, ACK) or a TCP four-way close (FIN, ACK, FIN, ACK).  The TCP
      sessions MUST NOT be closed by RST.

   QUIC Connections Per Second
      The average number of successfully established QUIC connections
      per second between hosts across the DUT/SUT.  As described in
      Section 4.3.1.2, the QUIC connections are initiated by clients.
      Then, the data is sent, and then the QUIC sessions are closed by
      the "immediate close" method.

      Since the QUIC specification defined in Section 4.3.1.2 recommends
      disabling 0-RTT and early data, this KPI is focused on the 1-RTT
      handshake.  If required, 0-RTT can be also measured in separate
      test runs while enabling 0-RTT and early data in the test
      equipment.

   Application Transactions Per Second
      The average number of successfully completed transactions per
      second.  For a particular transaction to be considered successful,
      all data MUST have been transferred in its entirety.  In case of
      an HTTP(S) transaction, it MUST have a valid status code (200 OK).

   TLS Handshake Rate
      The average number of successfully established TLS connections per
      second between hosts across the DUT/SUT or between hosts and the
      DUT/SUT.

      For TLS 1.3, the handshake rate can be measured with the 0-RTT or
      1-RTT handshake.  The transport protocol can be either TCP or
      QUIC.

   Inspected Throughput
      The number of bits per second of examined and allowed traffic a
      network security device is able to transmit to the correct
      destination interface(s) in response to a specified offered load.
      The throughput benchmarking tests defined in Section 7 SHOULD
      measure the average layer 2 throughput value when the DUT/SUT is
      "inspecting" traffic.  It is also acceptable to measure other OSI
      layer throughput.  However, the measured layer (e.g., layer 3
      throughput) MUST be noted in the report, and the user MUST be
      aware of the implication while comparing the throughput
      performance of multiple DUTs/SUTs measured in different OSI
      layers.  This document recommends presenting the inspected
      throughput value in Gbit/s rounded to two places of precision with
      a more specific kbit/s in parenthesis.

   Time to First Byte (TTFB)
      The elapsed time between the start of sending the TCP SYN packet
      or QUIC initial Client Hello from the client and the client
      receiving the first packet of application data from the server via
      the DUT/SUT.  The benchmarking tests HTTP transaction latency
      (Section 7.4) and HTTPS transaction latency (Section 7.8) measure
      the minimum, average, and maximum TTFB.  The value should be
      expressed in milliseconds.

   URL Response Time / Time to Last Byte (TTLB)
      The elapsed time between the start of sending the TCP SYN packet
      or QUIC initial Client Hello from the client and the client
      receiving the last packet of application data from the server via
      the DUT/SUT.  The benchmarking tests HTTP transaction latency
      (Section 7.4) and HTTPS transaction latency (Section 7.8) measure
      the minimum, average, and maximum TTLB.  The value should be
      expressed in milliseconds.

7.  Benchmarking Tests

   This section mainly focuses on the benchmarking tests with HTTP/1.1
   or HTTP/2 traffic, which uses TCP as the transport protocol.  In
   particular, this section does not define specific benchmarking tests
   for KPIs related to QUIC or HTTP/3.  However, the test methodology
   defined in the benchmarking tests TCP or QUIC connections per second
   with HTTPS traffic (Section 7.6), HTTPS transaction latency
   (Section 7.8), HTTPS throughput (Section 7.7), and concurrent TCP or
   QUIC connection capacity with HTTPS traffic (Section 7.9) can be used
   to test KPIs related to QUIC or HTTP/3.  The throughput performance
   test with the application traffic mix defined in Section 7.1 can be
   performed with any other application traffic, including HTTP/3.

7.1.  Throughput Performance with Application Traffic Mix

7.1.1.  Objective

   Using a relevant application traffic mix, determine the sustainable
   inspected throughput supported by the DUT/SUT.

   Based on the test customer's specific use case, testers can choose
   the relevant application traffic mix for this test.  The details
   about the traffic mix MUST be documented in the report.  At least,
   the following traffic mix details MUST be documented and reported
   together with the test results:

   *  Name of applications and layer 7 protocols

   *  Percentage of emulated traffic for each application and layer 7
      protocol

   *  Percentage of encrypted traffic and used cipher suites and keys
      (the RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys are defined in Section 4.3.1.4)

   *  Used object sizes for each application and layer 7 protocols

7.1.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   benchmarking-test-specific testbed configuration changes MUST be
   documented.

7.1.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, the benchmarking-test-specific parameters are
   defined.

7.1.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.  If the DUT/SUT is configured
   without TLS inspection, the test report MUST explain how this impacts
   the encrypted traffic of the relevant application traffic mix.

7.1.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target inspected throughput: Aggregated line rate of one or more
      interfaces used in the DUT/SUT or the value defined based on the
      requirement for a specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial throughput: 10% of the "Target inspected throughput"

      Note: Initial throughput is not a KPI to report.  This value is
      configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1
      (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.1.4.

   *  One of the ciphers and keys defined in Section 4.3.1.4 is
      RECOMMENDED to use for this benchmarking test.

7.1.3.3.  Traffic Profile

   This test MUST be run with a relevant application traffic mix
   profile.

7.1.3.4.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions MUST be less than
       0.001% (1 out of 100,000 transactions) of the attempted
       transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RST sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.

   c.  If HTTP/3 is used, the number of failed QUIC connections due to
       unexpected HTTP/3 error codes MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated QUIC connections.

7.1.3.5.  Measurement

   The following KPI metrics MUST be reported for this benchmarking
   test:

   *  Mandatory KPIs (benchmarks): inspected throughput and application
      transactions per second

      Note: The TTLB MUST be reported along with the object size used in
      the traffic profile.

   *  Optional TCP-stack-related KPIs: TCP connections per second, TLS
      handshake rate, TTFB (minimum, average, and maximum), TTLB
      (minimum, average, and maximum)

   *  Optional QUIC-stack-related KPIs: QUIC connections per second and
      concurrent QUIC connections

7.1.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedures are designed to measure the inspected throughput
   performance of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the traffic
   load profile.  The test procedure consists of three major steps.
   Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value
   (initial throughput) and meets the test results validation criteria
   when it was very minimally utilized.  Step 2 determines whether the
   DUT/SUT is able to reach the target performance value within the test
   results validation criteria.  Step 3 determines the maximum
   achievable performance value within the test results validation
   criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
   types: IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
   distribution.

7.1.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to generate
   test traffic at the "initial throughput" rate, as described in
   Section 7.1.3.2.  The test equipment MUST follow the traffic load
   profile definition described in Section 4.3.4.  The DUT/SUT MUST
   reach the "initial throughput" during the sustain phase.  Measure all
   KPIs, as defined in Section 7.1.3.5.  The measured KPIs during the
   sustain phase MUST meet all the test results validation criteria
   defined in Section 7.1.3.4.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.1.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to generate traffic at the "Target inspected
   throughput" rate defined in Section 7.1.3.2.  The test equipment MUST
   follow the traffic load profile definition described in
   Section 4.3.4.  The test equipment MUST start to measure and record
   all specified KPIs.  Continue the test until all traffic profile
   phases are completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective ("Target inspected
   throughput") in the sustain phase.  Follow Step 3 if the measured
   value does not meet the target value or does not fulfill the test
   results validation criteria.

7.1.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable average inspected throughput within the test
   results validation criteria.  The final test iteration MUST be
   performed for the test duration defined in Section 4.3.4.

7.2.  TCP Connections Per Second with HTTP Traffic

7.2.1.  Objective

   Using HTTP traffic, determine the sustainable TCP connection
   establishment rate supported by the DUT/SUT under different
   throughput load conditions.

   To measure connections per second, test iterations MUST use different
   fixed HTTP response object sizes (the different load conditions)
   defined in Section 7.2.3.2.

7.2.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.2.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.2.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.2.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target connections per second: Initial value from the product
      datasheet or the value defined based on the requirement for a
      specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial connections per second: 10% of "Target connections per
      second"

      Note: Initial connections per second is not a KPI to report.  This
      value is configured on the traffic generator and used to perform
      Step 1 (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.2.4.

   *  The RECOMMENDED response object sizes are 1, 2, 4, 16, and 64 KB.

   The client MUST negotiate HTTP and close the connection with FIN
   immediately after the completion of one transaction.  In each test
   iteration, the client MUST send a GET request requesting a fixed HTTP
   response object size.

7.2.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RST sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

   d.  Concurrent TCP connections MUST be constant during steady state,
       and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be less than
       10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes TCP connections at
       approximately the same rate.

7.2.3.4.  Measurement

   TCP connections per second MUST be reported for each test iteration
   (for each object size).

7.2.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the DUT/SUT's rate of TCP
   connections per second during the sustaining period of the traffic
   load profile.  The test procedure consists of three major steps.
   Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value
   (Initial connections per second) and meets the test results
   validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized.  Step 2
   determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
   performance value within the test results validation criteria.  Step
   3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
   results validation criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
   types: IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
   distribution.

7.2.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
   "Initial connections per second", as defined in Section 7.2.3.2.  The
   traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.

   The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial connections per second" before
   the sustain phase.  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST
   meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
   Section 7.2.3.3.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT continue to Step 2.

7.2.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
   connections per second") defined in Section 7.2.3.2.  The test
   equipment MUST follow the traffic load profile definition described
   in Section 4.3.4.

   During the ramp up and sustain phases of each test iteration, other
   KPIs, such as inspected throughput, concurrent TCP connections, and
   application transactions per second, MUST NOT reach the maximum value
   the DUT/SUT can support.  The test results for specific test
   iterations MUST NOT be reported as valid results if the
   abovementioned KPI (especially inspected throughput) reaches the
   maximum value.  (For example, if the test iteration with 64 KB of
   HTTP response object size reached the maximum inspected throughput
   limitation of the DUT/SUT, the test iteration MAY be interrupted and
   the result for 64 KB must not be reported.)

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
   KPIs.  Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
   completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective ("Target
   connections per second") in the sustain phase.  Follow Step 3 if the
   measured value does not meet the target value or does not fulfill the
   test results validation criteria.

7.2.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable TCP connections per second within the test
   results validation criteria.

7.3.  HTTP Throughput

7.3.1.  Objective

   Determine the sustainable inspected throughput of the DUT/SUT for
   HTTP transactions varying the HTTP response object size.

7.3.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.3.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.3.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.3.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target inspected throughput: Aggregated line rate of one or more
      interfaces used in the DUT/SUT or the value defined based on the
      requirement for a specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial throughput: 10% of "Target inspected throughput"

      Note: Initial throughput is not a KPI to report.  This value is
      configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1
      (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.3.4.

   *  Number of HTTP response object requests (transactions) per
      connection: 10

   *  RECOMMENDED HTTP response object size: 1, 16, 64, and 256 KB and
      mixed objects defined in Table 5

            +==================+=============================+
            | Object size (KB) | Number of requests / Weight |
            +==================+=============================+
            | 0.2              | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 6                | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 8                | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 9                | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 10               | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 25               | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 26               | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 35               | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 59               | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+
            | 347              | 1                           |
            +------------------+-----------------------------+

                          Table 5: Mixed Objects

7.3.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the total attempted transactions.

   b.  Traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant rate (it is considered as
       a constant rate if any deviation of the traffic forwarding rate
       is less than 5%).

   c.  Concurrent TCP connections MUST be constant during steady state,
       and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be less than
       10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes TCP connections at
       approximately the same rate.

7.3.3.4.  Measurement

   Inspected throughput and HTTP transactions per second MUST be
   reported for each object size.

7.3.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure HTTP throughput of the DUT/
   SUT.  The test procedure consists of three major steps.  Step 1
   ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value (initial
   throughput) and meets the test results validation criteria when it
   was very minimally utilized.  Step 2 determines whether the DUT/SUT
   is able to reach the target performance value within the test results
   validation criteria.  Step 3 determines the maximum achievable
   performance value within the test results validation criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
   IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions and HTTP response object sizes.

7.3.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
   "initial throughput", as defined in Section 7.3.3.2.

   The traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in
   Section 4.3.4.  The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "initial throughput"
   during the sustain phase.  Measure all KPIs, as defined in
   Section 7.3.3.4.

   The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet the test results
   validation criteria "a" defined in Section 7.3.3.3.  The test results
   validation criteria "b" and "c" are OPTIONAL for Step 1.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.3.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
   inspected throughput") defined in Section 7.3.3.2.  The test
   equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified KPIs.
   Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
   phase.  Follow Step 3 if the measured value does not meet the target
   value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.

7.3.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable inspected throughput within the test results
   validation criteria and measure the KPI metric transactions per
   second.  The final test iteration MUST be performed for the test
   duration defined in Section 4.3.4.

7.4.  HTTP Transaction Latency

7.4.1.  Objective

   Using HTTP traffic, determine the HTTP transaction latency when the
   DUT is running with sustainable HTTP transactions per second
   supported by the DUT/SUT under different HTTP response object sizes.

   Test iterations MUST be performed with different HTTP response object
   sizes in two different scenarios: one with a single transaction and
   the other with multiple transactions within a single TCP connection.
   For consistency, both the single and multiple transaction tests MUST
   be configured with the same HTTP version.

   Scenario 1: The client MUST negotiate HTTP and close the connection
   with FIN immediately after the completion of a single transaction
   (GET and RESPONSE).

   Scenario 2: The client MUST negotiate HTTP and close the connection
   with FIN immediately after the completion of 10 transactions (GET and
   RESPONSE) within a single TCP connection.

7.4.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.4.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.4.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.4.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target objective for scenario 1: 50% of the connections per second
      measured in the benchmarking test TCP connections per second with
      HTTP traffic (Section 7.2)

   *  Target objective for scenario 2: 50% of the inspected throughput
      measured in the benchmarking test HTTP throughput (Section 7.3)

   *  Initial objective for scenario 1: 10% of "Target objective for
      scenario 1"

   *  Initial objective for scenario 2: 10% of "Target objective for
      scenario 2"

      Note: The initial objectives are not KPIs to report.  These values
      are configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1
      (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.4.4.

   *  HTTP transaction per TCP connection: Test scenario 1 with a single
      transaction and test scenario 2 with 10 transactions

   *  HTTP with GET request requesting a single object: The RECOMMENDED
      object sizes are 1, 16, and 64 KB.  For each test iteration, the
      client MUST request a single HTTP response object size.

7.4.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the total attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RST sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

   d.  Concurrent TCP connections MUST be constant during steady state,
       and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be less than
       10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes TCP connections at
       approximately the same rate.

   e.  After ramp up, the DUT MUST achieve the target objectives defined
       in Section 7.4.3.2 and remain in that state for the entire test
       duration (sustain phase).

7.4.3.4.  Measurement

   The TTFB (minimum, average, and maximum) and TTLB (minimum, average,
   and maximum) MUST be reported for each object size.

7.4.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the TTFB or TTLB when the
   DUT/SUT is operating close to 50% of its maximum achievable
   connections per second or inspected throughput.  The test procedure
   consists of two major steps.  Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to
   reach the initial performance values and meets the test results
   validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized.  Step 2
   measures the latency values within the test results validation
   criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
   types (IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
   distribution), HTTP response object sizes, and single and multiple
   transactions per connection scenarios.

7.4.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
   the initial objectives, as defined in Section 7.4.3.2.  The traffic
   load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.

   The DUT/SUT MUST reach the initial objectives before the sustain
   phase.  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet all the
   test results validation criteria defined in Section 7.4.3.3.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.4.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objectives defined
   in Section 7.4.3.2.  The test equipment MUST follow the traffic load
   profile definition described in Section 4.3.4.

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
   KPIs.  Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
   completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT MUST reach
   the desired value of the target objective in the sustain phase.

   Measure the minimum, average, and maximum values of the TTFB and
   TTLB.

7.5.  Concurrent TCP Connection Capacity with HTTP Traffic

7.5.1.  Objective

   Determine the number of concurrent TCP connections that the DUT/SUT
   sustains when using HTTP traffic.

7.5.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.5.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.5.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.5.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be noted for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target concurrent connection: Initial value from the product
      datasheet or the value defined based on the requirement for a
      specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial concurrent connection: 10% of "Target concurrent
      connection"

      Note: Initial concurrent connection is not a KPI to report.  This
      value is configured on the traffic generator and used to perform
      Step 1 (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.5.4.

   *  Maximum connections per second during ramp up phase: 50% of
      maximum connections per second measured in the benchmarking test
      TCP connections per second with HTTP traffic (Section 7.2)

   *  Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Target concurrent
      connection"): "Target concurrent connection" / "Maximum
      connections per second during ramp up phase"

   *  Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Initial concurrent
      connection"): "Initial concurrent connection" / "Maximum
      connections per second during ramp up phase"

   The client MUST negotiate HTTP, and each client MAY open multiple
   concurrent TCP connections per server endpoint IP.

   Each client sends 10 GET requests requesting 1 KB HTTP response
   object in the same TCP connection (10 transactions / TCP
   connections), and the delay (think time) between each transaction
   MUST be X seconds, where X is as follows.

      X = ("Ramp up time" + "steady state time") / 10

   The established connections MUST remain open until the ramp down
   phase of the test.  During the ramp down phase, all connections MUST
   be successfully closed with FIN.

7.5.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the total attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RST sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

7.5.3.4.  Measurement

   Average concurrent TCP connections MUST be reported for this
   benchmarking test.

7.5.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the concurrent TCP
   connection capacity of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the
   traffic load profile.  The test procedure consists of three major
   steps.  Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance
   value (Initial concurrent connection) and meets the test results
   validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized.  Step 2
   determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
   performance value within the test results validation criteria.  Step
   3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
   results validation criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
   IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions.

7.5.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure test equipment to establish "Initial concurrent
   connections" defined in Section 7.5.3.2.  Except ramp up time, the
   traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.

   During the sustain phase, the DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial
   concurrent connections".  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase
   MUST meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
   Section 7.5.3.3.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.5.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
   concurrent TCP connections").  The test equipment MUST follow the
   traffic load profile definition (except ramp up time) as described in
   Section 4.3.4.

   During the ramp up and sustain phases, the other KPIs, such as
   inspected throughput, TCP connections per second, and application
   transactions per second, MUST NOT reach the maximum value the DUT/SUT
   can support.

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record KPIs defined in
   Section 7.5.3.4.  Continue the test until all traffic profile phases
   are completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
   phase.  Follow Step 3 if the measured value does not meet the target
   value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.

7.5.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable concurrent TCP connections capacity within
   the test results validation criteria.

7.6.  TCP or QUIC Connections per Second with HTTPS Traffic

7.6.1.  Objective

   Using HTTPS traffic, determine the sustainable TLS session
   establishment rate supported by the DUT/SUT under different
   throughput load conditions.

   Test iterations MUST include common cipher suites and key strengths,
   as well as forward-looking stronger keys.  Specific test iterations
   MUST include ciphers and keys defined in Section 7.6.3.2.

   For each cipher suite and key strength, test iterations MUST use a
   single HTTPS response object size defined in Section 7.6.3.2 to
   measure connections per second performance under a variety of DUT/SUT
   security inspection load conditions.

7.6.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.6.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.6.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.6.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target connections per second: Initial value from the product
      datasheet or the value defined based on the requirement for a
      specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial connections per second: 10% of "Target connections per
      second"

      Note: Initial connections per second is not a KPI to report.  This
      value is configured on the traffic generator and used to perform
      Step 1 (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.6.4.)

   *  RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys defined in Section 4.3.1.4

   *  The RECOMMENDED object sizes are 1, 2, 4, 16, and 64 KB.

   The client MUST negotiate HTTPS and close the connection without
   error immediately after the completion of one transaction.  In each
   test iteration, the client MUST send a GET request requesting a fixed
   HTTPS response object size.

7.6.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   test duration.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RST sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.  If
       HTTP/3 is used, the number of terminated QUIC connections due to
       unexpected errors MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
       connections) of the total initiated QUIC connections.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

   d.  The concurrent TCP connections generation rate MUST be constant
       during steady state, and any deviation of concurrent TCP
       connections MUST be less than 10%. If HTTP/3 is used, the
       concurrent QUIC connections generation rate MUST be constant
       during steady state, and any deviation of concurrent QUIC
       connections MUST be less than 10%. This confirms the DUT opens
       and closes connections at approximately the same rate.

7.6.3.4.  Measurement

   If HTTP 1.1 or HTTP/2 is used, TCP connections per second MUST be
   reported for each test iteration (for each object size).

   If HTTP/3 is used, QUIC connections per second MUST be measured and
   reported for each test iteration (for each object size).

   The KPI metric TLS handshake rate can be measured in the test using 1
   KB object size.

7.6.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the DUT/SUT's rate of TCP
   or QUIC connections per second during the sustaining period of the
   traffic load profile.  The test procedure consists of three major
   steps.  Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance
   value (Initial connections per second) and meets the test results
   validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized.  Step 2
   determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
   performance value within the test results validation criteria.  Step
   3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
   results validation criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
   IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions.

7.6.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
   "Initial connections per second", as defined in Section 7.6.3.2.  The
   traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.

   The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial connections per second" before
   the sustain phase.  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST
   meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
   Section 7.6.3.3.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.6.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish "Target connections per
   second", as defined in Section 7.6.3.2.  The test equipment MUST
   follow the traffic load profile definition described in
   Section 4.3.4.

   During the ramp up and sustain phases, other KPIs, such as inspected
   throughput, concurrent TCP or QUIC connections, and application
   transactions per second, MUST NOT reach the maximum value the DUT/SUT
   can support.  The test results for the specific test iteration MUST
   NOT be reported as valid results if the abovementioned KPI
   (especially inspected throughput) reaches the maximum value.  (For
   example, if the test iteration with 64 KB of HTTPS response object
   size reached the maximum inspected throughput limitation of the DUT,
   the test iteration MAY be interrupted, and the result for 64 KB
   should not be reported).

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
   KPIs.  Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
   completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective ("Target
   connections per second") in the sustain phase.  Follow Step 3 if the
   measured value does not meet the target value or does not fulfill the
   test results validation criteria.

7.6.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable connections per second within the test
   results validation criteria.

7.7.  HTTPS Throughput

7.7.1.  Objective

   Determine the sustainable inspected throughput of the DUT/SUT for
   HTTPS transactions by varying the HTTPS response object size.

   Test iterations MUST include common cipher suites and key strengths,
   as well as forward-looking stronger keys.  Specific test iterations
   MUST include the ciphers and keys defined in Section 7.7.3.2.

7.7.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.7.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.7.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.7.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Target inspected throughput: Aggregated line rate of one or more
      interfaces used in the DUT/SUT or the value defined based on the
      requirement for a specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial throughput: 10% of "Target inspected throughput"

      Note: Initial throughput is not a KPI to report.  This value is
      configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1
      (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.7.4.

   *  Number of HTTPS response object requests (transactions) per
      connection: 10

   *  RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys defined in Section 4.3.1.4

   *  RECOMMENDED HTTPS response object size: 1, 16, 64, and 256 KB and
      mixed objects defined in Table 5 of Section 7.3.3.2

7.7.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the attempted transactions.

   b.  Traffic MUST be generated at a constant rate (it is considered as
       a constant rate if any deviation of the traffic forwarding rate
       is less than 5%).

   c.  The concurrent generated TCP connections MUST be constant during
       steady state, and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections
       MUST be less than 10%. If HTTP/3 is used, the concurrent
       generated QUIC connections MUST be constant during steady state,
       and any deviation of concurrent QUIC connections MUST be less
       than 10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes connections at
       approximately the same rate.

7.7.3.4.  Measurement

   Inspected throughput and HTTPS transactions per second MUST be
   reported for each object size.

7.7.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure consists of three major steps.  Step 1 ensures the
   DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value (initial throughput)
   and meets the test results validation criteria when it was very
   minimally utilized.  Step 2 determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to
   reach the target performance value within the test results validation
   criteria.  Step 3 determines the maximum achievable performance value
   within the test results validation criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
   IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions and HTTPS response object sizes.

7.7.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
   "initial throughput", as defined in Section 7.7.3.2.

   The traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in
   Section 4.3.4.  The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "initial throughput"
   during the sustain phase.  Measure all KPIs, as defined in
   Section 7.7.3.4.

   The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet the test results
   validation criteria "a" defined in Section 7.7.3.3.  The test results
   validation criteria "b" and "c" are OPTIONAL for Step 1.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.7.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
   inspected throughput") defined in Section 7.7.3.2.  The test
   equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified KPIs.
   Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
   phase.  Follow Step 3 if the measured value does not meet the target
   value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.

7.7.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable average inspected throughput within the test
   results validation criteria.  The final test iteration MUST be
   performed for the test duration defined in Section 4.3.4.

7.8.  HTTPS Transaction Latency

7.8.1.  Objective

   Using HTTPS traffic, determine the HTTPS transaction latency when the
   DUT/SUT is running with sustainable HTTPS transactions per second
   supported by the DUT/SUT under different HTTPS response object sizes.

   Scenario 1: The client MUST negotiate HTTPS and close the connection
   immediately after the completion of a single transaction (GET and
   RESPONSE).

   Scenario 2: The client MUST negotiate HTTPS and close the connection
   immediately after the completion of 10 transactions (GET and
   RESPONSE) within a single TCP or QUIC connection.

7.8.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.8.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.8.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.8.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  RECOMMENDED cipher suites and key sizes defined in Section 4.3.1.4

   *  Target objective for scenario 1: 50% of the connections per second
      measured in the benchmarking test TCP or QUIC connections per
      second with HTTPS traffic (Section 7.6)

   *  Target objective for scenario 2: 50% of the inspected throughput
      measured in the benchmarking test HTTPS throughput (Section 7.7)

   *  Initial objective for scenario 1: 10% of "Target objective for
      scenario 1"

   *  Initial objective for scenario 2: 10% of "Target objective for
      scenario 2"

      Note: The initial objectives are not KPIs to report.  These values
      are configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1
      (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.8.4.

   *  HTTPS transaction per TCP or QUIC connection: Test scenario 1 with
      a single transaction and scenario 2 with 10 transactions

   *  HTTPS with GET request requesting a single object: The RECOMMENDED
      object sizes are 1, 16, and 64 KB.  For each test iteration, the
      client MUST request a single HTTPS response object size.

7.8.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the total attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RST sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.  If
       HTTP/3 is used, the number of terminated QUIC connections due to
       unexpected errors MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
       connections) of the total initiated QUIC connections.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

   d.  Concurrent TCP or QUIC connections MUST be constant during steady
       state, and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be
       less than 10%. If HTTP/3 is used, the concurrent generated QUIC
       connections MUST be constant during steady state, and any
       deviation of concurrent QUIC connections MUST be less than 10%.
       This confirms the DUT opens and closes connections at
       approximately the same rate.

   e.  After ramp up, the DUT/SUT MUST achieve the target objectives
       defined in the parameters in Section 7.8.3.2 and remain in that
       state for the entire test duration (sustain phase).

7.8.3.4.  Measurement

   The TTFB (minimum, average, and maximum) and TTLB (minimum, average,
   and maximum) MUST be reported for each object size.

7.8.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the TTFB or TTLB when the
   DUT/SUT is operating close to 50% of its maximum achievable
   connections per second or inspected throughput.  The test procedure
   consists of two major steps.  Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to
   reach the initial performance values and meets the test results
   validation criteria when it is very minimally utilized.  Step 2
   measures the latency values within the test results validation
   criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
   types (IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
   distribution), HTTPS response object sizes, and single and multiple
   transactions per connection scenarios.

7.8.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
   the initial objectives, as defined in Section 7.8.3.2.  The traffic
   load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.

   The DUT/SUT MUST reach the initial objectives before the sustain
   phase.  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet all the
   test results validation criteria defined in Section 7.8.3.3.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.8.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objectives defined
   in Section 7.8.3.2.  The test equipment MUST follow the traffic load
   profile definition described in Section 4.3.4.

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
   KPIs.  Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
   completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT MUST reach
   the desired value of the target objective in the sustain phase.

   Measure the minimum, average, and maximum values of the TTFB and
   TTLB.

7.9.  Concurrent TCP or QUIC Connection Capacity with HTTPS Traffic

7.9.1.  Objective

   Determine the number of concurrent TCP or QUIC connections the DUT/
   SUT sustains when using HTTPS traffic.

7.9.2.  Test Setup

   The testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4.  Any
   specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces,
   interface type, etc.)  MUST be documented.

7.9.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, benchmarking-test-specific parameters are defined.

7.9.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
   Section 4.2.  Any configuration changes for this specific
   benchmarking test MUST be documented.

7.9.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The following parameters MUST
   be documented for this benchmarking test:

   *  Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3

   *  Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3

   *  Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
      Section 4.3.1.3

   *  RECOMMENDED cipher suites and key sizes defined in Section 4.3.1.4

   *  Target concurrent connections: Initial value from the product
      datasheet or the value defined based on the requirement for a
      specific deployment scenario

   *  Initial concurrent connections: 10% of "Target concurrent
      connections"

      Note: Initial concurrent connections is not a KPI to report.  This
      value is configured on the traffic generator and used to perform
      Step 1 (Test Initialization and Qualification) described in
      Section 7.9.4.

   *  Connections per second during ramp up phase: 50% of maximum
      connections per second measured in the benchmarking test TCP or
      QUIC connections per second with HTTPS traffic (Section 7.6)

   *  Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Target concurrent
      connections"): "Target concurrent connections" / "Maximum
      connections per second during ramp up phase"

   *  Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Initial concurrent
      connections"): "Initial concurrent connections" / "Maximum
      connections per second during ramp up phase"

   The client MUST perform HTTPS transactions with persistence, and each
   client can open multiple concurrent connections per server endpoint
   IP.

   Each client sends 10 GET requests requesting 1 KB HTTPS response
   objects in the same TCP or QUIC connections (10 transactions/
   connections), and the delay (think time) between each transaction
   MUST be X seconds, where X is as follows.

      X = ("Ramp up time" + "steady state time") / 10

   The established connections MUST remain open until the ramp down
   phase of the test.  During the ramp down phase, all connections MUST
   be successfully closed with FIN.

7.9.3.3.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   sustain phase of the traffic load profile.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
       response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
       of 100,000 transactions) of the total attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP
       RSTs sent by the DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
       100,000 connections) of the total initiated TCP connections.  If
       HTTP/3 is used, the number of terminated QUIC connections due to
       unexpected errors MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
       connections) of the total initiated QUIC connections.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

7.9.3.4.  Measurement

   Average concurrent TCP or QUIC connections MUST be reported for this
   benchmarking test.

7.9.4.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the concurrent TCP
   connection capacity of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the
   traffic load profile.  The test procedure consists of three major
   steps.  Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance
   value (Initial concurrent connection) and meets the test results
   validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized.  Step 2
   determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
   performance value within the test results validation criteria.  Step
   3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
   results validation criteria.

   This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
   IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions.

7.9.4.1.  Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification

   Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces.  All
   interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.

   Configure test equipment to establish "Initial concurrent
   connections" defined in Section 7.9.3.2.  Except ramp up time, the
   traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.

   During the sustain phase, the DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial
   concurrent connections".  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase
   MUST meet the test results validation criteria "a" and "b" defined in
   Section 7.9.3.3.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

7.9.4.2.  Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective

   Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
   concurrent connections").  The test equipment MUST follow the traffic
   load profile definition (except ramp up time) described in
   Section 4.3.4.

   During the ramp up and sustain phases, the other KPIs, such as
   inspected throughput, TCP or QUIC connections per second, and
   application transactions per second, MUST NOT reach the maximum value
   that the DUT/SUT can support.

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record KPIs defined in
   Section 7.9.3.4.  Continue the test until all traffic profile phases
   are completed.

   Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
   to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
   phase.  Follow Step 3 if the measured value does not meet the target
   value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.

7.9.4.3.  Step 3: Test Iteration

   Determine the achievable concurrent TCP or QUIC connections within
   the test results validation criteria.

8.  IANA Considerations

   This document makes no specific request of IANA.

   IANA has assigned IPv4 and IPv6 address blocks in [RFC6890] that have
   been registered for special purposes.  The IPv6 address block
   2001:2::/48 has been allocated for the purpose of IPv6 benchmarking
   [RFC5180], and the IPv4 address block 198.18.0.0/15 has been
   allocated for the purpose of IPv4 benchmarking [RFC2544].  This
   assignment was made to minimize the chance of conflict in case a
   testing device were to be accidentally connected to the part of the
   Internet.

9.  Security Considerations

   The primary goal of this document is to provide benchmarking
   terminology and methodology for next-generation network security
   devices for use in a laboratory-isolated test environment.  However,
   readers should be aware that there is some overlap between
   performance and security issues.  Specifically, the optimal
   configuration for network security device performance may not be the
   most secure, and vice versa.  Testing security platforms with working
   exploits and malware carries risks.  Ensure proper access controls
   are implemented to prevent unintended exposure to vulnerable networks
   or systems.  The cipher suites recommended in this document are for
   test purposes only.  The cipher suite recommendation for a real
   deployment is outside the scope of this document.

   Security assessment of an NGFW/NGIPS product could also include an
   analysis whether any type of uncommon traffic characteristics would
   have a significant impact on performance.  Such performance impacts
   would allow an attacker to use such specifically crafted traffic as a
   DoS attack to reduce the remaining performance available to other
   traffic through the NGFW/NGIPS.  Such uncommon traffic
   characteristics might include, for example, IP-fragmented traffic, a
   specific type of application traffic, or uncommonly high HTTP
   transaction rate traffic.

10.  References

10.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

10.2.  Informative References

   [CVE]      CVE, "Current CVSS Score Distribution For All
              Vulnerabilities", <https://www.cvedetails.com/>.

   [fastly]   Oku, K. and J. Iyengar, "QUIC vs TCP: Which is Better?",
              April 2020, <https://www.fastly.com/blog/measuring-quic-
              vs-tcp-computational-efficiency>.

   [RFC2544]  Bradner, S. and J. McQuaid, "Benchmarking Methodology for
              Network Interconnect Devices", RFC 2544,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2544, March 1999,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2544>.

   [RFC2647]  Newman, D., "Benchmarking Terminology for Firewall
              Performance", RFC 2647, DOI 10.17487/RFC2647, August 1999,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2647>.

   [RFC3511]  Hickman, B., Newman, D., Tadjudin, S., and T. Martin,
              "Benchmarking Methodology for Firewall Performance",
              RFC 3511, DOI 10.17487/RFC3511, April 2003,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3511>.

   [RFC5180]  Popoviciu, C., Hamza, A., Van de Velde, G., and D.
              Dugatkin, "IPv6 Benchmarking Methodology for Network
              Interconnect Devices", RFC 5180, DOI 10.17487/RFC5180, May
              2008, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5180>.

   [RFC6815]  Bradner, S., Dubray, K., McQuaid, J., and A. Morton,
              "Applicability Statement for RFC 2544: Use on Production
              Networks Considered Harmful", RFC 6815,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC6815, November 2012,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6815>.

   [RFC6890]  Cotton, M., Vegoda, L., Bonica, R., Ed., and B. Haberman,
              "Special-Purpose IP Address Registries", BCP 153,
              RFC 6890, DOI 10.17487/RFC6890, April 2013,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6890>.

   [RFC8200]  Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6
              (IPv6) Specification", STD 86, RFC 8200,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8200, July 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8200>.

   [RFC8446]  Rescorla, E., "The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol
              Version 1.3", RFC 8446, DOI 10.17487/RFC8446, August 2018,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8446>.

   [RFC9000]  Iyengar, J., Ed. and M. Thomson, Ed., "QUIC: A UDP-Based
              Multiplexed and Secure Transport", RFC 9000,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9000, May 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9000>.

   [RFC9001]  Thomson, M., Ed. and S. Turner, Ed., "Using TLS to Secure
              QUIC", RFC 9001, DOI 10.17487/RFC9001, May 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9001>.

   [RFC9002]  Iyengar, J., Ed. and I. Swett, Ed., "QUIC Loss Detection
              and Congestion Control", RFC 9002, DOI 10.17487/RFC9002,
              May 2021, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9002>.

   [RFC9113]  Thomson, M., Ed. and C. Benfield, Ed., "HTTP/2", RFC 9113,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9113, June 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9113>.

   [RFC9114]  Bishop, M., Ed., "HTTP/3", RFC 9114, DOI 10.17487/RFC9114,
              June 2022, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9114>.

   [RFC9204]  Krasic, C., Bishop, M., and A. Frindell, Ed., "QPACK:
              Field Compression for HTTP/3", RFC 9204,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9204, June 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9204>.

   [RFC9293]  Eddy, W., Ed., "Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)",
              STD 7, RFC 9293, DOI 10.17487/RFC9293, August 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9293>.

   [Undertow] undertow, "An in depth overview of HTTP/2",
              <https://undertow.io/blog/2015/04/27/An-in-depth-overview-
              of-HTTP2.html>.

   [Wiki-NGFW]
              Wikipedia, "Next-generation firewall", January 2023,
              <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Next-
              generation_firewall&oldid=1133673904>.

Appendix A.  Test Methodology - Security Effectiveness Evaluation

A.1.  Test Objective

   This test methodology verifies the DUT/SUT is able to detect,
   prevent, and report the vulnerabilities.

   In this test, background test traffic will be generated to utilize
   the DUT/SUT.  In parallel, some malicious traffic will be sent to the
   DUT/SUT as encrypted and cleartext payload formats using a traffic
   generator.  Section 4.2.1 defines the selection of the malicious
   traffic from the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) list for
   testing.

   The following KPIs are measured in this test:

   *  Number of blocked CVEs

   *  Number of bypassed (non-blocked) CVEs

   *  Background traffic performance (verify if the background traffic
      is impacted while sending CVEs toward the DUT/SUT)

   *  Accuracy of DUT/SUT statistics in terms of vulnerabilities
      reporting

A.2.  Testbed Setup

   The same testbed MUST be used for security effectiveness tests and
   for benchmarking test cases defined in Section 7.

A.3.  Test Parameters

   In this section, the benchmarking-test-specific parameters are
   defined.

A.3.1.  DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters

   DUT/SUT configuration parameters MUST conform to the requirements
   defined in Section 4.2.  The same DUT configuration MUST be used for
   the security effectiveness test and for benchmarking test cases
   defined in Section 7.  The DUT/SUT MUST be configured in "Inline"
   mode, all detected attack traffic MUST be dropped, and the session
   MUST be reset

A.3.2.  Test Equipment Configuration Parameters

   Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
   requirements defined in Section 4.3.  The same client and server IP
   ranges MUST be configured as used in the benchmarking test cases.  In
   addition, the following parameters MUST be documented for this
   benchmarking test:

   *  Background Traffic: 45% of maximum HTTP throughput and 45% of
      maximum HTTPS throughput supported by the DUT/SUT (measured with
      object size 64 KB in the benchmarking tests HTTP(S) Throughput
      defined in Sections 7.3 and 7.7)

   *  RECOMMENDED CVE traffic transmission Rate: 10 CVEs per second

   *  It is RECOMMENDED to generate each CVE multiple times
      (sequentially) at 10 CVEs per second.

   *  Ciphers and keys for the encrypted CVE traffic MUST use the same
      cipher configured for HTTPS-traffic-related benchmarking tests
      (Sections 7.6-7.9)

A.4.  Test Results Validation Criteria

   The following criteria are the test results validation criteria.  The
   test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
   test duration.

   a.  The number of failed application transactions in the background
       traffic MUST be less than 0.01% of the attempted transactions.

   b.  The number of terminated TCP or QUIC connections of the
       background traffic (due to unexpected errors) MUST be less than
       0.01% of the total initiated TCP connections in the background
       traffic.

   c.  During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
       rate (it is considered as a constant rate if any deviation of the
       traffic forwarding rate is less than 5%).

   d.  A false positive MUST NOT occur in the background traffic.

A.5.  Measurement

   The following KPI metrics MUST be reported for this test scenario:

   Mandatory KPIs:

   *  Blocked CVEs: They MUST be represented in the following ways:

      -  Number of blocked CVEs out of total CVEs

      -  Percentage of blocked CVEs

   *  Unblocked CVEs: They MUST be represented in the following ways:

      -  Number of unblocked CVEs out of total CVEs

      -  Percentage of unblocked CVEs

   *  Background traffic behavior: It MUST be represented in one of the
      followings ways:

      -  No impact: Considered as "no impact" if any deviation of the
         traffic forwarding rate is less than or equal to 5% (constant
         rate)

      -  Minor impact: Considered as "minor impact" if any deviation of
         the traffic forwarding rate is greater than 5% and less than or
         equal to 10% (i.e., small spikes)

      -  Heavy impact: Considered as "heavy impact" if any deviation of
         the traffic forwarding rate is greater than 10% (i.e., large
         spikes) or reduced the background HTTP(S) throughput greater
         than 10%

   *  DUT/SUT reporting accuracy: The DUT/SUT MUST report all detected
      vulnerabilities.

   Optional KPIs:

   *  List of unblocked CVEs

A.6.  Test Procedures and Expected Results

   The test procedure is designed to measure the security effectiveness
   of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the traffic load profile.
   The test procedure consists of two major steps.  This test procedure
   MAY be repeated multiple times with different IPv4 and IPv6 traffic
   distributions.

A.6.1.  Step 1: Background Traffic

   Generate background traffic at the transmission rate defined in
   Appendix A.3.2.

   The DUT/SUT MUST reach the target objective (HTTP(S) throughput) in
   the sustain phase.  The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST
   meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
   Appendix A.4.

   If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
   the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to Step 2.

A.6.2.  Step 2: CVE Emulation

   While generating background traffic (in the sustain phase), send the
   CVE traffic, as defined in the parameter section (Appendix A.3.2).

   The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
   KPIs.  Continue the test until all CVEs are sent.

   The measured KPIs MUST meet all the test results validation criteria
   defined in Appendix A.4.

   In addition, the DUT/SUT should report the detected vulnerabilities
   in the log correctly, or there MUST be reference material available
   that will allow for verification that the correct vulnerability was
   detected if, for example, a different naming convention is used.
   This reference material MUST be cited in the report.

Appendix B.  DUT/SUT Classification

   This document aims to classify the DUT/SUT into four different
   categories based on its maximum-supported firewall throughput
   performance number defined in the vendor datasheet.  This
   classification MAY help users to determine specific configuration
   scales (e.g., number of ACL entries), traffic profiles, and attack
   traffic profiles, scaling those proportionally to the DUT/SUT sizing
   category.

   The four different categories are Extra Small (XS), Small (S), Medium
   (M), and Large (L).  The RECOMMENDED throughput values for the
   following categories are:

   Extra Small (XS) -  Supported throughput less than or equal to 1
      Gbit/s

   Small (S) -  Supported throughput greater than 1 Gbit/s and less than
      or equal to 5Gbit/s

   Medium (M) -  Supported throughput greater than 5 Gbit/s and less
      than or equal to 10Gbit/s

   Large (L) -  Supported throughput greater than 10 Gbit/s

Acknowledgements

   The authors wish to acknowledge the members of NetSecOPEN for their
   participation in the creation of this document.  Additionally, the
   following members need to be acknowledged:

   Anand Vijayan, Chris Marshall, Jay Lindenauer, Michael Shannon, Mike
   Deichman, Ryan Riese, and Toulnay Orkun.

Contributors

   The following individuals contributed significantly to the creation
   of this document:

   Alex Samonte, Amritam Putatunda, Aria Eslambolchizadeh, Chao Guo,
   Chris Brown, Cory Ford, David DeSanto, Jurrie Van Den Breekel,
   Michelle Rhines, Mike Jack, Ryan Liles, Samaresh Nair, Stephen
   Goudreault, Tim Carlin, and Tim Otto.

Authors' Addresses

   Balamuhunthan Balarajah
   Berlin
   Germany
   Email: bm.balarajah@gmail.com


   Carsten Rossenhoevel
   EANTC AG
   Salzufer 14
   10587 Berlin
   Germany
   Email: cross@eantc.de


   Brian Monkman
   NetSecOPEN
   417 Independence Court
   Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
   United States of America
   Email: bmonkman@netsecopen.org