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INFORMATIONAL
Errata Exist
Network Working Group                                           T. ZsebyRequest for Comments: 5472                              Fraunhofer FOKUSCategory: Informational                                        E. Boschi                                                          Hitachi Europe                                                             N. Brownlee                                                                   CAIDA                                                               B. Claise                                                     Cisco Systems, Inc.                                                              March 2009IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) ApplicabilityStatus of This Memo   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this   memo is unlimited.Copyright Notice   Copyright (c) 2009 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the   document authors.  All rights reserved.   This document is subject toBCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents in effect on the date of   publication of this document (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights   and restrictions with respect to this document.   This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF   Contributions published or made publicly available before November   10, 2008.  The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this   material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow   modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process.   Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling   the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified   outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may   not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format   it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other   than English.Zseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 1]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009Abstract   In this document, we describe the applicability of the IP Flow   Information eXport (IPFIX) protocol for a variety of applications.   We show how applications can use IPFIX, describe the relevant   Information Elements (IEs) for those applications, and present   opportunities and limitations of the protocol.  Furthermore, we   describe relations of the IPFIX framework to other architectures and   frameworks.Zseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 2]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009Table of Contents1. Introduction ....................................................41.1. Terminology ................................................42. Applications of IPFIX ...........................................42.1. Accounting .................................................42.1.1. Example .............................................52.2. Traffic Profiling ..........................................72.3. Traffic Engineering ........................................82.4. Network Security ...........................................92.5. QoS Monitoring ............................................11           2.5.1. Correlating Events from Multiple                  Observation Points .................................122.5.2. Examples ...........................................122.6. Inter-Domain Exchange of IPFIX Data .......................142.7. Export of Derived Metrics .................................142.8. Summary ...................................................153. Relation of IPFIX to Other Frameworks and Protocols ............163.1. IPFIX and IPv6 ............................................163.2. IPFIX and PSAMP ...........................................163.3. IPFIX and RMON ............................................163.4. IPFIX and IPPM ............................................183.5. IPFIX and AAA .............................................183.5.1. Connecting via a AAA Client ........................20           3.5.2. Connecting via an Application Specific                  Module (ASM) .......................................213.6. IPFIX and RTFM ............................................213.6.1. Architecture .......................................213.6.2. Flow Definition ....................................223.6.3. Configuration and Management .......................223.6.4. Data Collection ....................................223.6.5. Data Model Details .................................233.6.6. Transport Protocol .................................233.6.7. Summary ............................................234. Limitations ....................................................24      4.1. Using IPFIX for Other Applications than Listed inRFC 3917 ..................................................244.2. Using IPFIX for Billing (Reliability Limitations) .........244.3. Using a Different Transport Protocol than SCTP ............254.4. Push vs. Pull Mode ........................................254.5. Template ID Number ........................................264.6. Exporting Bidirectional Flow Information ..................264.7. Remote Configuration ......................................275. Security Considerations ........................................276. Acknowledgements ...............................................287. Normative References ...........................................288. Informative References .........................................28Zseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 3]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20091.  Introduction   The IPFIX protocol defines how IP Flow information can be exported   from routers, measurement probes, or other devices.  IP Flow   information provides important input data for a variety of   applications.  The IPFIX protocol is a general data transport   protocol that is easily extensible to suit the needs of such   applications.  In this document, we describe how typical applications   can use the IPFIX protocol and show opportunities and limitations of   the protocol.  Furthermore, we describe the relationship of IPFIX to   other frameworks and architectures.  Although examples in this   document are shown for IPv4 only, the applicability statements apply   to IPv4 and IPv6.  IPFIX provides appropriate Information Elements   for both IP versions.1.1.  Terminology   IPFIX-specific terminology used in this document is defined inSection 2 of [RFC5101].  In this document, as in [RFC5101], the first   letter of each IPFIX-specific term is capitalized.2.  Applications of IPFIX   IPFIX data enables several critical applications.  The IPFIX target   applications and the requirements that originate from those   applications are described in [RFC3917].  Those requirements were   used as basis for the design of the IPFIX protocol.  This section   describes how these target applications can use the IPFIX protocol.   Considerations for using IPFIX for other applications than those   described in [RFC3917] can be found inSection 4.1.2.1.  Accounting   Usage-based accounting is one of the target applications for IPFIX as   defined in [RFC3917].  IPFIX records provide fine-grained measurement   results for highly flexible and detailed usage reporting.  Such data   is used to realize usage-based accounting.  Nevertheless, IPFIX does   not provide the reliability required by usage-based billing systems   as defined in [RFC2975] (seeSection 4.2).  The accounting scenarios   described in this document only provide limited reliability as   explained inSection 4.2 and should not be used in environments where   reliability as demanded by [RFC2975] is mandatory.   In order to realize usage-based accounting with IPFIX, the Flow   definition has to be chosen in accordance to the accounting purpose,   such as trend analysis, capacity planning, auditing, or billing and   cost allocation where some loss of data can be tolerated (seeSection4.2).Zseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 4]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   Flows can be distinguished by various IEs (e.g., packet header   fields) from [RFC5102].  Due to the flexible IPFIX Flow definition,   arbitrary Flow-based accounting models can be realized without   extensions to the IPFIX protocol.   Accounting can, for instance, be based on individual end-to-end   Flows.  In this case, it can be realized with a Flow definition   determined by the quintuple consisting of source address   (sourceIPv4Address), destination address (destinationIPv4Address),   protocol (protocolIdentifier), and port numbers (udpSourcePort,   udpDestinationPort).  Another example is class-dependent accounting   (e.g., in a Diffserv network).  In this case, Flows could be   distinguished just by the Diffserv codepoint (DSCP)   (ipDiffServCodePoint) and IP addresses (sourceIPv4Address,   destinationIPv4Address).  The essential elements needed for   accounting are the number of transferred packets and bytes per Flow,   which can be represented by the per-flow counter IEs (e.g.,   packetTotalCount, octetTotalCount).   For accounting purposes, it would be advantageous to have the ability   to use IPFIX Flow Records as accounting input in an Authentication,   Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) infrastructure.  AAA servers then   could provide the mapping between user and Flow information.  Again   for such scenarios the limited reliability currently provided by   IPFIX has to be taken into account.2.1.1.  Example   Please note: As noted in [RFC3330], the address block 192.0.2.0/24   may be used for example addresses.  In the example below, we use two   example networks.  In order to be conformant to [RFC3330], we divide   the given address block into two networks by subnetting with a 25-bit   netmask (192.0.2.0/25) as follows:   Network A: 192.0.2.0 ...  192.0.2.127   Network B: 192.0.2.128 ...  192.0.2.255   Let's suppose someone needs to monitor the individual Flows in a   Diffserv network in order to compare traffic amount trend with the   terms outlined in a Service Level Agreement (SLA).  Flows are   distinguished by source and destination address.  The information to   export in this case is:      - IPv4 source IP address: sourceIPv4Address in [RFC5102], with a        length of 4 octets      - IPv4 destination IP address: destinationIPv4Address in        [RFC5102], with a length of 4 octetsZseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 5]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009      - DSCP: ipDiffServCodePoint in [RFC5102], with a length of 1 octet      - Number of octets of the Flow: octetDeltaCount in [RFC5102], with        a length of 4 octets   The Template set will look as follows:      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |         Set ID = 2            |      Length = 24 octets       |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |       Template ID 256         |       Field Count = 4         |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |0|    sourceIPv4Address = 8    |       Field Length = 4        |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |0| destinationIPv4Address = 12 |       Field Length = 4        |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |0|  ipDiffServCodePoint = 195  |       Field Length = 1        |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |0|     octetDeltaCount = 1     |       Field Length = 4        |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   The information to be exported might be as listed in the following   example table:      Src. IP addr. | Dst. IP addr. |  DSCP  | Octets Number      --------------+---------------+--------+--------------      192.0.2.12    |  192.0.2.144  |   46   |   120868      192.0.2.24    |  192.0.2.156  |   46   |   310364      192.0.2.36    |  192.0.2.168  |   46   |   241239   In the example we use Diffserv codepoint 46, recommended for the   Expedited Forwarding Per Hop Behavior (EF PHB) in [RFC3246].Zseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 6]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   The Flow Records will then look as follows:       0                   1                   2                   3       0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |          Set ID = 256         |          Length = 43          |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |                          192.0.2.12                           |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |                          192.0.2.144                          |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |      46       |               120868                          |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |               |               192.0.2.24                      |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |               |               192.0.2.156                     |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |               |       46      |                 310364        |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |                               |         192.0.2.36            |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |                               |         192.0.2.168           |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |                               |       46      |               |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |                   241239                      |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+2.2.  Traffic Profiling   Measurement results reported in IPFIX records can provide useful   input for traffic profiling.  IPFIX records captured over a long   period of time can be used to track and anticipate network growth and   usage.  Such information is valuable for trend analysis and network   planning.   The parameters of interest are determined by the profiling   objectives.  Example parameters for traffic profiling are Flow   duration, Flow volume, burstiness, the distribution of used services   and protocols, the amount of packets of a specific type, etc.   [RFC3917].   The distribution of services and protocols in use can be analyzed by   configuring appropriate Flows Keys for Flow discrimination.   Protocols can be distinguished by the protocolIdentifier IE.   Portnumbers (e.g., udpDestinationPort) often provide information   about services in use.  Those Flow Keys are defined in [RFC5102].  IfZseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 7]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   portnumbers are not sufficient for service discrimination, further   parts of the packet may be needed.  Header fields can be expressed by   IEs from [RFC5102].   Packet payload can be reported by using the IE ipPayloadPacketSection   in [RFC5477].   The Flow duration can be calculated from the Flow Timestamp IEs   defined in [RFC5102] (e.g., flowEndMicroseconds -   flowStartMicroseconds).  The number of packets and number of bytes of   a Flow are represented in the per-flow counter IEs (e.g.,   packetTotalCount, octetTotalCount).  The burstiness of a Flow can be   calculated from the Flow volume measured at different time intervals.2.3.  Traffic Engineering   Traffic engineering aims at the optimization of network resource   utilization and traffic performance [RFC2702].  Typical parameters   are link utilization, load between specific network, nodes, number,   size and entry/exit points of active Flows, and routing information   [RFC3917].   The size of Flows in packets and bytes can be reported by the IEs   packetTotalCount and octetTotalCount.  Utilization of a physical link   can be reported by using a coarse-grained Flow definition (e.g.,   based on identifier IEs such as egressInterface or ingressInterface)   and per-flow counter IEs (e.g., packetTotalCount, octetTotalCount)   defined in [RFC5102].   The load between specific network nodes can be reported in the same   way if one interface of a network node receives only traffic from   exactly one neighbor node (as is usually the case).  If the ingress   interface is not sufficient for an unambiguous identification of the   neighbor node, sub-IP header fields IEs (like sourceMacAddress) can   be added as Flow Keys.   The IE observedFlowTotalCount provides the number of all Flows   exported for the Observation Domain since the last initialization of   the Metering Process [RFC5102].  If this IE is exported at subsequent   points in time, one can derive the number of active Flows in a   specific time interval from the difference of the reported counters.   The configured Flow termination criteria have to be taken into   account to interpret those numbers correctly.   Entry and exit points can be derived from Flow Records if Metering   Processes are installed at all edges of the network and results are   mapped in accordance to Flow Keys.  For this and other analysis   methods that require the mapping of records from differentZseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 8]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   Observation Points, the same Flow Keys should be used at all   Observation Points.  The path that packets take through a network can   be investigated by using hash-based sampling techniques as described   in [DuGr00] and [RFC5475].  For this, IEs from [RFC5477] are needed.   Neither [RFC5102] nor [RFC5477] defines IEs suitable for exporting   routing information.2.4.  Network Security   Attack and intrusion detection are among the IPFIX target   applications described in [RFC3917].  Due to the enormous amount of   different network attack types, only general requirements could be   addressed in [RFC3917].   The number of metrics useful for attack detection is as diverse as   attack patterns themselves.  Attackers adapt rapidly to circumvent   detection methods and try to hide attack patterns using slow or   stealth attacks.  Furthermore, unusual traffic patterns are not   always caused by malicious activities.  A sudden traffic increase may   be caused by legitimate users who seek access to a recently published   web content.  Strange traffic patterns may also be caused by   misconfiguration.   IPFIX can export Flow information for arbitrary Flow definitions as   defined in [RFC5101].  Packet information can be exported with IPFIX   by using the additional Information Elements described in [RFC5477].   With this, theoretically all information about traffic in the network   at the IP layer and above is accessible.  This data either can be   used directly to detect anomalies or can provide the basis for   further post-processing to generate more complex attack detection   metrics.   Depending on the attack type, different metrics are useful.  A sudden   increase of traffic load can be a hint that an attack has been   launched.  The overall traffic at an Observation Point can be   monitored using per-flow counter IEs like packetTotalCount or   octetTotalCount as described inSection 2.3.  The number of active   Flows can be monitored by regular reporting of the   observedFlowTotalCount defined in [RFC5102].   A sudden increase of Flows from different sources to one destination   may be caused by an attack on a specific host or network node using   spoofed addresses.  The number of Flows from or to specific networks   or hosts can be observed by using source and destination addresses as   Flow Keys and observing the number of active Flows as explained   above.  Many Flows to the same machine, but on different ports, or   many Flows to the same port and different machines may be anZseby, et al                 Informational                      [Page 9]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   indicator for vertical or horizontal port scanning activities.  The   number of Flows to different ports can be reported by using the   portnumber Information Elements (udpSourcePort, udpDestinationPort,   tcpSourcePort, tcpDestinationPort) defined in [RFC5102] as Flow Keys.   An unusual ratio of TCP-SYN to TCP-FIN packets can refer to SYN-   flooding.  The number of SYN and FIN packets in a Flow can be   reported with the IPFIX Information Elements tcpSynTotalCount and   tcpFinTotalCount defined in [RFC5102].   Worms may leave signatures in traffic patterns.  Detecting such   events requires more detailed measurements and post-processing than   detecting simple changes in traffic volumes.   A difficult task is the separation of good from bad packets to   prepare and launch counteraction.  This may require a deeper look   into packet content by using further header field IEs from [RFC5102]   and/or packet payloads from IE ipPayloadPacketSection in [RFC5477].   Furthermore, the amount of resources needed for measurement and   reporting increases with the level of granularity required to detect   an attack.  Multi-step analysis techniques may be useful, e.g., to   launch an in-depth analysis (e.g., based on packet information) in   case the Flow information shows suspicious patterns.  In order to   supervise traffic to a specific host or network node, it is useful to   apply filtering methods such as those described in [RFC5475].   Mapping the two directions of communication is often useful for   checking correct protocol behavior (seeSection 4.6).  A correlation   of IPFIX data from multiple Observation Points (seeSection 2.5.1)   allows assessing the propagation of an attack and can help to locate   its source.   The integration of previous measurement results helps to review   traffic changes over time for detection of traffic anomalies and   provides the basis for forensic analysis.  A standardized storage   format for IPFIX data would support the offline analysis of data from   different operators.   Nevertheless, capturing full packet traces at all Observation Points   in the network is not viable due to resource limitations and privacy   concerns.  Therefore, metrics should be chosen wisely to allow a   solid detection with minimal resource consumption.  Resources can be   saved, for instance, by using coarser-grained Flow definitions,   reporting pre-processed metrics (e.g., with additional Information   Elements), or deploying sampling methods.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 10]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   In many cases, only derived metrics provide sufficient evidence about   security incidents.  For example, comparing the number of SYN and FIN   packets for a specific time interval can reveal an ongoing SYN   attack, which is not obvious from unprocessed packet and Flow data.   Further metrics like the cumulated sum of various counters,   distributions of packet attributes, or spectrum coefficients have   been used to identify a variety of attacks.   In order to detect attacks early, it is useful to process the data as   soon as possible in order to generate significant metrics for the   detection.  Pre-processing of raw packet and Flow data already at the   measurement device can speed up the detection process and reduces the   amount of data that need to be exported.  Furthermore, it is possible   to directly report derived metrics by defining appropriate   Information Elements.  Immediate data export in case of a potential   incident is desired.  IPFIX supports such source-triggered exporting   of information due to the push model approach.  Nevertheless, further   exporting criteria have to be implemented to export IPFIX records   upon incident detection events and not only upon flow-end or fixed-   time intervals.   Intrusion detection would profit from the combination of IPFIX   functions with AAA functions (seeSection 3.5).  Such an   interoperation enables further means for attacker detection, advanced   defense strategies, and secure inter-domain cooperation.2.5.  QoS Monitoring   Quality of service (QoS) monitoring is one target application of the   IPFIX protocol [RFC3917].  QoS monitoring is the passive observation   of the transmission quality for single Flows or traffic aggregates in   the network.  One example of its use is the validation of QoS   guarantees in service level agreements (SLAs).  Typical QoS   parameters are loss [RFC2680], one-way [RFC2679] and round-trip delay   [RFC2681], and delay variation [RFC3393].  Whenever applicable, the   IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) definitions [RFC4148] should be used   when reporting QoS metrics.   The calculation of those QoS metrics requires per-packet processing.   Reporting packet information with IPFIX is possible by simply   considering a single packet as Flow.  [RFC5101] also allows the   reporting of multiple identical Information Elements in one Flow   Record.  Using this feature for reporting information about multiple   packets in one record would require additional agreement on semantics   regarding the order of Information Elements (e.g., which timestamp   belongs to which packet payload in a sequence of Information   Elements).  [RFC5477] defines useful additional Information Elements   for exporting per-packet information with IPFIX.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 11]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20092.5.1.  Correlating Events from Multiple Observation Points   Some QoS metrics require the correlation of data from multiple   Observation Points.  For this, the clocks of the involved Metering   Processes must be synchronized.  Furthermore, it is necessary to   recognize that the same packet was observed at different Observation   Points.   This can be done by capturing parts of the packet content (packet   header and/or parts of the payload) that do not change on the way to   the destination.  Based on the packet content, it can be recognized   when the same packet arrived at another Observation Point.  To reduce   the amount of measurement data, a unique packet ID can be calculated   from the packet content, e.g., by using a Cyclic Redundancy Check   (CRC) or hash function instead of transferring and comparing the   unprocessed content.  Considerations on collision probability and   efficiency of using such packet IDs are described in [GrDM98],   [DuGr00], and [ZsZC01].   IPFIX allows the reporting of several IP and transport header fields   (see Sections5.3 and5.4 in [RFC5102]).  Using only those fields for   packet recognition or ID generation can be sufficient in scenarios   where those header fields vary a lot among subsequent packets, where   a certain amount of packet ID collisions are tolerable, or where   packet IDs need to be unique only for a small time interval.   For including packet payload information, the Information Element   ipPayloadPacketSection defined in [RFC5477] can be used.  The   Information Element ipHeaderPacketSection can also be used.  However,   header fields that can change on the way from source to destination   have to be excluded from the packet ID generation because they may   differ at different Observation Points.   For reporting packet IDs generated by a CRC or hash function, the   Information Element digestHashValue defined in [RFC5477] can be used.2.5.2.  Examples   The following examples show which Information Elements need to be   reported by IPFIX to generate specific QoS metrics.  As an   alternative, the metrics can be generated directly at the exporter   and IPFIX can be used to export the metrics (seeSection 2.7).2.5.2.1.  RTT Measurements with Packet Pair Matching (Single-Point)   The passive measurement of round-trip time (RTT) can be performed by   using packet pair matching techniques as described in [Brow00].  For   the measurements, request/response packet pairs from protocols suchZseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 12]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   as DNS, ICMP, SNMP or TCP (SYN/SYN_ACK, DATA/ACK) are utilized to   passively observe the RTT [Brow00].  This technique requires the   correlation of data from both directions.   Required Information Elements per packet (DNS example):   - Packet arrival time: observationTimeMicroseconds [RFC5477]   - DNS header: ipPayloadPacketSection [RFC5477]   Required functions:   - Recognition of request/response packet pairs   Remarks:   - Requires Information Elements from [RFC5477].   - observationTimeMicroseconds can be substituted by     flowStartMicroseconds [RFC5102] because a single packet can be     represented as a Flow.   - If time values with a finer granularity are needed,     observationTimeNanoseconds can be used.2.5.2.2.  One-Way Delay Measurements (Multi-Point)   Passive one-way delay measurements require the collection of data at   two Observation Points.  As mentioned above, synchronized clocks are   needed to avoid time-differences at the involved Observation Points.   The recognition of packets at the second Observation Point can be   based on parts of the packet content directly.  A more efficient way   is to use a packet ID (generated from packet content).   Required Information Elements per packet (with packet ID):   - Packet arrival time: observationTimeMicroseconds [RFC5477]   - Packet ID: digestHashValue [RFC5477]   Required functions:   - Packet ID generation   - Delay calculation (from arrival times at the two Observation     Points)   Remarks:   - Requires Information Elements from [RFC5477].   - observationTimeMicroseconds can be substituted by     flowStartMicroseconds [RFC5102], because a single packet can be     represented as a Flow.   - If time values with a finer granularity are needed,     observationTimeNanoseconds can be used.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 13]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   - The amount of content used for ID generation influences the number     of collisions (different packets that map to the same ID) that can     occur.  Investigations on this and other considerations on packet     ID generation can be found in [GrDM98], [DuGr00], and [ZsZC01].2.6.  Inter-Domain Exchange of IPFIX Data   IPFIX data can be used to share information with neighbor providers.   A few recommendations should be considered if IPFIX records travel   over the public Internet, compared to its usage within a single   domain.  First of all, security threat levels are higher if data   travels over the public Internet.  Protection against disclosure or   manipulation of data is even more important than for intra-domain   usage.  Therefore, Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Datagram   Transport Layer Security should be used as described in [RFC5101].   Furthermore, data transfer should be congestion-aware in order to   allow untroubled coexistence with other data Flows in public or   foreign networks.  That means transport over Stream Control   Transmission Protocol (SCTP) or TCP is required.   Some ISPs are still reluctant to share information due to concerns   that competing ISPs might exploit network information from neighbor   providers to strengthen their own position in the market.   Nevertheless, technical needs have already triggered the exchange of   data in the past (e.g., exchange of routing information by BGP).  The   need to provide inter-domain guarantees is one big incentive to   increase inter-domain cooperation.  The necessity to defend networks   against current and future threats (denial-of-service attacks, worm   distributions, etc.) will hopefully increase the willingness to   exchange measurement data between providers.2.7.  Export of Derived Metrics   The IPFIX protocol is used to transport Flow and packet information   to provide the input for the calculation of a variety of metrics   (e.g., for QoS validation or attack detection).  IPFIX can also be   used to transfer these metrics directly, e.g., if the metric   calculation is co-located with the Metering and Exporting Processes.   It doesn't matter which measurement and post-processing functions are   applied to generate a specific metric.  IPFIX can be used to   transport the results from passive and active measurements and from   post-processing operations.  For the reporting of derived metrics,   additional Information Elements need to be defined.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 14]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   For most QoS metrics like loss, delay, delay variation, etc.,   standard IPPM definitions exist.  In case such metrics are reported   with IPFIX, the IPPM standard definition should be used.2.8.  Summary   The following table shows an overview of the Information Elements   required for the target applications described in [RFC3917]   (M-mandatory, R-recommended, O-optional).      | Application |  [RFC5102] |   [RFC5477]  | additional IEs  |      +-------------+------------+--------------+-----------------+      | Accounting  |     M      |      -       |       -         |      +-------------+------------+--------------+-----------------+      | Traffic     |     M      |      O       |       -         |      | Profiling   |            |              |                 |      +-------------+------------+--------------+-----------------+      | Traffic     |     M      |      -       |       O         |      | Engineering |            |              | (routing info)  |      +-------------+------------+--------------+-----------------+      | Attack      |     M      |      R       |       R         |      | Detection   |            |              |(derived metrics)|      +-------------+------------+--------------+-----------------+      | QoS         |     M      |      M       |       O         |      | Monitoring  |            |(most metrics)|(derived metrics)|      +-------------+------------+--------------+-----------------+   For accounting, the IEs in [RFC5102] are sufficient.  As mentioned   above, IPFIX does not conform to the reliability requirements   demanded by [RFC2975] for usage-based billing systems (seeSection4.2).  For traffic profiling, additional IEs from [RFC5477] can be   useful to gain more insight into the traffic.  For traffic   engineering, Flow information from [RFC5102] is sufficient, but it   would profit from routing information, which could be exported by   IPFIX.  Attack detection usually profits from further insight into   the traffic.  This can be achieved with IEs from [RFC5477].   Furthermore, the reporting of derived metrics in additional IEs would   be useful.  Most QoS metrics require the use of IEs from [RFC5477].   IEs from [RFC5477] are also useful for the mapping of results from   different Observation Points as described inSection 2.5.1.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 15]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20093.  Relation of IPFIX to Other Frameworks and Protocols3.1.  IPFIX and IPv6   From the beginning, IPFIX has been designed for IPv4 and IPv6.   Therefore, IPFIX can be used in IPv4 and IPv6 networks without   limitations.  The usage of IPFIX in IPv6 networks has two aspects:   - Generation and reporting of IPFIX records about IPv6 traffic   - Exporting IPFIX records over IPv6   The generation and reporting of IPFIX records about IPv6 traffic is   possible.  Appropriate Information Elements for the reporting of IPv6   traffic are defined in [RFC5102].  Exporting IPFIX records over IPv6   is not explicitly addressed in [RFC5101].  Since IPFIX runs over a   transport protocol (SCTP, PR-SCTP, UDP, or TCP) and all potential   IPFIX transport protocols can run in IPv6 networks, one just needs to   provide the chosen transport protocol in the IPv6 network to run   IPFIX over IPv6.3.2.  IPFIX and PSAMP   PSAMP defines packet selection methods, their configuration at   routers and probes, and the reporting of packet information.   PSAMP uses IPFIX as a basis for exporting packet information   [RFC5476].  [RFC5477] describes further Information Elements for   exporting packet information and reporting configuration information.   The main difference between IPFIX and PSAMP is that IPFIX addresses   the export of Flow Records, whereas PSAMP addresses the export of   packet records.  Furthermore, PSAMP explicitly addresses remote   configuration.  It defines a MIB for the configuration of packet   selection processes.  Remote configuration is not (yet) addressed in   IPFIX, but one could consider extending the PSAMP MIB to also allow   configuration of IPFIX processes.3.3.  IPFIX and RMON   Remote Monitoring (RMON) [RFC3577] is a widely used monitoring system   that gathers traffic data from RMON Agents in network devices.  One   major difference between RMON and IPFIX is that RMON uses SNMP for   data export, whereas IPFIX defines its own push-oriented protocol.   RMON defines MIBs that contain the information to be exported.  In   IPFIX, the data to be exported is defined as Information Elements.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 16]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   The most relevant MIBs for comparison with IPFIX are the Application   Performance Measurement MIB (APM-MIB) [RFC3729] and the Transport   Performance Metrics MIB (TPM-MIB) [RFC4150].  The APM-MIB has a   complex system for tracking user application performance, with   reporting about transactions and SLA threshold notification-trigger   configuration, and persistence across DHCP lease expirations.  It   requires a full RMON2-MIB protocolDirTable implementation.   The APM-MIB reports the performance of transactions.  A transaction   is a service-oriented term and describes the data exchange from the   transaction start (when a user requests a service) until its   completion.  The performance parameters include response times,   throughput, streaming responsiveness, and availability of services.   The RMON transaction concept differs from the IPFIX Flow concept.  A   Flow is a very generic term that allows one to group IP packets in   accordance with common properties.  In contrast to this, the term   transaction is service-oriented and contains all data exchange   required for service completion.   In order to report such data with IPFIX, one would probably need a   specific combination of multiple Flows and the ability to map those   to the transaction.  Due to the service-oriented focus of APM, the   required metrics also differ.  For instance, the RMON APM requires a   metric for the responsiveness of services.  Such metrics are not   addressed in IPFIX.   Furthermore, the APM-MIB allows the configuration of the transaction   type to be monitored, which is currently not addressed in IPFIX.   The APM MIB could be considered as an extension of the IPFIX Metering   Process where the application performance of a combination of   multiple Flows is measured.  If appropriate, IEs would be defined in   the IPFIX information model and the IPFIX Device would support the   APM MIB data collection, the solutions could be complementary.  That   means one could use IPFIX to export APM MIB transaction information.   The TPM-MIB breaks out the APM-MIB transactions into sub-application   level transactions.  For instance, a web request is broken down into   DNS, TCP, and HTTP sub-transactions.  Such sub-transactions can be   considered as bidirectional Flows.  With an appropriate Flow   definition and the ability to map both directions of a Flow (seeSection 4.6), one could measure and report Flow characteristics of   such sub-application level transaction with IPFIX.   The TPM-MIB requires APM-MIB and RMON2-MIB.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 17]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20093.4.  IPFIX and IPPM   The IPFIX protocol can be used to carry IPPM network performance   metrics or information that can be used to calculate those metrics   (see Sections2.5 and2.7 for details and references).3.5.  IPFIX and AAA   AAA defines a protocol and architecture for authentication,   authorization, and accounting for service usage [RFC2903].  The   DIAMETER protocol [RFC3588] is used for AAA communication, which is   needed for network access services (Mobile IP, NASREQ, and ROAMOPS).   The AAA architecture [RFC2903] provides a framework for extending AAA   support to other services.  DIAMETER defines the exchange of messages   between AAA entities, e.g., between AAA clients at access devices and   AAA servers, and among AAA servers.  DIAMETER is used for the   transfer of accounting records.  In order to form accounting records   for usage-based accounting measurement, data from the network is   required.  IPFIX defines a protocol to export such data from routers,   measurement probes, and other devices.  Therefore, it looks promising   to connect those two architectures.   For all scenarios described here, one has to keep in mind that IPFIX   does not conform to the reliability requirements for usage-based   billing described in [RFC2975] (seeSection 4.2).  Using IPFIX   without reliability extensions together with AAA would result in   accounting scenarios that do not conform to usage-based billing   requirements described in [RFC2975].   As shown inSection 2.1, accounting applications can directly   incorporate an IPFIX Collecting Process to receive IPFIX records with   information about the transmitted volume.  Nevertheless, if a AAA   infrastructure is in place, the cooperation between IPFIX and AAA   provides many valuable synergistic benefits.  IPFIX records can   provide the input for AAA accounting functions and provide the basis   for the generation of DIAMETER accounting records.  However, as   stated inSection 4.2, the use of IPFIX as described in [RFC5101] is   currently limited to situations where the purpose of the accounting   does not require reliability.   Further potential features include the mapping of a user ID to Flow   information (by using authentication information) or using the secure   authorized exchange of DIAMETER accounting records with neighbor   domains.  The last feature is especially useful in roaming scenarios   where the user connects to a foreign network and the home provider   generates the invoice.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 18]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   Coupling an IPFIX Collecting Process with AAA functions also has high   potential for intrusion and attack detection.  AAA controls network   access and maintains data about users and nodes.  AAA functions can   help to identify the source of malicious traffic.  Authorization   functions are able to deny access to suspicious users or nodes.   Therefore, coupling those functions with an IPFIX Collecting Process   can provide an efficient defense against network attacks.   Sharing IPFIX records (either directly or encapsulated in DIAMETER)   with neighbor providers allows an efficient inter-domain attack   detection.  For this, it would be useful to allow remote   configuration of measurement and record generation in order to   provide information in the required granularity and accuracy.  Since   remote configuration is currently not addressed in IPFIX, this would   require additional work.  The AAA infrastructure itself may be used   to configure measurement functions in the network as proposed in   [RFC3334].   Furthermore, the transport of IPFIX records with DIAMETER would   require the translation of IPFIX Information Elements into DIAMETER   attribute value pairs (AVPs) defined in [RFC3588].  Since the   DIAMETER AVPs do not comprise all IPFIX Information Elements, it is   necessary to define new AVPs to transport them over DIAMETER.   Two possibilities exist to connect IPFIX and AAA:   - Connecting via a AAA Client   - Connecting via an Application Specific Module (ASM)   Both are explained in the following sections.  The approaches only   require a few additional functions.  They do not require any changes   to IPFIX or DIAMETER.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 19]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20093.5.1.  Connecting via a AAA Client   One possibility of connecting IPFIX and AAA is to run a AAA client on   the IPFIX Collector.  This client can generate DIAMETER accounting   messages and send them to a AAA server.  The mapping of the Flow   information to a user ID can be done in the AAA server by using data   from the authentication process.  DIAMETER accounting messages can be   sent to the accounting application or to other AAA servers (e.g., in   roaming scenarios).                    +---------+  DIAMETER    +---------+                    |  AAA-S  |------------->|  AAA-S  |                    +---------+              +---------+                         ^                         | DIAMETER                         |                         |                  +--+--------+--+                  |  |  AAA-C |  |                  +  +--------+  |                  |              |                  |  Collector   |                  +--------------+                         ^                         | IPFIX                         |                   +------------+                   |  Exporter  |                   +------------+      Figure 1: IPFIX Collector connects to AAA server via AAA clientZseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 20]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20093.5.2.  Connecting via an Application Specific Module (ASM)   Another possibility is to directly connect the IPFIX Collector with   the AAA server via an application specific module (ASM).  Application   specific modules have been proposed by the IRTF AAA architecture   research group (AAARCH) in [RFC2903].  They act as an interface   between AAA server and service equipment.  In this case, the IPFIX   Collector is part of the ASM.  The ASM acts as an interface between   the IPFIX protocol and the input interface of the AAA server.  The   ASM translates the received IPFIX data into an appropriate format for   the AAA server.  The AAA server then can add information about the   user ID and generate a DIAMETER accounting record.  This accounting   record can be sent to an accounting application or to other AAA   servers.                       +---------+  DIAMETER    +---------+                       |  AAA-S  |------------->|  AAA-S  |                       +---------+              +---------+                            ^                            |                    +------------------+                    |     ASM          |                    |  +------------+  |                    |  |  Collector |  |                    +------------------+                            ^                            | IPFIX                            |                      +------------+                      |  Exporter  |                      +------------+            Figure 2: IPFIX connects to AAA server via ASM3.6.  IPFIX and RTFM   The Realtime Traffic Flow Measurement (RTFM) working group defined an   architecture for Flow measurement [RFC2722].  This section compares   the RTFM framework with the IPFIX framework.3.6.1.  Architecture   The RTFM architecture [RFC2722] is very similar to the IPFIX   architecture.  It defines meter, meter reader, and a manager as   building blocks of the measurement architecture.  The manager   configures the meter, and the meter reader collects data from the   meter.  In RTFM, the building blocks communicate via SNMP.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 21]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   The IPFIX architecture [RFC5470] defines Metering, Exporting, and   Collecting Processes.  IPFIX speaks about processes instead of   devices to clarify that multiple of those processes may be co-located   on the same machine.   These definitions do not contradict each other.  One could see the   Metering Process as part of the meter, and the Collecting Process as   part of the meter reader.   One difference is that IPFIX currently does not define a managing   process because remote configuration was (at least initially) out of   scope for the working group.3.6.2.  Flow Definition   RTFM and IPFIX both consider Flows as a group of packets that share a   common set of properties.  A Flow is completely specified by that set   of values, together with a termination criterion (like inactivity   timeout).   A difference is that RTFM defines Flows as bidirectional.  An RTFM   meter matches packets from B to A and A to B as separate parts of a   single Flow, and it maintains two sets of packet and byte counters,   one for each direction.   IPFIX does not explicitly state whether Flows are uni- or   bidirectional.  Nevertheless, Information Elements for describing   Flow properties were defined for only one direction in [RFC5102].   There are several solutions for reporting bidirectional Flow   information (seeSection 4.6).3.6.3.  Configuration and Management   In RTFM, remote configuration is the only way to configure a meter.   This is done by using SNMP and a specific Meter MIB [RFC2720].  The   IPFIX group currently does not address IPFIX remote configuration.   IPFIX Metering Processes export the layout of data within their   Templates, from time to time.  IPFIX Collecting Processes use that   Template information to determine how they should interpret the IPFIX   Flow data they receive.3.6.4.  Data Collection   One major difference between IPFIX and RTFM is the data collection   model.  RTFM retrieves data in pull mode, whereas IPFIX uses a push   mode model to send data to Collecting Processes.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 22]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   An RTFM meter reader pulls data from a meter by using SNMP.  SNMP   security on the meter determines whether a reader is allowed to pull   data from it.  An IPFIX Exporting Process is configured to export   records to a specified list of IPFIX Collecting Processes.  The   condition of when to send IPFIX records (e.g., Flow termination) has   to be configured in the Exporting or Metering Process.3.6.5.  Data Model Details   RTFM defines all its attributes in the RTFM Meter MIB [RFC2720].   IPFIX Information Elements are defined in [RFC5102].   RTFM uses continuously-incrementing 64-bit counters for the storage   of the number of packets of a Flow.  The counters are never reset and   just wrap back to zero if the maximum value is exceeded.  Flows can   be read at any time.  The difference between counter readings gives   the counts for activity in the interval between readings.   IPFIX allows absolute (totalCounter) and relative counters   (deltaCounter) [RFC5102].  The totalCounter is never reset and just   wraps to zero if values are too large, exactly as the counters used   in RTFM.  The deltaCounter is reset to zero when the associated Flow   Record is exported.3.6.6.  Transport Protocol   RTFM has a Standards-Track Meter MIB [RFC2720], which is used both to   configure a meter and to store metering results.  The MIB provides a   way to read lists of attributes with a single Object Identifier   (called a 'package'), which reduces the SNMP overhead for Flow data   collection.  SNMP, of course, normally uses UDP as its transport   protocol.  Since RTFM requires a reliable Flow data transport system,   an RTFM meter reader must time out and resend unanswered SNMP   requests.  Apart from being clumsy, this can limit the maximum data   transfer rate from meter to meter reader.   IPFIX is designed to work over a variety of different transport   protocols.  SCTP [RFC4960] and PR-SCTP [RFC3758] are mandatory.  UDP   and TCP are optional.  In addition, the IPFIX protocol encodes data   much more efficiently than SNMP does, hence IPFIX has lower data   transport overheads than RTFM.3.6.7.  Summary   IPFIX exports Flow information in a push model by using SCTP, TCP, or   UDP.  It currently does not address remote configuration.  RTFM data   collection is using the pull model and runs over SNMP.  RTFMZseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 23]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   addresses remote configuration, which also runs over SNMP.  Both   frameworks allow a very flexible Flow definition, although RTFM is   based on a bidirectional Flow definition.4.  Limitations   The goal of this section is to show the limitations of IPFIX and to   give advice where not to use IPFIX or in which cases additional   considerations are required.4.1.  Using IPFIX for Other Applications than Listed inRFC 3917   IPFIX provides a generic export mechanism.  Due to its Template-based   structure, it is a quite flexible protocol.  Network operators and   users may want to use it for other applications than those described   in [RFC3917].   Apart from sending raw Flow information, it can be used to send per-   packet data, aggregated or post-processed data.  For this, new   Templates and Information Elements can be defined if needed.  Due to   its push mode operation, IPFIX is also suited to send network   initiated events like alarms and other notifications.  It can be used   for exchanging information among network nodes to autonomously   improve network operation.   Nevertheless, the IPFIX design is based on the requirements that   originate only from the target applications stated in [RFC3917].   Using IPFIX for other purposes requires a careful checking of IPFIX   capabilities against application requirements.  Only with this, one   can decide whether IPFIX is a suitable protocol to meet the needs of   a specific application.4.2.  Using IPFIX for Billing (Reliability Limitations)   The reliability requirements defined in [RFC3917] are not sufficient   to guarantee the level of reliability that is needed for usage-based   billing systems as described in [RFC2975].  In particular, IPFIX does   not support the following features required by [RFC2975]:   - Record loss: IPFIX allows the usage of different transport     protocols for the transfer of data records.  Resilience against the     loss of IPFIX data records can be only provided if TCP or SCTP is     used for the transfer of data records.   - Network or device failures: IPFIX does allow the usage of multiple     Collectors for one Exporter, but it neither specifies nor demands     the use of multiple Collectors for the provisioning of fault     tolerance.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 24]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   - Detection and elimination of duplicate records: This is currently     not supported by IPFIX.   - Application layer acknowledgements: IPFIX does not support the     control of measurement and Exporting Processes by higher-level     applications.  Application layer acknowledgements are necessary,     e.g., to inform the Exporter in case the application is not able to     process the data exported with IPFIX.  Such acknowledgements are     not supported in IPFIX.   Further features like archival accounting and pre-authorization are   out of scope of the IPFIX specification but need to be realized in   billing system architectures as described in [RFC2975].4.3.  Using a Different Transport Protocol than SCTP   SCTP is the preferred protocol for IPFIX, i.e., a conforming   implementation must work over SCTP.  Although IPFIX can also work   over TCP or UDP, both protocols have drawbacks [RFC5101].  Users   should make sure they have good reasons before using protocols other   than SCTP in a specific environment.4.4.  Push vs. Pull Mode   IPFIX works in push mode.  That means IPFIX records are automatically   exported without the need to wait for a request.  The responsibility   for initiating a data export lies with the Exporting Process.   Criteria for exporting data need to be configured at the Exporting   Process.  Therefore, push mode has more benefits if the trigger for   data export is related to events at the Exporting Process (e.g., Flow   termination, memory shortage due to large amount of Flows, etc.).  If   the protocol used pull mode, the Exporting Process would need to wait   for a request to send the data.  With push mode, it can send data   immediately, e.g., before memory shortage would require a discarding   of data.   With push mode, one can prevent the overloading of resources at the   Exporting Process by simply exporting the information as soon as   certain thresholds are about to be exceeded.  Therefore, exporting   criteria are often related to traffic characteristics (e.g., Flow   timeout) or resource limitations (e.g., size of Flow cache).   However, traffic characteristics are usually quite dynamic and often   impossible to predict.  If they are used to trigger Flow export, the   exporting rate and the resource consumption for Flow export becomes   variable and unpredictable.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 25]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   Pull mode has advantages if the trigger for data export is related to   events at the Collecting Process (e.g., a specific application   requests immediate input).   In a pull mode, a request could simply be forwarded to the Exporting   Process.  In a push mode, the exporting configuration must be changed   to trigger the export of the requested data.  Furthermore, with pull   mode, one can prevent the overloading of the Collecting Process by   the arrival of more records than it can process.   Whether this is a relevant drawback depends on the flexibility of the   IPFIX configuration and how IPFIX configuration rules are   implemented.4.5.  Template ID Number   The IPFIX specification limits the different Template ID numbers that   can be assigned to the newly generated Template records in an   Observation Domain.  In particular, Template IDs up to 255 are   reserved for Template or option sets (or other sets to be created)   and Template IDs from 256 to 65535 are assigned to data sets.  In the   case of many exports requiring many different Templates, the set of   Template IDs could be exhausted.4.6.  Exporting Bidirectional Flow Information   Although IPFIX does not explicitly state that Flows are   unidirectional, Information Elements that describe Flow   characteristics are defined only for one direction in [RFC5102].   [RFC5101] allows the reporting of multiple identical Information   Elements in one Flow Record.  With this, Information Elements for   forward and reverse directions can be reported in one Flow Record.   However, this is not sufficient.  Using this feature for reporting   bidirectional Flow information would require an agreement on the   semantics of Information Elements (e.g., first counter is the counter   for the forward direction, the second counter for the reverse   direction).   Another option is to use two adjacent Flow Records to report both   directions of a bidirectional Flow separately.  This approach   requires additional means for mapping those records and is quite   inefficient due to the redundant reporting of Flow Keys.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 26]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20094.7.  Remote Configuration   Remote configuration was initially out of scope of the IPFIX working   group in order to concentrate on the protocol specification.   Therefore, there is currently no standardized way to configure IPFIX   processes remotely.  Nevertheless, due to the broad need for this   feature, it is quite likely that solutions for this will be   standardized soon.5.  Security Considerations   This document describes the usage of IPFIX in various scenarios.   Security requirements for IPFIX target applications and security   considerations for IPFIX are addressed in [RFC3917] and [RFC5101].   Those requirements have to be met for the usage of IPFIX for all   scenarios described in this document.  To our current knowledge, the   usage scenarios proposed inSection 2 do not induce further security   hazards.   The threat level to IPIFX itself may depend on the usage scenario of   IPFIX.  The usage of IPFIX for accounting or attack detection may   increase the incentive to attack IPFIX itself.  Nevertheless,   security considerations have to be taken into account in all   described scenarios.   As described in the security considerations in [RFC5101], security   incidents can become a threat to IPFIX processes themselves, even if   IPIFX is not the target of the attack.  If an attack generates a   large amount of Flows (e.g., by sending packets with spoofed   addresses or simulating Flow termination), Exporting and Collecting   Processes may get overloaded by the immense amount of records that   are exported.  A flexible deployment of packet or Flow sampling   methods can be useful to prevent the exhaustion of resources.Section 3 of this document describes how IPFIX can be used in   combination with other technologies.  New security hazards can arise   when two individually secure technologies or architectures are   combined.  For the combination of AAA with IPFIX, an application   specific module (ASM) or an IPFIX Collector can function as a transit   point for the messages.  One has to ensure that at this point the   applied security mechanisms (e.g., encryption of messages) are   maintained.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 27]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 20096.  Acknowledgements   We would like to thank the following people for their contributions,   discussions on the mailing list, and valuable comments:      Sebastian Zander      Robert Loewe      Reinaldo Penno      Lutz Mark      Andy Biermann   Part of the work has been developed in the research project 6QM,   co-funded with support from the European Commission.7.  Normative References   [RFC4148]  Stephan, E., "IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) Metrics              Registry",BCP 108,RFC 4148, August 2005.   [RFC5101]  Claise, B., Ed., "Specification of the IP Flow Information              Export (IPFIX) Protocol for the Exchange of IP Traffic              Flow Information",RFC 5101, January 2008.   [RFC5102]  Quittek, J., Bryant, S., Claise, B., Aitken, P., and J.              Meyer, "Information Model for IP Flow Information Export",RFC 5102, January 2008.   [RFC5477]  Dietz, T., Claise, B., Aitken, P., Dressler, F., and G.              Carle, "Information Model for Packet Sampling Exports",RFC 5477, March 2009.8.  Informative References   [Brow00]   Brownlee, N., "Packet Matching for NeTraMet              Distributions", <http://www.caida.org/tools/measurement/netramet/packetmatching/>.   [DuGr00]   Duffield, N. and M. Grossglauser, "Trajectory Sampling for              Direct Traffic Observation", Proceedings of ACM SIGCOMM              2000, Stockholm, Sweden, August 28 - September 1, 2000.   [GrDM98]   Graham, I., Donnelly, S., Martin, S., Martens, J., and J.              Cleary, "Nonintrusive and Accurate Measurement of              Unidirectional Delay and Delay Variation on the Internet",              INET'98, Geneva, Switzerland, 21-24 July, 1998.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 28]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   [RFC2679]  Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A One-way              Delay Metric for IPPM",RFC 2679, September 1999.   [RFC2680]  Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A One-way              Packet Loss Metric for IPPM",RFC 2680, September 1999.   [RFC2681]  Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A Round-trip              Delay Metric for IPPM",RFC 2681, September 1999.   [RFC2702]  Awduche, D., Malcolm, J., Agogbua, J., O'Dell, M., and J.              McManus, "Requirements for Traffic Engineering Over MPLS",RFC 2702, September 1999.   [RFC2720]  Brownlee, N., "Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB",RFC2720, October 1999.   [RFC2722]  Brownlee, N., Mills, C., and G. Ruth, "Traffic Flow              Measurement: Architecture",RFC 2722, October 1999.   [RFC2903]  de Laat, C., Gross, G., Gommans, L., Vollbrecht, J., and              D. Spence, "Generic AAA Architecture",RFC 2903, August              2000.   [RFC2975]  Aboba, B., Arkko, J., and D. Harrington, "Introduction to              Accounting Management",RFC 2975, October 2000.   [RFC3246]  Davie, B., Charny, A., Bennet, J., Benson, K., Le Boudec,              J., Courtney, W., Davari, S., Firoiu, V., and D.              Stiliadis, "An Expedited Forwarding PHB (Per-Hop              Behavior)",RFC 3246, March 2002.   [RFC3330]  IANA, "Special-Use IPv4 Addresses",RFC 3330, September              2002.   [RFC3334]  Zseby, T., Zander, S., and C. Carle, "Policy-Based              Accounting",RFC 3334, October 2002.   [RFC3393]  Demichelis, C. and P. Chimento, "IP Packet Delay Variation              Metric for IP Performance Metrics (IPPM)",RFC 3393,              November 2002.   [RFC3577]  Waldbusser, S., Cole, R., Kalbfleisch, C., and D.              Romascanu, "Introduction to the Remote Monitoring (RMON)              Family of MIB Modules",RFC 3577, August 2003.   [RFC3588]  Calhoun, P., Loughney, J., Guttman, E., Zorn, G., and J.              Arkko, "Diameter Base Protocol",RFC 3588, September 2003.Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 29]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009   [RFC3729]  Waldbusser, S., "Application Performance Measurement MIB",RFC 3729, March 2004.   [RFC3758]  Stewart, R., Ramalho, M., Xie, Q., Tuexen, M., and P.              Conrad, "Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP)              Partial Reliability Extension",RFC 3758, May 2004.   [RFC3917]  Quittek, J., Zseby, T., Claise, B., and S. Zander,              "Requirements for IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX)",RFC3917, October 2004.   [RFC4150]  Dietz, R. and R. Cole, "Transport Performance Metrics              MIB",RFC 4150, August 2005.   [RFC4960]  Stewart, R., Ed., "Stream Control Transmission Protocol",RFC 4960, September 2007.   [RFC5470]  Sadasivan, G., Brownlee, N., Claise, B., and J. Quittek,              "Architecture for IP Flow Information Export",RFC 5470,              March 2009.   [RFC5475]  Zseby, T., Molina, M., Duffield, N., Niccolini, S., and F.              Raspall, "Sampling and Filtering Techniques for IP Packet              Selection",RFC 5475, March 2009.   [RFC5476]  Claise, B., Ed., "Packet Sampling (PSAMP) Protocol              Specifications",RFC 5476, March 2009.   [ZsZC01]   Zseby, T., Zander, S., and G. Carle, "Evaluation of              Building Blocks for Passive One-way-delay Measurements",              Proceedings of Passive and Active Measurement Workshop              (PAM 2001), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 23-24, 2001Zseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 30]

RFC 5472                  IPFIX Applicability                 March 2009Authors' Addresses   Tanja Zseby   Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS)   Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 31   10589 Berlin, Germany   Phone: +49 30 3463 7153   EMail: tanja.zseby@fokus.fraunhofer.de   Elisa Boschi   Hitachi Europe   c/o ETH Zurich   Gloriastrasse 35   8092 Zurich   Switzerland   Phone: +41 44 6327057   EMail: elisa.boschi@hitachi-eu.com   Nevil Brownlee   CAIDA (UCSD/SDSC)   9500 Gilman Drive   La Jolla, CA 92093-0505   Phone: +1 858 534 8338   EMail: nevil@caida.org   Benoit Claise   Cisco Systems, Inc.   De Kleetlaan 6a b1   1831 Diegem   Belgium   Phone: +32 2 704 5622   EMail: bclaise@cisco.comZseby, et al                 Informational                     [Page 31]

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