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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                      L. AnderssonRequest for Comments: 6291                                      EricssonBCP: 161                                                 H. van HelvoortCategory: Best Current Practice                      Huawei TechnologiesISSN: 2070-1721                                                R. Bonica                                                        Juniper Networks                                                            D. Romascanu                                                                   Avaya                                                            S. Mansfield                                                                Ericsson                                                               June 2011Guidelines for the Use of the "OAM" Acronym in the IETFAbstract   At first glance, the acronym "OAM" seems to be well-known and well-   understood.  Looking at the acronym a bit more closely reveals a set   of recurring problems that are revisited time and again.   This document provides a definition of the acronym "OAM" (Operations,   Administration, and Maintenance) for use in all future IETF documents   that refer to OAM.  There are other definitions and acronyms that   will be discussed while exploring the definition of the constituent   parts of the "OAM" term.Status of This Memo   This memo documents an Internet Best Current Practice.   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).  Further information on   BCPs is available inSection 2 of RFC 5741.   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained athttp://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6291.Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 1]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 2011Copyright Notice   Copyright (c) 2011 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   (http://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 Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as   described in the Simplified BSD License.Table of Contents1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.1.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32.  Pre-Existing Uses of OAM  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32.1.  Uses of OAM in Other SDOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42.1.1.  The "O" in OAM  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42.1.2.  The "A" in OAM  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42.1.3.  The "M" in OAM  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52.2.  Uses of OAM in the IETF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53.  Recommendations on the Use of the "OAM" Acronym . . . . . . . .54.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65.  Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 2]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 20111.  Introduction   The main purpose of this document is to provide a definition of the   acronym "OAM" (Operations, Administration, and Maintenance) for use   in all future IETF documents that refer to OAM.   The acronym "OAM" is frequently used in the data and   telecommunication industry.  One would assume that something that is   so widely used is very clearly defined.  However, a closer look   reveals some points that need to be clarified.   If such an important piece of our technology is so poorly defined, or   if there are dialects of the technology with different understandings   of such a key concept, this will eventually cause problems.   Trying to understand the use of an acronym that is as "content-rich"   as OAM reveals two levels of complexity.  First, each letter in the   acronym represents an integrated piece of functionality.  Second, the   acronym, as such, represents something that is more than just the sum   of its parts.   There is also the issue of how each piece of the acronym is defined.   This document provides an analysis of what each initial of the   initialism represents and provides possible interpretations of the   acronym.  Finally, a recommendation for the interpretation of the   "OAM" acronym is provided.   Another useful document to make the "OAM" term understandable in a   wider scope is found in "An Overview of Operations, Administration,   and Maintenance (OAM) Mechanisms" [OAM-OVERVIEW].1.1.  Terminology   o  "Mgmt" - Management   o  O&M - OAM and Management   o  OAM - Operations, Administration, and Maintenance   o  SDO - Standards Development Organization2.  Pre-Existing Uses of OAM   This section provides information on how OAM is used in other SDOs   (Standards Development Organizations) and provides the background   necessary to understand the how the term is used in the IETF.Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 3]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 20112.1.  Uses of OAM in Other SDOs   Operations And Maintenance (OAM): A group of network management   functions that provide network fault indication, performance   information, and data and diagnosis functions.  ATM OAM ITU-T I.610   [ITU-T-I.610] is an example specification that uses this expansion of   the "OAM" acronym.   Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM): A group of network   management functions that provide network fault indication, fault   localization, performance information, and data and diagnosis   functions.  Examples where this acronym is used are Clause 57 of IEEE   802.3-2008 [IEEE.802.3-2008] and ITU-T Y.1731 [ITU-T-Y.1731].   The ITU-T M.3010 [ITU-T-M.3010] Recommendation defines operations   systems function as a function block that processes information   related to the telecommunications management for the purpose of   monitoring/coordinating and/or controlling telecommunication   functions including management functions (i.e., the TMN   (Telecommunications Management Network) itself).   The Metro Ethernet Forum refers to OAM as the tools and utilities to   install, monitor, and troubleshoot a network, helping carriers run   their networks more effectively MEF 17 [MEF-17].2.1.1.  The "O" in OAM   The "O" in OAM invariably stands for "Operations".  However, there is   some ambivalence in the definition and scope of the term "Operation".   Examples of tools related to "operations" are performance monitoring   tools used for service level agreement (SLA) measurement, fault   management tools used to monitor the health of nodes and links in the   network, and network provisioning tools.2.1.2.  The "A" in OAM   The "A" in OAM stands for "Administration".   Examples of "administration" tools are network discovery and planning   tools.Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 4]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 20112.1.3.  The "M" in OAM   The "M" in OAM stands for "Maintenance" or "Management".   Examples of "maintenance" tools are implementations of connectivity   check, loopback, link trace, and other tools that can be used to   monitor and diagnose failures in a network or network element.   The Recommendation ITU-T M.20 [ITU-T-M.20] defines maintenance as the   whole of operations required for setting up and maintaining, within   prescribed limits, any element involved in the setting up of a   connection (see the ITU-T M.60 [ITU-T-M.60] Recommendation).  The   purpose is to properly plan and program the maintenance operations   required to establish and maintain a network.   A major aim of the concept of maintenance is to minimize both the   occurrence and the impact of failures and to ensure that in case of a   failure the correct actions are taken.2.2.  Uses of OAM in the IETF   The examples below show a number of different ways that the "OAM"   acronym has been expanded in IETF RFCs.  The reference list is not   exhaustive.   o  OAM = Operations, Administration, and Maintenance inRFC 5586      [RFC5586]   o  OAM = Operations and Maintenance inRFC 3429 [RFC3429]   o  OAM = Operations and Management inRFC 4377 [RFC4377]   o  O&M = OAM and Maintenance inRFC 1812 [RFC1812]   Sometimes there is a fourth letter added to the acronym:   o  OAM&P = Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning      inRFC 4594 [RFC4594]3.  Recommendations on the Use of the "OAM" Acronym   The IETF-recommended expansion of the "OAM" acronym is given below.   In addition to the "OAM" acronym, two other recommendations are made   in this section.   o  OAM - Operations, Administration, and Maintenance   o  O&M - OAM and ManagementAndersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 5]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 2011   o  "Mgmt" - Management   The components of the "OAM" acronym (and provisioning) are defined as   follows:   o  Operations - Operation activities are undertaken to keep the      network (and the services that the network provides) up and      running.  It includes monitoring the network and finding problems.      Ideally these problems should be found before users are affected.   o  Administration - Administration activities involve keeping track      of resources in the network and how they are used.  It includes      all the bookkeeping that is necessary to track networking      resources and the network under control.   o  Maintenance - Maintenance activities are focused on facilitating      repairs and upgrades -- for example, when equipment must be      replaced, when a router needs a patch for an operating system      image, or when a new switch is added to a network.  Maintenance      also involves corrective and preventive measures to make the      managed network run more effectively, e.g., adjusting device      configuration and parameters.   "Provisioning" is outside the scope of this document, but the   following definition is provided for completeness.   o  Provisioning - Provisioning activities involve configuring      resources in the network to support the offered services.  This      might include setting up the network so that a new customer can      receive an Internet access service.   In general, Provisioning is used to configure the network to provide   new services, whereas OAM is used to keep the network in a state that   it can support already existing services.   Sometimes it is necessary to talk about the combination of functions   and tools supplied by OAM and Management, it is preferred that this   is spelled out as "OAM and Management".  In cases where an acronym is   needed, O&M should be used.   "Mgmt" will be used if an abbreviation for "Management" is needed.   This document does not define Management.4.  Security Considerations   This document provides guidance for the use of the "OAM" acronym in   other documents.  This document does not have direct security   implications.Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 6]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 2011   The misunderstanding of an acronym may lead to incorrect   specification or implementation which may, in turn, open up security   concerns with protocols or deployed networks.  Clarifying the meaning   of OAM is, therefore, a benefit for future stability of   specifications.5.  Acknowledgments   The following individuals significantly contributed to this document.   o  Malcolm Betts from M. C. Betts Consulting, Ltd.   o  Kam Lam from Alcatel Lucent   o  Dieter Beller from Alcatel Lucent   o  David Harrington from Huawei Technologies   Thanks to the experts of ITU-T SG 15 for their review and comments.6.  Informative References   [IEEE.802.3-2008]  IEEE, "Information technology - Telecommunications                      and information exchange between systems - Local                      and metropolitan area networks - Specific                      requirements - Part 3: Carrier sense multiple                      access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) access                      method and physical layer specifications",                      IEEE Standard 802.3, December 2008.   [ITU-T-I.610]      International Telecommunication Union, "B-ISDN                      operation and maintenance principles and                      functions", ITU-T Recommendation I.610,                      February 1999.   [ITU-T-M.20]       International Telecommunication Union,                      "Maintenance philosophy for telecommunication                      networks", ITU-T Recommendation M.20,                      October 1992.   [ITU-T-M.3010]     International Telecommunication Union, "Principles                      for a telecommunications management network", ITU-                      T Recommendation M.3010, February 2000.   [ITU-T-M.60]       International Telecommunication Union,                      "Maintenance terminology and definitions", ITU-                      T Recommendation M.60, March 1993.Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 7]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 2011   [ITU-T-Y.1731]     International Telecommunication Union, "OAM                      functions and mechanisms for Ethernet based                      networks", ITU-T Recommendation Y.1731,                      February 2008.   [MEF-17]           Metro Ethernet Forum, "Service OAM Requirements &                      Framework - Phase 1", MEF Technical Specification                      MEF 17, April 2007.   [OAM-OVERVIEW]     Mizrahi, T., Sprecher, N., Bellagamba, E., and Y.                      Weingarten, "An Overview of Operations,                      Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) Mechanisms",                      Work in Progress, March 2011.   [RFC1812]          Baker, F., "Requirements for IP Version 4                      Routers",RFC 1812, June 1995.   [RFC3429]          Ohta, H., "Assignment of the 'OAM Alert Label' for                      Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture (MPLS)                      Operation and Maintenance (OAM) Functions",RFC 3429, November 2002.   [RFC4377]          Nadeau, T., Morrow, M., Swallow, G., Allan, D.,                      and S. Matsushima, "Operations and Management                      (OAM) Requirements for Multi-Protocol Label                      Switched (MPLS) Networks",RFC 4377,                      February 2006.   [RFC4594]          Babiarz, J., Chan, K., and F. Baker,                      "Configuration Guidelines for DiffServ Service                      Classes",RFC 4594, August 2006.   [RFC5586]          Bocci, M., Vigoureux, M., and S. Bryant, "MPLS                      Generic Associated Channel",RFC 5586, June 2009.Andersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 8]

RFC 6291                     OAM Terminology                   June 2011Authors' Addresses   Loa Andersson   Ericsson   EMail: loa.andersson@ericsson.com   Huub van Helvoort   Huawei Technologies   EMail: huub.van.helvoort@huawei.com   Ron Bonica   Juniper Networks   EMail: rbonica@juniper.net   Dan Romascanu   Avaya   EMail: dromasca@avaya.com   Scott Mansfield   Ericsson   EMail: scott.mansfield@ericsson.comAndersson, et al.         Best Current Practice                 [Page 9]