Performance Metrics for Other Layers (pmol)
-------------------------------------------

 Charter
 Last Modified: 2007-11-14

 Current Status: Active Working Group

 Chair(s):
     Al Morton  <acmorton@att.com>
     Alan Clark  <alan@telchemy.com>

 Operations and Management Area Director(s):
     Dan Romascanu  <dromasca@avaya.com>
     Ronald Bonica  <rbonica@juniper.net>

 Operations and Management Area Advisor:
     Dan Romascanu  <dromasca@avaya.com>

 Mailing Lists: 
     General Discussion:pmol@ietf.org
     To Subscribe:      https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/pmol
     Archive:           http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/pmol/index.html

Description of Working Group:

The successful implementation and operation of IP based applications 
often depends on some underlying performance measurement 
infrastructure that helps service operators or network managers to 
recognize when performance is unsatisfactory and identify problems 
affecting service quality. Standardized performance metrics add the 
desirable features of consistent implementation, interpretation, no 
comparison. 

The IETF has two Working Groups dedicated to the development of 
performance metrics however each has strict limitations in their 
charters: 

- The Benchmarking Methodology WG has addressed a range of networking 
technologies and protocols in their long history (such as IEEE 802.3, 
ATM, Frame Relay, and Routing Protocols), but the charter strictly 
limits their Performance characterizations to the laboratory 
environment. 

- The IP Performance Metrics WG has the mandate to develop metrics 
applicable to the performance of Internet data delivery, but it is 
specifically prohibited from developing metrics that characterize 
traffic (such as a VoIP stream). 

The IETF also has current and completed activities related to the 
reporting of application performance metrics (e.g. RAQMON and RTCP XR) 
and is also actively involved in the development of reliable transport 
protocols which would affect the relationship between IP performance 
and application performance. 

Thus there is a gap in the currently chartered coverage of IETF WGs: 
development of performance metrics for IP-based protocols and 
applications that operate over UDP, TCP, SCTP, DCCP, Forward Error 
Correction (FEC) and other robust transport protocols, and that can be 
used to characterize traffic on live networks. 

The working group will focus on the completion of two RFCs: 

1. A PMOL framework and guidelines memo that will describe the 
necessary elements of performance metrics of protocols and 
applications transported over IETF-specified protocols (such as the 
formal definition, purpose, and units of measure) and the various 
types of metrics that characterize traffic on live networks (such as 
metrics derived from other metrics, possibly on lower layers). The 
framework will also address the need to specify the intended audience 
and the motivation for the performance metrics. There will also be 
guidelines for a performance metric development process that includes 
entry criteria for new proposals (how a proposal might be evaluated 
for possible endorsement by a protocol development working group), and 
how an successful proposal will be developed. Also, it is recognized 
that there are applications and protocols that do not need to use this 
framework and can make use of simpler specific methods for determining 
performance. 

2. A proof-of-concept RFC defining performance metrics for SIP, based 
on draft-malas-performance-metrics. This memo would serve as an 
example of the framework and the PMOL development process in the IETF. 

Discussion of new work proposals is strongly discouraged under the 
initial charter of the PMOL WG, except to advise a protocol 
development WG when they are evaluating a new work proposal for 
related performance metrics. 

The Working Group will work closely with the RAI and APPS areas, 
performing early review of the documents with the two areas and 
inviting their particpation in the WGLC. 

The PMOL WG will also be guided by a document describing how memos 
defining performance metrics are intended to advance along the IETF 
Standards track (draft-bradner-metricstest). 

PMOL WG will take advantage of expertise and seek to avoid overlap 
with other standards development organizations, such as ETSI STQ, ITU-
T SG 12, ATIS IIF, ATIS PRQC, and others.

 Goals and Milestones:

   Jun 2008       Performance Metrics Draft to IESG Review for consideration as 
                Proposed Standard 

   Sep 2008       PMOL Framework and Guidelines Draft to IESG Review for 
                consideration as BCP 

   Nov 2008       Discuss rechartering of the WG for new PMOL metrics work or 
                shut down 


 Internet-Drafts:

Posted Revised         I-D Title   <Filename>
------ ------- --------------------------------------------
Feb 2008 Feb 2008   <draft-ietf-pmol-sip-perf-metrics-00.txt>
                SIP End-to-End Performance Metrics 

 Request For Comments:

  None to date.