Subject: WG Action: RECHARTER: IP Flow Information Export (ipfix)

From: IESG Secretary <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:50:02 -0400

The charter of the IP Flow Information Export (ipfix) working group in the
Operations and Management Area of the IETF has been updated. For additional 
information, please contact the Area Directors or the working group Chairs.

COMMENT

Better wording for 4th paragraph:

"Modifications to the core IPFIX and PSAMP protocol specifications
is out of scope for this charter. However, the definition of new
IPFIX and PSAMP information elements is within the scope of this
charter."

No need to change the meeting minutes, I believe. 

Thanks and Regards,

Dan

+++

IP Flow Information Export (ipfix)
===================================

Current Status: Active Working Group

Chair(s):
Nevil Brownlee <[email-masked]> 
Dave Plonka <[email-masked]> 

Operations and Management Area Director(s):
Dan Romascanu <[email-masked]> 
David Kessens <[email-masked]> 

Operations and Management Area Advisor:
Dan Romascanu <[email-masked]> 

Mailing Lists:
General Discussion: [email-masked]
To Subscribe: [email-masked]
In Body: subscribe ipfix
Archive: http://ipfix.doit.wisc.edu/archive/

Description of Working Group:

The IPFIX working group has specified the Information Model (to describe
IP flows) and the IPFIX protocol (to transfer IP flow data from IPFIX
exporters to collectors). The PSAMP working group has specified the
usage of the IPFIX protocol for exporting packet records. With both
specifications available, several implementers have started building
applications using the IPFIX protocol.

At two interoperability testing events, several IPFIX protocol
implementations were tested. The experiences made at these events were
fed back to IPFIX protocol specification, particularly for removing
ambiguities. In addition, several lessons were learned about how to
implement and use IPFIX correctly and efficiently. The exchange among
different implementers further led to new ideas for advanced usage of
IPFIX. Many of these ideas are currently documented in individual
Internet drafts.

The goal of the IPFIX working group is now to produce 'best current
practice' and 'guideline' documents concerning implementation,
application and usage of the IPFIX protocol.

Out of scope are modifications to the core IPFIX and PSAMP protocol
specifications. In scope is the definition of new IPFIX and PSAMP
information elements.

Specific Goals

o Develop guidelines for implementers based on experiences
gained individually by implementers and jointly at interoperability
testing events. The guidelines will give recommendations for
integrating IPFIX observation points, metering processes,
exporting processes and collecting processes into the packet flow
at different kinds of IPFIX devices. They will make suggestions for
efficient implementation of the IPFIX protocol features and identify
parts of the IPFIX specification that have already been misunderstood
by several implementors. For some implementation choices that the
protocol specification leaves to the implementer, the guidelines will
discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different choices.
Several recent individual drafts call for new Information Elements;
The implementation guidelines will explain procedures for requesting,
reviewing and approving new IEs.
Deliverables:
1. IPFIX Implementation Guidelines draft, to be an Informational RFC
(6 months)
2. IPFIX Testing draft, to be an Informational RFC (6 months)

o Develop methods and means for an efficient use of the IPFIX
protocol by reducing redundancy in flow reports. The basic idea
to be followed is very simple. For multiple flow records that all
report the same value in one or more of the contained IPFIX
information elements, those values are removed from the flow
records and instead reported once for all in a separate record.
Such an approach integrates very well with the IPFIX protocol and
only needs a few simple methods for expressing the relationship
between flow records and corresponding separate records.
Deliverable:
3. IPFIX Reducing Redundancy, to be an Informational RFC (6 months)

o Create an IPFIX MIB, for reporting information and statistics
of IPFIX metering, exporting and collecing processes. Much of this
work has already been done by the PSAMP working group, and by
individuals working on IPFIX collectors. Deliverable:
4. IPFIX MIB, to be a Standards Track RFC (12 months)

o Develop an effective method for exporting information about
bidirectional flows ('biflows'). The IP security community has
expressed a strong need to collect data on bidrectional flows.
A recent individual draft discusses several different ways to
support biflows in IPFIX - this work will produce a single,
best-practice method for handling them, without requiring changes
to the IPFIX protocol.
Deliverable:
5. IPFIX Biflow draft, to be an Informational RFC (12 months)

Milestones:

August 06 Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX Implementation Guidelines

August 06 Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX Testing

August 06 Publish Internet Draft on Reducing Redundancy in IPFIX 
data transfer

August 06 Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX MIB

August 06 Publish Internet Draft on Handling IPFIX Bidirectional
Flows

November 06 Submit IPFIX Implementation Guidelines draft to IESG for
publication as Informational RFC

November 06 Submit IPFIX Testing draft to IESG for
publication as Informational RFC

November 06 Submit IPFIX Reducing Redundancy draft to IESG for
publication as Informational RFC

March 07 Submit IPFIX Biflows draft to IESG for
publication as Informational RFC

March 07 Submit IPFIX MIB draft to IESG for
publication as Standards track RFC

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