RFC 3763 (rfc3763) - Page 1 of 11
One-way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP) Requirements
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group S. Shalunov
Request for Comments: 3763 B. Teitelbaum
Category: Informational Internet2
April 2004
One-way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP) Requirements
Status 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) The Internet Society (2004). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
With growing availability of good time sources to network nodes, it
becomes increasingly possible to measure one-way IP performance
metrics with high precision. To do so in an interoperable manner, a
common protocol for such measurements is required. This document
specifies requirements for a one-way active measurement protocol
(OWAMP) standard. The protocol can measure one-way delay, as well as
other unidirectional characteristics, such as one-way loss.
1. Motivations and Goals
The IETF IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) working group has proposed
standards track metrics for one-way packet delay [RFC 2679] and loss
[RFC 2680] across Internet paths. Although there are now several
measurement platforms that implement the collection of these metrics
([CQOS], [BRIX], [RIPE], [SURVEYOR]), there is not currently a
standard for interoperability. This requirements document is aimed
at defining a protocol that allows users to do measurements using
devices from different vendors at both ends and get meaningful
results.
With the increasingly wide availability of affordable global
positioning system (GPS) and CDMA based time sources, hosts
increasingly have available to them time sources that allow hosts to
time-stamp packets with accuracies substantially better than the
delays seen on the Internet--either directly or through their
proximity to NTP primary (stratum 1) time servers. By standardizing
a technique for collecting IPPM one-way active measurements, we hope
to create an environment where these metrics may be collected across
Shalunov & Teitelbaum Informational