IP Flow Information Export (ipfix)
----------------------------------

 Charter
 Last Modified: 2006-09-11

 Current Status: Active Working Group

 Chair(s):
     Nevil Brownlee  <n.brownlee@auckland.ac.nz>
     Juergen Quittek  <quittek@netlab.nec.de>

 Operations and Management Area Director(s):
     Dan Romascanu  <dromasca@avaya.com>
     David Kessens  <david.kessens@nokia.com>

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

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

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.

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.

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)

 Goals and Milestones:

   Done         Submit Revised Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Requirements 

   Done         Submit Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Architecture 

   Done         Submit Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Data Model 

   Done         Submit Internet-Draft on IPFIX Protocol Evaluation Report 

   Done         Submit Internet-Draft on IP Flow Export Applicability Statement 

   Done         Select IPFIX protocol, revise Architecture and Data Model 
                drafts 

   Done         Submit IPFX-REQUIREMENTS to IESG for publication as 
                Informational RFC 

   Done         Submit IPFIX Protocol Evaluation Report to IESG for publication 
                as Informational RFC 

   Done         Submit IPFX-ARCHITECTURE to IESG for publication as Proposed 
                Standard RFC 

   Done         Submit IPFX-INFO_MODEL to IESG for publication as Informational 
                RFC 

   Done         Submit IPFX-APPLICABILITY to IESG for publication as 
                Informational RFC 

   Done         Submit IPFX-PROTOCOL to IESG for publication as Proposed 
                Standard RFC 

   Aug 2006       Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX Implementation Guidelines 

   Aug 2006       Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX Testing 

   Aug 2006       Publish Internet Draft on Reducing Redundancy in IPFIX data 
                transfer 

   Aug 2006       Publish Internet Draft on IPFIX MIB 

   Aug 2006       Publish Internet Draft on Handling IPFIX Bidirectional Flows 

   Nov 2006       Submit IPFIX Implementation Guidelines draft to IESG for 
                publication as Informational RFC 

   Nov 2006       Submit IPFIX Testing draft to IESG for publication as 
                Informational RFC 

   Nov 2006       Submit IPFIX Reducing Redundancy draft to IESG for publication 
                as Informational RFC 

   Mar 2007       Submit IPFIX Biflows draft to IESG for publication as 
                Informational RFC 

   Mar 2007       Submit IPFIX MIB draft to IESG for publication as Standards 
                track RFC 


 Internet-Drafts:

Posted Revised         I-D Title   <Filename>
------ ------- --------------------------------------------
Feb 2002 Sep 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-architecture-12.txt>
                Architecture for IP Flow Information Export 

Jun 2003 Sep 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-info-13.txt>
                Information Model for IP Flow Information Export 

Jun 2003 Oct 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-protocol-23.txt>
                Specification of the IPFIX Protocol for the Exchange of IP 
                Traffic Flow Information 

Jun 2003 Aug 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-as-10.txt>
                IPFIX Applicability 

Sep 2006 Sep 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-implementation-guidelines-00.txt>
                IPFIX Implementation Guidelines 

Sep 2006 Sep 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-reducing-redundancy-00.txt>
                Reducing redundancy in IPFIX and PSAMP reports 

Sep 2006 Sep 2006   <draft-ietf-ipfix-biflow-00.txt>
                Bidirectional Flow Export using IPFIX 

 Request For Comments:

  RFC   Stat Published     Title
------- -- ----------- ------------------------------------
RFC3917 I    Oct 2004    Requirements for IP Flow Information Export 

RFC3955 I    Nov 2004    Evaluation of Candidate Protocols for IP Flow 
                       Information Export (IPFIX)