Subject: [ippm] Request for Enhancement to IBM for : draft-ietf-ippm-6man-pdm-option-00

From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2015 15:33:14 +0000 (UTC)

IPPM,

As discussed in Prague, we are starting to make official requests to vendors of end hosts to implement the PDM Destination Options header.

The first may be viewed at: 
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=76515

You will need an IBM ID to view this enhancement request so I am giving the text of the RFE below for those who do not have such IDs.   The RFE was submitted by a large US insurance company.  

Description of RFE
------------------
The Performance and Diagnostics Metrics (PDM) IPv6 Destination Options (DO) Header is defined in :
http://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-ippm-6man-pdm-option/

(This draft has been adopted by the IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) Working Group of the IETF.)

The PDM DO Header provides embedded performance and diagnostics in every packet for IPv6.    The IPID field, used as a de-facto sequence number in IPv4, is not available in IPv6. A sequence number provides invaluable information on packet loss and out-of-order packets.  Response time, from an end user point of view, has never been available.  The PDM header
restores a sequence number to IPv6 as well as providing true end-user based timing.

Such information can be provided even if IPSec ESP mode is being used.  Implementations on FreeBSD and Linux are underway.    A dissector for WireShark is also being written.  Please find attached screen shot of an IPSec packet with PDM.  (http://www.insidethestack.com/public/PDMOnESP.png)

The co-authors of this draft are happy to work with IBM on an implementation.

Use Cases:

1. Poor IPv6 network performance is seen for packets with encrypted data.  Information in the PDM Extension Header allows analysis of the performance of individual packets, and thus identification and location the source of the problem.  Without PDM, the data is inside the encryption, and thus simply unavailable to the network analyst.    The only option in that
situation is to spend enormous staff resources trying various guesses at the cause, in the hopes of happening across it.    Eventually.

2. An organization considering going to IPv6.  However, the loss of the IPID field will render most of their existing tools and techniques unworkable with IPv6.  As a result, implementation is delayed until forced.  At which point, it must be done on an emergency basis with minimal planning, and therefore errors in implementation.    Leading, in turn, to
months or years of attempting to correct these errors after the fact.  The time and resources thus required to overcome these errors is obvious.

Thanks,

Nalini Elkins
Inside Products, Inc.
www.insidethestack.com
(831) 659-8360