RFC5477

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Network Working Group T. Dietz Request for Comments: 5477 NEC Europe Ltd. Category: Standards Track B. Claise

                                                           P. Aitken
                                                 Cisco Systems, Inc.
                                                         F. Dressler
                                    University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
                                                            G. Carle
                                      Technical University of Munich
                                                          March 2009
         Information Model for Packet Sampling Exports

Status of This Memo

This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

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This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF Contributions published or made publicly available before November 10, 2008. The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process. Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other than English.

Abstract

This memo defines an information model for the Packet SAMPling (PSAMP) protocol. It is used by the PSAMP protocol for encoding sampled packet data and information related to the Sampling process. As the PSAMP protocol is based on the IP Flow Information eXport (IPFIX) protocol, this information model is an extension to the IPFIX information model.

Appendix A. Formal Specification of PSAMP Information Elements . 29

Introduction

Packet Sampling techniques are required for various measurement scenarios. The Packet Sampling (PSAMP) protocol provides mechanisms for packet selection using different Filtering and Sampling techniques. A standardized way for the export and storage of the Information Elements defined in Section 8 is required. The definition of the PSAMP information and data model is based on the IPFIX information model RFC5102. The PSAMP protocol document RFC5476 specifies how to use the IPFIX protocol in the PSAMP context.

This document examines the IPFIX information model RFC5102 and extends it to meet the PSAMP requirements. Therefore, the structure of this document is strongly based on the IPFIX document. It complements the PSAMP protocol specification by providing an appropriate PSAMP information model. The main part of this document, Section 8, defines the list of Information Elements to be transmitted by the PSAMP protocol. Sections 5 and 6 describe the data types and Information Element properties used within this document and their relationship to the IPFIX information model.

Although the PSAMP charter specified no requirements for measuring packet errors (such as drops, malformed, etc.), and this document does not cover such data, if there is need for collecting and exporting packet error information, the appropriate Information

Elements can be requested from IANA, and exported with the PSAMP protocol.

The main body of Section 8 was generated from an XML document. The XML-based specification of the PSAMP Information Elements can be used for automatically checking syntactical correctness of the specification. Furthermore it can be used -- in combination with the IPFIX information model -- for automated code generation. The resulting code can be used in PSAMP protocol implementations to deal with processing PSAMP information elements.

For that reason, the XML document that served as the source for Section 8 is attached to this document in Appendix A.

Note that although partially generated from the attached XML documents, the main body of this document is normative while the appendix is informational.

PSAMP Documents Overview

This document is one out of a series of documents from the PSAMP group.

RFC5474: "A Framework for Packet Selection and Reporting" describes the PSAMP framework for network elements to select subsets of packets by statistical and other methods, and to export a stream of reports on the selected packets to a Collector.

RFC5475: "Sampling and Filtering Techniques for IP Packet Selection" describes the set of packet selection techniques supported by PSAMP.

RFC5476: "Packet Sampling (PSAMP) Protocol Specifications" specifies the export of packet information from a PSAMP Exporting Process to a PSAMP Collecting Process.

RFC 5477 (this document): "Information Model for Packet Sampling Exports" defines an information and data model for PSAMP.

Terminology

IPFIX-specific terminology used in this document is defined in Section 2 of RFC5101. PSAMP-specific terminology used in this document is defined in Section 3.2 of RFC5476. In this document, as in RFC5101 and RFC5476, the first letter of each IPFIX- and PSAMP-specific term is capitalized.

Conventions Used in This Document

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 RFC2119.

Relationship between PSAMP and IPFIX

As described in the PSAMP protocol RFC5476, a PSAMP Report can be seen as a very special IPFIX Data Record. It represents an IPFIX Flow containing only a single packet. Therefore, the IPFIX information model can be used as a basis for PSAMP Reports.

Nevertheless, there are properties required in PSAMP Reports that cannot be modeled using the current IPFIX information model. This document describes extensions to the IPFIX information model that allow the modeling of information and data required by PSAMP.

Some of these extensions allow the export of what may be considered sensitive information. Refer to the Security Considerations section for a fuller discussion.

Note that the export of sampled or filtered PSAMP Reports may not need all the Information Elements defined by the IPFIX information model RFC5102, as discussed in Sections 6.2 and 6.3 of the PSAMP Framework RFC5474.

Properties of a PSAMP Information Element

The PSAMP Information Elements are defined in accordance with Sections 2.1 to 2.3 of the IPFIX information model RFC5102 to which reference should be made for more information. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend defining the optional "units" property for every Information Element (if applicable).

The Data Types defined in Section 3.1 of the IPFIX information model RFC5102 are also used for the PSAMP Information Elements.

Type Space

The PSAMP Information Elements MUST be constructed from the basic abstract data types and data type semantics described in Section 3 of the IPFIX information model RFC5102. To ensure consistency between IPFIX and PSAMP, the data types are not repeated in this document. The encoding of these data types is described in the IPFIX protocol RFC5101.

Overloading Information Elements

Information Elements SHOULD NOT be overloaded with multiple meanings or re-used for multiple purposes. Different Information Elements SHOULD be allocated for each requirement.

Although the presence of certain other Information Elements allows the selection method to be inferred, a separate Information Element is provided for the selectorAlgorithm to include as scope for the Selector Report Interpretation RFC5476.

Even if the Information Elements are specified with a specific selection method (i.e., a specific value of selectorAlgorithm) in mind, these Information Elements are not restricted to the selection method and MAY be used for different selection methods in the future.

The PSAMP Information Elements

This section describes the Information Elements used by the PSAMP protocol.

For each Information Element specified in Sections 8.1 - 8.6 below, a unique identifier is allocated in accordance with Section 4 of the IPFIX information model RFC5102. The assignments are controlled by IANA as an extension of the IPFIX information model.

The Information Elements specified by the IPFIX information model RFC5102 are used by the PSAMP protocol where applicable. To avoid inconsistencies between the IPFIX and the PSAMP information and data models, only those Information Elements that are not already described by the IPFIX information model are defined here.

Below is the list of additional PSAMP Information Elements:

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 301 | selectionSequenceId        | 321 | relativeError              |
| 302 | selectorId                 | 322 | observationTimeSeconds     |
| 303 | informationElementId       | 323 | observationTimeMilliseconds|
| 304 | selectorAlgorithm          | 324 | observationTimeMicroseconds|
| 305 | samplingPacketInterval     | 325 | observationTimeNanoseconds |
| 306 | samplingPacketSpace        | 326 | digestHashValue            |
| 307 | samplingTimeInterval       | 327 | hashIPPayloadOffset        |
| 308 | samplingTimeSpace          | 328 | hashIPPayloadSize          |
| 309 | samplingSize               | 329 | hashOutputRangeMin         |
| 310 | samplingPopulation         | 330 | hashOutputRangeMax         |
| 311 | samplingProbability        | 331 | hashSelectedRangeMin       |
| 313 | ipHeaderPacketSection      | 332 | hashSelectedRangeMax       |
| 314 | ipPayloadPacketSection     | 333 | hashDigestOutput           |
| 316 | mplsLabelStackSection      | 334 | hashInitialiserValue       |
| 317 | mplsPayloadPacketSection   | 336 | upperCILimit               |
| 318 | selectorIdTotalPktsObserved| 337 | lowerCILimit               |
| 319 | selectorIdTotalPktsSelected| 338 | confidenceLevel            |
| 320 | absoluteError              |     |                            |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

Identifiers (301-303)

Information Elements in this section serve as identifiers. All of them have an integral abstract data type and data type semantics "identifier".

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 301 | selectionSequenceId        | 303 | informationElementId       |
| 302 | selectorId                 |     |                            |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

selectionSequenceId

Description:

  From all the packets observed at an Observation Point, a subset of
  the packets is selected by a sequence of one or more Selectors.
  The selectionSequenceId is a unique value per Observation Domain,
  specifying the Observation Point and the sequence of Selectors
  through which the packets are selected.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: identifier

ElementId: 301

Status: current

selectorId

Description:

  The Selector ID is the unique ID identifying a Primitive Selector.
  Each Primitive Selector must have a unique ID in the Observation
  Domain.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned16

Data Type Semantics: identifier

ElementId: 302

Status: current

informationElementId

Description:

  This Information Element contains the ID of another Information
  Element.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned16

Data Type Semantics: identifier

ElementId: 303

Status: current

Sampling Configuration (304-311)

Information Elements in this section can be used for describing the Sampling configuration of a Selection Process.

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 304 | selectorAlgorithm          | 308 | samplingTimeSpace          |
| 305 | samplingPacketInterval     | 309 | samplingSize               |
| 306 | samplingPacketSpace        | 310 | samplingPopulation         |
| 307 | samplingTimeInterval       | 311 | samplingProbability        |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

selectorAlgorithm

Description:

  This Information Element identifies the packet selection methods
  (e.g., Filtering, Sampling) that are applied by the Selection
  Process.
  Most of these methods have parameters.  Further Information
  Elements are needed to fully specify packet selection with these
  methods and all their parameters.
  The methods listed below are defined in RFC5475.  For their
  parameters, Information Elements are defined in the information
  model document.  The names of these Information Elements are
  listed for each method identifier.
  Further method identifiers may be added to the list below.  It
  might be necessary to define new Information Elements to specify
  their parameters.
  The selectorAlgorithm registry is maintained by IANA.  New
  assignments for the registry will be administered by IANA and are
  subject to Expert Review RFC5226.
  The registry can be updated when specifications of the new
  method(s) and any new Information Elements are provided.
  The group of experts must double check the selectorAlgorithm
  definitions and Information Elements with already defined
  selectorAlgorithms and Information Elements for completeness,
  accuracy, and redundancy.  Those experts will initially be drawn
  from the Working Group Chairs and document editors of the IPFIX
  and PSAMP Working Groups.
  The following packet selection methods identifiers are defined
  here:
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       | ID |        Method          |      Parameters        |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       | 1  | Systematic count-based | samplingPacketInterval |
       |    | Sampling               | samplingPacketSpace    |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       | 2  | Systematic time-based  | samplingTimeInterval   |
       |    | Sampling               | samplingTimeSpace      |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       | 3  | Random n-out-of-N      | samplingSize           |
       |    | Sampling               | samplingPopulation     |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       | 4  | Uniform probabilistic  | samplingProbability    |
       |    | Sampling               |                        |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       | 5  | Property Match         | no agreed parameters   |
       |    | Filtering              |                        |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
       |   Hash-based Filtering      | hashInitialiserValue   |
       +----+------------------------+ hashIPPayloadOffset    |
       | 6  | using BOB              | hashIPPayloadSize      |
       +----+------------------------+ hashSelectedRangeMin   |
       | 7  | using IPSX             | hashSelectedRangeMax   |
       +----+------------------------+ hashOutputRangeMin     |
       | 8  | using CRC              | hashOutputRangeMax     |
       +----+------------------------+------------------------+
  There is a broad variety of possible parameters that could be used
  for Property match Filtering (5), but currently there are no
  agreed parameters specified.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned16

Data Type Semantics: identifier

ElementId: 304

Status: current

samplingPacketInterval

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the number of packets that are
  consecutively sampled.  A value of 100 means that 100 consecutive
  packets are sampled.
  For example, this Information Element may be used to describe the
  configuration of a systematic count-based Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned32

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 305

Status: current

Units: packets

samplingPacketSpace

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the number of packets between
  two "samplingPacketInterval"s.  A value of 100 means that the next
  interval starts 100 packets (which are not sampled) after the
  current "samplingPacketInterval" is over.
  For example, this Information Element may be used to describe the
  configuration of a systematic count-based Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned32

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 306

Status: current

Units: packets

samplingTimeInterval

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the time interval in
  microseconds during which all arriving packets are sampled.
  For example, this Information Element may be used to describe the
  configuration of a systematic time-based Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned32

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 307

Status: current

Units: microseconds

samplingTimeSpace

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the time interval in
  microseconds between two "samplingTimeInterval"s.  A value of 100
  means that the next interval starts 100 microseconds (during which
  no packets are sampled) after the current "samplingTimeInterval"
  is over.
  For example, this Information Element may used to describe the
  configuration of a systematic time-based Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned32

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 308

Status: current

Units: microseconds

samplingSize

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the number of elements taken
  from the parent Population for random Sampling methods.
  For example, this Information Element may be used to describe the
  configuration of a random n-out-of-N Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned32

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 309

Status: current

Units: packets

samplingPopulation

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the number of elements in the
  parent Population for random Sampling methods.
  For example, this Information Element may be used to describe the
  configuration of a random n-out-of-N Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned32

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 310

Status: current

Units: packets

samplingProbability

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the probability that a packet
  is sampled, expressed as a value between 0 and 1.  The probability
  is equal for every packet.  A value of 0 means no packet was
  sampled since the probability is 0.
  For example, this Information Element may be used to describe the
  configuration of a uniform probabilistic Sampling Selector.

Abstract Data Type: float64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 311

Status: current

Hash Configuration (326-334)

The following Information Elements can be used for describing the Sampling configuration of a Selection Process. The individual parameters are explained in more detail in Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 326 | digestHashValue            | 331 | hashSelectedRangeMin       |
| 327 | hashIPPayloadOffset        | 332 | hashSelectedRangeMax       |
| 328 | hashIPPayloadSize          | 333 | hashDigestOutput           |
| 329 | hashOutputRangeMin         | 334 | hashInitialiserValue       |
| 330 | hashOutputRangeMax         |     |                            |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

digestHashValue

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the value from the digest hash
  function.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 326

Status: current

hashIPPayloadOffset

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the IP payload offset used by a
  Hash-based Selection Selector.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 327

Status: current

hashIPPayloadSize

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the IP payload size used by a
  Hash-based Selection Selector.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 328

Status: current

hashOutputRangeMin

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the value for the beginning of
  a hash function's potential output range.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 329

Status: current

hashOutputRangeMax

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the value for the end of a hash
  function's potential output range.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 330

Status: current

hashSelectedRangeMin

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the value for the beginning of
  a hash function's selected range.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 331

Status: current

hashSelectedRangeMax

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the value for the end of a hash
  function's selected range.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 332

Status: current

hashDigestOutput

Description:

  This Information Element contains a boolean value that is TRUE if
  the output from this hash Selector has been configured to be
  included in the packet report as a packet digest, else FALSE.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: boolean

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 333

Status: current

hashInitialiserValue

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the initialiser value to the
  hash function.
  See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of RFC5475.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 334

Status: current

Timestamps (322-325)

The Information Elements listed below contain timestamps. They can be used for reporting the observation time of a single packet.

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 322 | observationTimeSeconds     | 324 | observationTimeMicroseconds|
| 323 | observationTimeMilliseconds| 325 | observationTimeNanoseconds |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

observationTimeSeconds

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the absolute time in seconds of
  an observation.

Abstract Data Type: dateTimeSeconds

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 322

Status: current

Units: seconds

observationTimeMilliseconds

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the absolute time in
  milliseconds of an observation.

Abstract Data Type: dateTimeMilliseconds

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 323

Status: current

Units: milliseconds

observationTimeMicroseconds

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the absolute time in
  microseconds of an observation.

Abstract Data Type: dateTimeMicroseconds

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 324

Status: current

Units: microseconds

observationTimeNanoseconds

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the absolute time in
  nanoseconds of an observation.

Abstract Data Type: dateTimeNanoseconds

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 325

Status: current

Units: nanoseconds

Packet Data (313-314, 316-317)

The following Information Elements are all used for reporting raw content of a packet. All Information Elements containing sections of the observed packet can also be used in IPFIX RFC5101. If the values for those sections vary for different packets in a Flow, then the Flow Report will contain the value observed in the first packet of the Flow.

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 313 | ipHeaderPacketSection      | 316 | mplsLabelStackSection      |
| 314 | ipPayloadPacketSection     | 317 | mplsPayloadPacketSection   |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

ipHeaderPacketSection

Description:

  This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
  carries a series of octets from the start of the IP header of a
  sampled packet.
  With sufficient length, this element also reports octets from the
  IP payload, subject to RFC2804.  See the Security Considerations
  section.
  The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
  limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
  The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.

Abstract Data Type: octetArray

ElementId: 313

Status: current

ipPayloadPacketSection

Description:

  This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
  carries a series of octets from the start of the IP payload of a
  sampled packet.
  The IPv4 payload is that part of the packet that follows the IPv4
  header and any options, which RFC0791 refers to as "data" or
  "data octets".  For example, see the examples in RFC0791,
  Appendix A.
  The IPv6 payload is the rest of the packet following the 40-octet
  IPv6 header.  Note that any extension headers present are
  considered part of the payload.  See RFC2460 for the IPv6
  specification.
  The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
  limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
  The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.

Abstract Data Type: octetArray

ElementId: 314

Status: current

mplsLabelStackSection

Description:

  This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
  carries the first n octets from the MPLS label stack of a sampled
  packet.
  With sufficient length, this element also reports octets from the
  MPLS payload, subject to RFC2804.  See the Security
  Considerations section.
  See RFC3031 for the specification of MPLS packets.
  See RFC3032 for the specification of the MPLS label stack.
  The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
  limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
  The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.

Abstract Data Type: octetArray

ElementId: 316

Status: current

mplsPayloadPacketSection

Description:

  This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
  carries the first n octets from the MPLS payload of a sampled
  packet, being data that follows immediately after the MPLS label
  stack.
  See RFC3031 for the specification of MPLS packets.
  See RFC3032 for the specification of the MPLS label stack.
  The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
  limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
  The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.

Abstract Data Type: octetArray

ElementId: 317

Status: current

Statistics (318-321, 336-338)

Information Elements in this section can be used for reporting statistics from the Metering Process.

+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
|  ID | Name                       |  ID | Name                       |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+
| 318 | selectorIdTotalPktsObserved| 336 | upperCILimit               |
| 319 | selectorIdTotalPktsSelected| 337 | lowerCILimit               |
| 320 | absoluteError              | 338 | confidenceLevel            |
| 321 | relativeError              |     |                            |
+-----+----------------------------+-----+----------------------------+

selectorIdTotalPktsObserved

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the total number of packets
  observed by a Selector, for a specific value of SelectorId.
  This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
  scoped to the observation to which it refers.  See Section 3.4.2.1
  of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: totalCounter

ElementId: 318

Status: current

Units: packets

selectorIdTotalPktsSelected

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the total number of packets
  selected by a Selector, for a specific value of SelectorId.
  This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
  scoped to the observation to which it refers.  See Section 3.4.2.1
  of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.

Abstract Data Type: unsigned64

Data Type Semantics: totalCounter

ElementId: 319

Status: current

Units: packets

absoluteError

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the maximum possible
  measurement error of the reported value for a given Information
  Element.  The absoluteError has the same unit as the Information
  Element with which it is associated.  The real value of the metric
  can differ by absoluteError (positive or negative) from the
  measured value.
  This Information Element provides only the error for measured
  values.  If an Information Element contains an estimated value
  (from Sampling), the confidence boundaries and confidence level
  have to be provided instead, using the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit,
  and confidenceLevel Information Elements.
  This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
  scoped to the observation to which it refers.  See section 3.4.2.1
  of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.

Abstract Data Type: float64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 320

Status: current

Units: The units of the Information Element for which the error is

  specified.

relativeError

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the maximum possible positive
  or negative error ratio for the reported value for a given
  Information Element as a percentage of the measured value.  The
  real value of the metric can differ by relativeError percent
  (positive or negative) from the measured value.
  This Information Element provides only the error for measured
  values.  If an Information Element contains an estimated value
  (from Sampling), the confidence boundaries and confidence level
  have to be provided instead, using the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit,
  and confidenceLevel Information Elements.
  This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
  scoped to the observation to which it refers.  See Section 3.4.2.1
  of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.

Abstract Data Type: float64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 321

Status: current

upperCILimit

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the upper limit of a confidence
  interval.  It is used to provide an accuracy statement for an
  estimated value.  The confidence limits define the range in which
  the real value is assumed to be with a certain probability p.
  Confidence limits always need to be associated with a confidence
  level that defines this probability p.  Please note that a
  confidence interval only provides a probability that the real
  value lies within the limits.  That means the real value can lie
  outside the confidence limits.
  The upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel Information
  Elements should all be used in an Options Template scoped to the
  observation to which they refer.  See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX
  protocol document RFC5101.
  Note that the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel are
  all required to specify confidence, and should be disregarded
  unless all three are specified together.

Abstract Data Type: float64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 336

Status: current

lowerCILimit

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the lower limit of a confidence
  interval.  For further information, see the description of
  upperCILimit.
  The upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel Information
  Elements should all be used in an Options Template scoped to the
  observation to which they refer.  See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX
  protocol document RFC5101.
  Note that the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel are
  all required to specify confidence, and should be disregarded
  unless all three are specified together.

Abstract Data Type: float64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 337

Status: current

confidenceLevel

Description:

  This Information Element specifies the confidence level.  It is
  used to provide an accuracy statement for estimated values.  The
  confidence level provides the probability p with which the real
  value lies within a given range.  A confidence level always needs
  to be associated with confidence limits that define the range in
  which the real value is assumed to be.
  The upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel Information
  Elements should all be used in an Options Template scoped to the
  observation to which they refer.  See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX
  protocol document RFC5101.
  Note that the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel are
  all required to specify confidence, and should be disregarded
  unless all three are specified together.

Abstract Data Type: float64

Data Type Semantics: quantity

ElementId: 338

Status: current

Security Considerations

The PSAMP information model itself does not directly introduce security issues. Rather, it defines a set of attributes that may for privacy or business issues be considered sensitive information.

For example, exporting values of header fields may make attacks possible for the receiver of this information, which would otherwise only be possible for direct observers of the reported Flows along the data path. Specifically, the Information Elements pertaining to packet sections MUST target no more than the packet header, some subsequent bytes of the packet, and encapsulating headers if present. Full packet capture of arbitrary packet streams is explicitly out of scope, per RFC2804.

The underlying protocol used to exchange the information described here MUST therefore apply appropriate procedures to guarantee the integrity and confidentiality of the exported information. Such procedures are defined in separate documents, specifically the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.

10. IANA Considerations

The PSAMP information model, as set out in this document, has two sets of assigned numbers. Considerations for assigning them are discussed in this section, using the example policies as set out in the "Guidelines for IANA Considerations" document RFC5226.

10.1. Related Considerations

As the PSAMP protocol uses the IPFIX protocol, refer to the IANA Considerations section in RFC5102 for the assignments of numbers used in the protocol and for the numbers used in the information model.

10.2. PSAMP-Related Considerations

This document specifies an initial set of PSAMP Information Elements fulfilling the needs specified in RFC5475, as an extension to the IPFIX Information Elements RFC5102.

Note that the PSAMP Information Element IDs were initially started at value 301, in order to leave a gap for any ongoing IPFIX work requiring new Information Elements. It is expected that this gap in the Information Element numbering will be filled in by IANA with new IPFIX Information Elements.

Each new selection method MUST be assigned a unique value in the selectorAlgorithm registry. Its configuration parameter(s), along with the way to report them with an Options Template, MUST be clearly specified. The initial content of the selectorAlgorithm registry is found in Section 8.2.1.

New assignments for the PSAMP selection method will be administered by IANA and are subject to Expert Review RFC5226. The group of experts must double check the Information Elements definitions with already defined Information Elements for completeness, accuracy, and redundancy. Those experts will initially be drawn from the Working Group Chairs and document editors of the IPFIX and PSAMP Working Groups. The selectorAlgorithm registry is maintained by IANA and can be updated as long as specifications of the new method(s) and any new Information Elements are provided.

11. References

11.1. Normative References

RFC2119 Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate

          Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

RFC5226 Narten, T. and H. Alvestrand, "Guidelines for Writing an

          IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26, RFC 5226,
          May 2008.

RFC5101 Claise, B., "Specification of the IP Flow Information

          Export (IPFIX) Protocol for the Exchange of IP Traffic
          Flow Information", RFC 5101, January 2008.

RFC5102 Quittek, J., Bryant, S., Claise, B., Aitken, P., and J.

          Meyer, "Information Model for IP Flow Information Export",
          RFC 5102, January 2008.

RFC5475 Zseby, T., Molina, M., Duffield, D., Niccolini, S., and F.

          Rapall, "Sampling and Filtering Techniques for IP Packet
          Selection", RFC 5475, March 2009.

RFC5476 Claise, B., Ed., "Packet Sampling (PSAMP) Protocol

          Specifications", RFC 5476, March 2009.

11.2. Informative References

RFC0791 Postel, J., "Internet Protocol", STD 5, RFC 791,

          September 1981.

RFC2460 Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6

          (IPv6) Specification", RFC 2460, December 1998.

RFC2629 Rose, M., "Writing I-Ds and RFCs using XML", RFC 2629,

          June 1999.

RFC2804 IAB and IESG, "IETF Policy on Wiretapping", RFC 2804,

          May 2000.

RFC3031 Rosen, E., Viswanathan, A., and R. Callon, "Multiprotocol

          Label Switching Architecture", RFC 3031, January 2001.

RFC3032 Rosen, E., Tappan, D., Fedorkow, G., Rekhter, Y.,

          Farinacci, D., Li, T., and A. Conta, "MPLS Label Stack
          Encoding", RFC 3032, January 2001.

RFC5474 Duffield, N., Ed., "A Framework for Packet Selection and

          Reporting", RFC 5474, March 2009.

Appendix A. Formal Specification of PSAMP Information Elements

This appendix contains a formal description of the PSAMP information model XML document. Note that this appendix is of informational nature, while the text in Section 8 generated from this appendix is normative.

Using a formal and machine-readable syntax for the information model enables the creation of PSAMP-aware tools that can automatically adapt to extensions to the information model, by simply reading updated information model specifications.

The wide availability of XML-aware tools and libraries for client devices is a primary consideration for this choice. In particular, libraries for parsing XML documents are readily available. Also, mechanisms such as the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) allow for transforming a source XML document into other documents. This draft was authored in XML and transformed according to RFC2629.

It should be noted that the use of XML in Exporters, Collectors, or other tools is not mandatory for the deployment of PSAMP. In particular, exporting processes do not produce or consume XML as part of their operation. It is expected that PSAMP Collectors MAY take advantage of the machine readability of the information model vs. hardcoding their behavior or inventing proprietary means for accommodating extensions.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <fieldDefinitions xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:ipfix-info"

 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
 xsi:schemaLocation="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:ipfix-info
         ipfix-info.xsd">
 <field name="selectionSequenceId" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="identifier" elementId="301" status="current"
group="identifiers">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    From all the packets observed at an Observation Point, a subset
    of the packets is selected by a sequence of one or more
    Selectors.  The selectionSequenceId is a unique value per
    Observation Domain, specifying the Observation Point and the
    sequence of Selectors through which the packets are selected.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="selectorId" dataType="unsigned16"
dataTypeSemantics="identifier" elementId="302" status="current"
group="identifiers">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    The Selector ID is the unique ID identifying a Primitive
    Selector.  Each Primitive Selector must have a unique ID in the
    Observation Domain.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="informationElementId" dataType="unsigned16"
dataTypeSemantics="identifier" elementId="303" status="current"
group="identifiers">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element contains the ID of another Information
    Element.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="selectorAlgorithm" dataType="unsigned16"
dataTypeSemantics="identifier" elementId="304" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element identifies the packet selection
    methods (e.g., Filtering, Sampling) that are applied by
    the Selection Process.
    Most of these methods have parameters.  Further
    Information Elements are needed to fully specify packet
    selection with these methods and all their parameters.
    The methods listed below are defined in
    RFC5475.  For their parameters,
    Information Elements are defined in the information model
    document.  The names of these Information Elements are
    listed for each method identifier.
    Further method identifiers may be added to the list
    below.  It might be necessary to define new Information
    Elements to specify their parameters.
    The selectorAlgorithm registry is maintained by IANA.  New
    assignments for the registry will be administered by IANA
    and are subject to Expert Review RFC5226.
    The registry can be updated when specifications of the new
    method(s) and any new Information Elements are provided.
    The group of experts must double check the selectorAlgorithm
    definitions and Information Elements with already defined
    selectorAlgorithms and Information Elements for completeness,
    accuracy, and redundancy.  Those experts will initially be drawn
    from the Working Group Chairs and document editors of the IPFIX
    and PSAMP Working Groups.
    The following packet selection methods identifiers are
    defined here:
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    | ID |        Method          |      Parameters        |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    | 1  | Systematic count-based | samplingPacketInterval |
    |    | Sampling               | samplingPacketSpace    |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    | 2  | Systematic time-based  | samplingTimeInterval   |
    |    | Sampling               | samplingTimeSpace      |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    | 3  | Random n-out-of-N      | samplingSize           |
    |    | Sampling               | samplingPopulation     |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    | 4  | Uniform probabilistic  | samplingProbability    |
    |    | Sampling               |                        |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    | 5  | Property Match         | no agreed parameters   |
    |    | Filtering              |                        |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    |   Hash-based Filtering      | hashInitialiserValue   |
    +----+------------------------+ hashIPPayloadOffset    |
    | 6  | using BOB              | hashIPPayloadSize      |
    +----+------------------------+ hashSelectedRangeMin   |
    | 7  | using IPSX             | hashSelectedRangeMax   |
    +----+------------------------+ hashOutputRangeMin     |
    | 8  | using CRC              | hashOutputRangeMax     |
    +----+------------------------+------------------------+
    There is a broad variety of possible parameters that could be
    used for Property Match Filtering (5), but currently there are
    no agreed parameters specified.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingPacketInterval" dataType="unsigned32"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="305" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the number of packets that
    are consecutively sampled.  A value of 100 means that
    100 consecutive packets are sampled.
    For example, this Information Element may be used to describe
    the configuration of a systematic count-based Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>packets</units>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingPacketSpace" dataType="unsigned32"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="306" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the number of packets between
    two "samplingPacketInterval"s.  A value of 100 means that the
    next interval starts 100 packets (which are not sampled)
    after the current "samplingPacketInterval" is over.
    For example, this Information Element may be used to describe
    the configuration of a systematic count-based Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>packets</units>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingTimeInterval" dataType="unsigned32"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="307" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the time interval in
    microseconds during which all arriving packets are sampled.
    For example, this Information Element may be used to describe
    the configuration of a systematic time-based Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>microseconds</units>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingTimeSpace" dataType="unsigned32"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="308" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the time interval in
    microseconds between two "samplingTimeInterval"s.  A value of 100
    means that the next interval starts 100 microseconds
    (during which no packets are sampled) after the current
    "samplingTimeInterval" is over.
    For example, this Information Element may used to describe the
    configuration of a systematic time-based Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>microseconds</units>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingSize" dataType="unsigned32"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="309" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the number of elements taken
    from the parent Population for random Sampling methods.
    For example, this Information Element may be used to describe
    the configuration of a random n-out-of-N Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>packets</units>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingPopulation" dataType="unsigned32"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="310" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the number of elements in the
    parent Population for random Sampling methods.
    For example, this Information Element may be used to describe
    the configuration of a random n-out-of-N Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>packets</units>
 </field>
 <field name="samplingProbability" dataType="float64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="311" status="current"
group="sampling configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the probability that a packet
    is sampled, expressed as a value between 0 and 1.  The
    probability is equal for every packet.  A value of 0 means no
    packet was sampled since the probability is 0.
    For example, this Information Element may be used to describe
    the configuration of a uniform probabilistic Sampling Selector.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="ipHeaderPacketSection" dataType="octetArray"
elementId="313" status="current" group="packet data">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
    carries a series of octets from the start of the IP header of a
    sampled packet.
    With sufficient length, this element also reports octets from
    the IP payload, subject to RFC2804.  See the Security
    Considerations section.
    The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
    limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
    The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="ipPayloadPacketSection" dataType="octetArray"
elementId="314" status="current" group="packet data">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
    carries a series of octets from the start of the IP payload of a
    sampled packet.
    The IPv4 payload is that part of the packet that follows the
    IPv4 header and any options, which RFC0791 refers to as "data"
    or "data octets".  For example, see the examples in RFC0791,
    Appendix A.
    The IPv6 payload is the rest of the packet following the
    40-octet IPv6 header.  Note that any extension headers present
    are considered part of the payload.  See RFC2460 for the IPv6
    specification.
    The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
    limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
    The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="mplsLabelStackSection" dataType="octetArray"
elementId="316" status="current" group="packet data">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
    carries the first n octets from the MPLS label stack of a
    sampled packet.
    With sufficient length, this element also reports octets from
    the MPLS payload, subject to RFC2804.  See the Security
    Considerations section.
    See RFC3031 for the specification of MPLS packets.
    See RFC3032 for the specification of the MPLS label stack.
    The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
    limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
    The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="mplsPayloadPacketSection" dataType="octetArray"
elementId="317" status="current" group="packet data">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element, which may have a variable length,
    carries the first n octets from the MPLS payload of a sampled
    packet, being data that follows immediately after the MPLS label
    stack.
    See RFC3031 for the specification of MPLS packets.
    See RFC3032 for the specification of the MPLS label stack.
    The size of the exported section may be constrained due to
    limitations in the IPFIX protocol.
    The data for this field MUST NOT be padded.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="selectorIdTotalPktsObserved" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="totalCounter" elementId="318" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the total number of packets
    observed by a Selector, for a specific value of SelectorId.
    This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which it refers.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>packets</units>
 </field>
 <field name="selectorIdTotalPktsSelected" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="totalCounter" elementId="319" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the total number of packets
    selected by a Selector, for a specific value of SelectorId.
    This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which it refers.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
    </paragraph>
</description>
<units>packets</units>
 </field>
 <field name="absoluteError" dataType="float64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="320" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the maximum possible
    measurement error of the reported value for a given Information
    Element.  The absoluteError has the same unit as the Information
    Element with which it is associated.  The real value of the
    metric can differ by absoluteError (positive or negative) from
    the measured value.
    This Information Element provides only the
    error for measured values.  If an Information Element contains
    an estimated value (from Sampling), the confidence boundaries
    and confidence level have to be provided instead, using the
    upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel Information
    Elements.
    This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which it refers.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>
  The units of the Information Element for which the error is
  specified.
</units>
 </field>
 <field name="relativeError" dataType="float64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="321" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the maximum possible positive
    or negative error ratio for the reported value for a given
    Information Element as a percentage of the measured value.
    The real value of the metric can differ by relativeError percent
    (positive or negative) from the measured value.
    This Information Element provides only the error for measured
    values.  If an Information Element contains an estimated value
    (from Sampling), the confidence boundaries and confidence
    level have to be provided instead, using the upperCILimit,
    lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel Information Elements.
    This Information Element should be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which it refers.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="observationTimeSeconds" dataType="dateTimeSeconds"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="322" status="current"
group="timestamps">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the absolute time in seconds
    of an observation.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>seconds</units>
 </field>
 <field name="observationTimeMilliseconds"
dataType="dateTimeMilliseconds" dataTypeSemantics="quantity"
elementId="323" status="current" group="timestamps">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the absolute time in
    milliseconds of an observation.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>milliseconds</units>
 </field>
 <field name="observationTimeMicroseconds"
dataType="dateTimeMicroseconds" dataTypeSemantics="quantity"
elementId="324" status="current" group="timestamps">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the absolute time in
    microseconds of an observation.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>microseconds</units>
 </field>
 <field name="observationTimeNanoseconds"
dataType="dateTimeNanoseconds" dataTypeSemantics="quantity"
elementId="325" status="current" group="timestamps">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the absolute time in
    nanoseconds of an observation.
  </paragraph>
</description>
<units>nanoseconds</units>
 </field>
 <field name="digestHashValue" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="326" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the value from the digest
    hash function.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashIPPayloadOffset" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="327" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the IP payload offset used by
    a Hash-based Selection Selector.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashIPPayloadSize" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="328" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the IP payload size used by a
    Hash-based Selection Selector.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashOutputRangeMin" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="329" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the value for the beginning
    of a hash function's potential output range.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashOutputRangeMax" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="330" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the value for the end of a
    hash function's potential output range.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashSelectedRangeMin" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="331" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the value for the beginning
    of a hash function's selected range.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashSelectedRangeMax" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="332" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the value for the end of a
    hash function's selected range.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashDigestOutput" dataType="boolean"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="333" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element contains a boolean value that is TRUE
    if the output from this hash Selector has been configured to be
    included in the packet report as a packet digest, else FALSE.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="hashInitialiserValue" dataType="unsigned64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="334" status="current"
group="hash configuration">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the initialiser value to the
    hash function.
    See also Sections 6.2, 3.8, and 7.1 of
    RFC5475.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="upperCILimit" dataType="float64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="336" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the upper limit of a
    confidence interval.  It is used to provide an accuracy
    statement for an estimated value.  The confidence limits
    define the range in which the real value is assumed to be
    with a certain probability p.  Confidence limits always need
    to be associated with a confidence level that defines this
    probability p.  Please note that a confidence interval only
    provides a probability that the real value lies within the
    limits.  That means the real value can lie outside the
    confidence limits.
    The upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel
    Information Elements should all be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which they refer.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
    Note that the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel
    are all required to specify confidence, and should be
    disregarded unless all three are specified together.
  </paragraph>
</description>
</field>
 <field name="lowerCILimit" dataType="float64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="337" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the lower limit of a
    confidence interval.  For further information, see the
    description of upperCILimit.
    The upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel
    Information Elements should all be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which they refer.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
    Note that the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel
    are all required to specify confidence, and should be
    disregarded unless all three are specified together.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>
 <field name="confidenceLevel" dataType="float64"
dataTypeSemantics="quantity" elementId="338" status="current"
group="statistics">
<description>
  <paragraph>
    This Information Element specifies the confidence level.  It is
    used to provide an accuracy statement for estimated values.
    The confidence level provides the probability p with which the
    real value lies within a given range.  A confidence level
    always needs to be associated with confidence limits that
    define the range in which the real value is assumed to be.
    The upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel
    Information Elements should all be used in an Options Template
    scoped to the observation to which they refer.
    See Section 3.4.2.1 of the IPFIX protocol document RFC5101.
    Note that the upperCILimit, lowerCILimit, and confidenceLevel
    are all required to specify confidence, and should be
    disregarded unless all three are specified together.
  </paragraph>
</description>
 </field>

</fieldDefinitions>

Authors' Addresses

Thomas Dietz NEC Europe Ltd. NEC Laboratories Europe Network Research Division Kurfuersten-Anlage 36 Heidelberg 69115 Germany

Phone: +49 6221 4342-128 EMail: [email protected] URI: http://www.nw.neclab.eu

Benoit Claise Cisco Systems, Inc. De Kleetlaan 6a b1 Degem 1813 Belgium

Phone: +32 2 704 5622 EMail: [email protected]

Paul Aitken Cisco Systems, Inc. 96 Commercial Quay Edinburgh EH6 6LX Scotland

Phone: +44 131 561 3616 EMail: [email protected] URI: http://www.cisco.com/

Falko Dressler University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Dept. of Computer Sciences Martensstr. 3 Erlangen 91058 Germany

Phone: +49 9131 85-27914 EMail: [email protected] URI: http://www7.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/~dressler

Georg Carle Technical University of Munich Institute for Informatics Boltzmannstr. 3 Garching bei Muenchen 85737 Germany

Phone: +49 89 289-18030 EMail: [email protected] URI: http://www.net.in.tum.de/~carle/