Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB
RFC 2720

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Network Working Group                                         N. Brownlee
Request for Comments: 2720                     The University of Auckland
Obsoletes: 2064                                              October 1999
Category: Standards Track

                  Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB

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

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   The RTFM Traffic Measurement Architecture provides a general
   framework for describing and measuring network traffic flows.  Flows
   are defined in terms of their Address Attribute values and measured
   by a 'Traffic Meter'.

   This document defines a Management Information Base (MIB) for use in
   controlling an RTFM Traffic Meter, in particular for specifying the
   flows to be measured.  It also provides an efficient mechanism for
   retrieving flow data from the meter using SNMP. Security issues
   concerning the operation of traffic meters are summarised.

Table of Contents

   1  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
   2  The SNMP Management Framework   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
   3  Overview  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
      3.1 Scope of Definitions, Textual Conventions . . . . . . . . .  4
      3.2 Usage of the MIB variables  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
   4  Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
   5  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
      5.1 SNMP Concerns   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
      5.2 Traffic Meter Concerns  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
   6  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
   7  Appendix A: Changes Introduced Since RFC 2064 . . . . . . . . . 49
   8  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
   9  Intellectual Property Notice  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Brownlee                    Standards Track                     [Page 1]
RFC 2720          Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB       October 1999

   10 References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
   11 Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
   12 Full Copyright Statement  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

1  Introduction

   This memo defines a portion of the Management Information Base (MIB)
   for use with network management protocols in the Internet community.
   In particular, it describes objects for managing and collecting data
   from network Realtime Traffic Flow Meters, as described in [RTFM-
   ARC].

   The MIB is 'basic' in the sense that it provides more than enough
   information for everyday traffic measurment.  Furthermore, it can be
   easily extended by adding new attributes as required.  The RTFM
   Working group is actively pursuing the development of the meter in
   this way.

2  The SNMP Management Framework

   The SNMP Management Framework presently consists of five major
   components:

   - An overall architecture, described in RFC 2571 [RFC2571].

   - Mechanisms for describing and naming objects and events for the
     purpose of management.  The first version of this Structure of
     Management Information (SMI) is called SMIv1 and described in STD
     16, RFC 1155 [RFC1155], STD 16, RFC 1212 [RFC1212] and RFC 1215
     [RFC1215].  The second version, called SMIv2, is described in STD
     58, RFC 2578 [RFC2578], RFC 2579 [RFC2579] and RFC 2580 [RFC2580].

   - Message protocols for transferring management information.  The
     first version of the SNMP message protocol is called SNMPv1 and
     described in STD 15, RFC 1157 [RFC1157].  A second version of the
     SNMP message protocol, which is not an Internet standards track
     protocol, is called SNMPv2c and described in RFC 1901 [RFC1901] and
     RFC 1906 [RFC1906].  The third version of the message protocol is
     called SNMPv3 and described in RFC 1906 [RFC1906], RFC 2572
     [RFC2572] and RFC 2574 [RFC2574].

   - Protocol operations for accessing management information.  The
     first set of protocol operations and associated PDU formats is
     described in STD 15, RFC 1157 [RFC1157].  A second set of protocol
     operations and associated PDU formats is described in RFC 1905
     [RFC1905].

Brownlee                    Standards Track                     [Page 2]
RFC 2720          Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB       October 1999

   - A set of fundamental applications described in RFC 2573 [RFC2573]
     and the view-based access control mechanism described in RFC 2575