Active and Passive Metrics and Methods (with Hybrid Types In-Between)
RFC 7799
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) A. Morton
Request for Comments: 7799 AT&T Labs
Category: Informational May 2016
ISSN: 2070-1721
Active and Passive Metrics and Methods
(with Hybrid Types In-Between)
Abstract
This memo provides clear definitions for Active and Passive
performance assessment. The construction of Metrics and Methods can
be described as either "Active" or "Passive". Some methods may use a
subset of both Active and Passive attributes, and we refer to these
as "Hybrid Methods". This memo also describes multiple dimensions to
help evaluate new methods as they emerge.
Status of This Memo
This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
published for informational purposes.
This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has
received public review and has been approved for publication by the
Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Not all documents
approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet
Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7799.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2016 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
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Morton Informational [Page 1]
RFC 7799 Active, Passive and Hybrid May 2016
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................2
1.1. Requirements Language ......................................3
2. Purpose and Scope ...............................................3
3. Terms and Definitions ...........................................3
3.1. Performance Metric .........................................3
3.2. Method of Measurement ......................................4
3.3. Observation Point ..........................................4
3.4. Active Methods .............................................4
3.5. Active Metric ..............................................5
3.6. Passive Methods ............................................5
3.7. Passive Metric .............................................6
3.8. Hybrid Methods and Metrics .................................6
4. Discussion ......................................................8
4.1. Graphical Representation ...................................8
4.2. Discussion of PDM .........................................10
4.3. Discussion of "Coloring" Method ...........................11
4.4. Brief Discussion of OAM Methods ...........................11
5. Security Considerations ........................................12
6. References .....................................................12
6.1. Normative References ......................................12
6.2. Informative References ....................................13
Acknowledgements ..................................................14
Author's Address ..................................................14
1. Introduction
The adjectives "Active" and "Passive" have been used for many years
to distinguish between two different classes of Internet performance
assessment. The first Passive and Active Measurement (PAM)
Conference was held in 2000, but the earliest proceedings available
online are from the second PAM conference in 2001
<https://www.ripe.net/ripe/meetings/pam-2001>.
The notions of "Active" and "Passive" are well-established. In
general:
o An Active Metric or Method depends on a dedicated measurement
packet stream and observations of the stream.
o A Passive Metric or Method depends *solely* on observation of one
or more existing packet streams. The streams only serve
measurement when they are observed for that purpose, and are
present whether or not measurements take place.
Morton Informational [Page 2]
RFC 7799 Active, Passive and Hybrid May 2016
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