Forwarding and Control Element Separation (forces) Internet Drafts
| ForCES Forwarding Element Model | |||||||||||||||||
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This document defines the forwarding element (FE) model used in the Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES) protocol [2]. The model represents the capabilities, state and configuration of forwarding elements within the context of the ForCES protocol, so that control elements (CEs) can control the FEs accordingly. More specifically, the model describes the logical functions that are present in an FE, what capabilities these functions support, and how these functions are or can be interconnected. This FE model is intended to satisfy the model requirements specified in the ForCES requirements document, RFC3654 [4]. | ||||||||||||||||
| ForCES Protocol Specification | |||||||||||||||||
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This document specifies the Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES) protocol. ForCES protocol is used for communications between Control Elements(CEs) and Forwarding Elements (FEs) in a ForCES Network Element (ForCES NE). This specification is intended to meet the ForCES protocol requirements defined in RFC3654. Besides the ForCES protocol messages, the specification also defines the framework, the mechanisms, and the Transport Mapping Layer (TML) requirements for ForCES protocol.Authors The participants in the ForCES Protocol Team, primary co-authors and co-editors, of this protocol specification, are: Ligang Dong (Zhejiang Gongshang University), Avri Doria (Lulea University of Technology), Ram Gopal (Nokia), Robert Haas (IBM), Jamal Hadi Salim (Znyx), Hormuzd M Khosravi (Intel), and Weiming Wang (Zhejiang Gongshang University). Special acknowledgement goes to Joel Halpern who has done extensive editing in support of congruence between the model and this protocol specification. Without his participation and persistence, this specification might never have been completed. | ||||||||||||||||
| ForCES MIB | |||||||||||||||||
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This memo defines a Management Information Base (MIB) module for use with network management protocols in the Internet community. In particular, it defines managed objects for the Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES) Network Element (NE). | ||||||||||||||||
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Forwarding and Control Element Separation (forces)
In addition to this official charter maintained by the IETF Secretariat, there is additional information about this working group on the Web at:
Additional FORCES Web Page
Last Modified: 2008-04-18
Additional information is available at tools.ietf.org/wg/forces
Chair(s):
Routing Area Director(s):
Routing Area Advisor:
Mailing Lists:
General Discussion: forces@peach.ease.lsoft.comTo Subscribe: listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com
In Body: (un)subscribe forces
Archive: ftp://ftp.ietf.org/ietf-mail-archive/forces
Description of Working Group:
The emergence of off-the-shelf network processor devices thatimplement
the fast path or forwarding plane in network devices such as routers,
along with the appearance of a new generation of third party
signaling,
routing, and other router control plane software, has created the need
for standard mechanisms to allow these components to be combined into
functional wholes. ForCES aims to define a framework and associated
mechanisms for standardizing the exchange of information between the
logically separate functionality of the control plane, including
entities such as routing protocols, admission control, and signaling,
and the forwarding plane, where per-packet activities such as packet
forwarding, queuing, and header editing occur. By defining a set
of standard mechanisms for control and forwarding separation, ForCES
will enable rapid innovation in both the control and forwarding
planes.
A standard separation mechanism allows the control and forwarding
planes to innovate in parallel while maintaining interoperability.
The products of this working group will be:
o A set of requirements for mechanisms to logically
separate the control and data forwarding planes of
an IP network element (NE)
o An applicability statement for the ForCES model
and protocol
o Informational RFCs as necessary documenting current
approaches to the functional model and controlled
objects therein
o An architectural framework defining the entities
comprising a ForCES network element and identifying
the interactions between them.
o A description of the functional model of a
Forwarding Element
o A formal definition of the controlled objects in the
functional model of a forwarding element. This
includes IP forwarding, IntServ and DiffServ QoS. An
existing specification language shall be used for
this task.
o Specification of IP-based protocol for transport of the
controlled objects. When the control and forwarding devices
are separated beyond a single hop, ForCES will make use of an
existing RFC2914 compliant L4 protocol with adequate reliability,
security and congestion control (e.g. TCP, SCTP) for transport
purposes.
The main focus area of the working group will be control and
forwarding separation for IP forwarding devices where the
control and forwarding elements are in close (same room/small
number of hops) or very close (same box/one hop) proximity. Other
scenarios will be considered but at not the main focus of the
work. The functional model of the forwarding element will include
QoS (DiffServ and IntServ) capabilities of modern networking
devices such as routers. In order to minimize the effort to
integrate forwarding elements and control elements, a mechanism
for auto discovery and capability information exchange will form
an integral part of the standardized interface.
ForCES will coordinate with other standards bodies and working
groups as appropriate. Examples of such bodies include IETF/GSMP,
IETF/Megaco, the Network Processing Forum (NPF), the Multiservice
Switching Forum (MSF), IEEE P1520, and SoftSwitch. ForCES will
review relevant protocol efforts such as GSMP and Megaco and will
extend or reuse them if appropriate. If protocol reuse is
accepted as satisfactory for fulfilling the ForCES requirements
then ForCES may recharter to adopt specific deliverables around
the selected protocol.
Goals and Milestones:
| Done | Submit requirements document to IESG | |
| Done | Submit framework document to IESG | |
| Nov 2004 | Submit forwarding element functional model document to IESG | |
| Mar 2005 | Submit formal definition of controlled objects in functional model | |
| Mar 2005 | Submit protocol selection/definition document to IESG | |
| Mar 2005 | Submit applicability statement to IESG |
Internet-Drafts:
ForCES Forwarding Element Model (289871 bytes)ForCES Protocol Specification (240783 bytes)
ForCES MIB (36127 bytes)
Request For Comments:
Linux Netlink as an IP Services Protocol (RFC 3549) (72161 bytes)Requirements for Separation of IP Control and Forwarding (RFC 3654) (40418 bytes)
Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES) Framework (RFC 3746) (98660 bytes)
IETF Secretariat - Please send questions, comments, and/or suggestions to ietf-web@ietf.org.
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