RFC 9362: Distributed Denial-of-Service Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) Signal Channel Configuration Attributes for Robust Block Transmission
- M. Boucadair,
- J. Shallow
Abstract
This document specifies new DDoS Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) signal channel configuration parameters that can be negotiated between DOTS peers to enable the use of Q-Block1 and Q-Block2 Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) options. These options enable robust and faster transmission rates for large amounts of data with less packet interchanges as well as support for faster recovery should any of the blocks get lost in transmission (especially during DDoS attacks).¶
Also, this document defines a YANG data model for representing these
new DOTS signal channel configuration parameters. This model augments
the DOTS signal YANG module
Status of This Memo
This is an Internet Standards Track document.¶
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). Further information on Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 7841.¶
Information about the current status of this document, any
errata, and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
https://
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2023 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.¶
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
(https://
1. Introduction
The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) [RFC7252], although inspired by HTTP, was designed to use UDP instead of TCP. The message layer of CoAP over UDP includes support for reliable delivery, simple congestion control, and flow control. The block-wise transfer [RFC7959] introduced the CoAP Block1 and Block2 options to handle data records that cannot fit in a single IP packet, to avoid having to rely on IP fragmentation. The block-wise transfer was further updated by [RFC8323] for use over TCP, TLS, and WebSockets.¶
The CoAP Block1 and Block2 options work well in environments where there are no or minimal packet losses. These options operate synchronously where each individual block has to be requested and can only ask for (or send) the next block when the request for the previous block has completed. Packet rates, and hence block transmission rates, are controlled by Round-Trip Times (RTTs).¶
There is a requirement for these blocks of data to be transmitted at higher rates under network conditions where there may be asymmetrical transient packet loss (e.g., responses may get dropped). An example is when a network is subject to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack and there is a need for DDoS mitigation agents relying upon CoAP to communicate with each other (e.g., [RFC9244]). As a reminder, [RFC7959] recommends the use of Confirmable (CON) responses to handle potential packet loss. However, such a recommendation does not work with a "flooded pipe" DDoS situation because the returning ACK packets may not get through.¶
The block-wise transfer specified in [RFC7959]
covers the general case but falls short in situations where packet loss
is highly asymmetrical. The mechanism specified in [RFC9177] provides features roughly similar to the
Block1/Block2 options but also provides additional properties that are
tailored towards the intended DDoS Open Threat Signaling (DOTS)
transmission. Concretely, [RFC9177] primarily
targets applications such as DOTS that can't use Confirmable responses
to handle potential packet loss and that support application
[RFC9177] includes guards to prevent a CoAP
agent from overloading the network by adopting an aggressive sending
rate. These guards are followed in addition to the existing CoAP
congestion control as specified in Section 4.7 of [RFC7252] (mainly PROBING_RATE). Table 1 lists the
additional CoAP parameters that are used for the guards (Section 7.2 of [RFC9177]). Note that NON in this table refers to
Non
PROBING_RATE and other transmission parameters are negotiated between DOTS peers as discussed in Section 4.5.2 of [RFC9132]. Nevertheless, negotiating the parameters listed in Table 1 is not supported in [RFC9132]. This document defines new DOTS signal channel attributes, corresponding to the parameters in Table 1, that are used to customize the configuration of robust block transmission in a DOTS context.¶
2. Terminology
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.¶
Readers should be familiar with the terms and concepts defined in [RFC7252] and [RFC8612].¶
The terms "payload" and "body" are defined in [RFC7959]. The term "payload" is thus used for the content of a single CoAP message (i.e., a single block being transferred), while the term "body" is used for the entire resource representation that is being transferred in a block-wise fashion.¶
The meanings of the symbols in YANG tree diagrams are defined in [RFC8340] and [RFC8791].¶
3. DOTS Attributes for Robust Block Transmission
Section 7.2 of [RFC9177] defines the following parameters that are used for congestion control purposes:¶
- MAX_PAYLOADS:
- This parameter represents the maximum number of payloads that can be transmitted at any one time.¶
- NON
_MAX _RETRANSMIT : - This parameter represents the maximum number of times a
request for the retransmission of missing payloads can occur without
a response from the remote peer. By default, NON
_MAX _RETRANSMIT has the same value as MAX_RETRANSMIT (Section 4.8 of [RFC7252]).¶ - NON_TIMEOUT:
- This parameter represents the maximum period of delay between sending sets of MAX_PAYLOADS payloads for the same body. NON_TIMEOUT has the same value as ACK_TIMEOUT (Section 4.8 of [RFC7252]).¶
- NON
_TIMEOUT _RANDOM : - This parameter represents the initial actual delay
between sending the first two MAX
_PAYLOADS _SETs of the same body. It is a random duration between NON_TIMEOUT and (NON_TIMEOUT * ACK _RANDOM _FACTOR ).¶ - NON
_RECEIVE _TIMEOUT : - This parameter represents the maximum time to wait for a
missing payload before requesting retransmission. By default,
NON
_RECEIVE _TIMEOUT has a value of twice NON_TIMEOUT.¶ - NON
_PROBING _WAIT : - This parameter is used to limit the potential wait needed when using PROBING_RATE.¶
- NON
_PARTIAL _TIMEOUT : - This parameter is used for expiring partially received bodies.¶
These parameters are used together with the PROBING_RATE parameter, which
in CoAP indicates the average data rate that must not be exceeded by a
CoAP endpoint in sending to a peer endpoint that does not respond. The
single body of blocks will be subjected to PROBING_RATE (Section 4.7 of [RFC7252]), not the individual packets. If the wait
time between sending bodies that are not being responded to based on
PROBING_RATE exceeds NON
This document augments the "ietf
- max-payloads:
-
This attribute echoes the MAX_PAYLOADS parameter defined in [RFC9177].¶
This is an optional attribute. If the attribute is supplied in both 'idle-config' and 'mitigating
-config', then it MUST convey the same value. If the attribute is only provided as part of 'idle-config' (or 'mitigating -config' ), then the other definition (i.e., 'mitigating -config' (or 'idle-config')) MUST be updated to the same value.¶ - non
-max -retransmit : -
This attribute echoes the NON
_MAX _RETRANSMIT parameter defined in [RFC9177]. The default value of this attribute is 'max -retransmit' . Note that DOTS uses a default value of '3' instead of '4' (which is used generically by CoAP for 'max-transmit'; see Section 4.5.2 of [RFC9132] and Section 4.8 of [RFC7252]).¶ This is an optional attribute.¶
- non-timeout:
-
This attribute, expressed in seconds, echoes the NON_TIMEOUT parameter defined in [RFC9177]. The default value of this attribute is 'ack-timeout'.¶
This attribute is also used to compute the NON
_TIMEOUT _RANDOM parameter.¶ This is an optional attribute.¶
- non
-receive -timeout : -
This attribute, expressed in seconds, echoes the NON
_RECEIVE _TIMEOUT parameter defined in [RFC9177]. The default value of this attribute is twice 'non-timeout'.¶ This is an optional attribute.¶
- non
-probing -wait : -
This attribute, expressed in seconds, echoes the NON
_PROBING _WAIT parameter defined in [RFC9177].¶ This is an optional attribute.¶
- non
-partial -timeout : -
This attribute, expressed in seconds, echoes the NON
_PARTIAL _TIMEOUT parameter defined in [RFC9177]. The default value of this attribute is 247 seconds.¶ This is an optional attribute.¶
The tree structure of the "ietf
These attributes are mapped to Concise Binary Object Representation (CBOR) types as specified in Section 4 and in Section 6 of [RFC9132].¶
DOTS clients follow the procedure specified in Section 4.5 of [RFC9132] to negotiate, configure, and retrieve the DOTS signal channel session behavior (including Q-Block parameters) with DOTS peers.¶
- Implementation Note 1:
- 'non
-probing -wait' ideally should be left having some jitter and so should not be hard-coded with an explicit value. It is suggested to use a base value (using NON_TIMEOUT instead of NON _TIMEOUT _RANDOM ); the jitter (ACK _RANDOM _FACTOR - 1) is then added to each time the value is checked.¶ - Implementation Note 2:
- If any of the signal channel
session configuration parameters is updated, the 'non
-probing -wait' and 'non -partial -timeout' values should be recalculated according to the definition algorithms provided in Section 7.2 of [RFC9177] unless explicit values are provided as part of the negotiated configuration.¶
An example of a PUT message to configure Q-Block parameters is
depicted in Figure 2. In this example, a non-default
value is configured for the 'max-payloads' attribute, while default
values are used for 'non
The payload of the message depicted in Figure 2 is
CBOR-encoded as indicated by the Content-Format set to
"application
4. YANG/JSON Mapping Parameters to CBOR
The YANG/JSON mapping parameters to CBOR are listed in Table 2.¶
Note: Implementers must check that the mapping output provided by their YANG-to-CBOR encoding schemes is aligned with the content of Table 2.¶
5. DOTS Robust Block Transmission YANG Module
This module uses the data structure extension defined in [RFC8791].¶
6. IANA Considerations
6.1. Registry for DOTS Signal Channel CBOR Mappings
This specification registers the following parameters in the IANA "DOTS Signal Channel CBOR Key Values" registry [Key-Map].¶
6.2. DOTS Robust Block Transmission YANG Module
IANA has registered the following URI in the "ns" subregistry within the "IETF XML Registry" [RFC3688]:¶
- URI:
- urn
:ietf :params :xml :ns :yang :ietf -dots -robust -trans¶ - Registrant Contact:
- The IESG.¶
- XML:
- N/A; the requested URI is an XML namespace.¶
IANA has registered the following YANG module in the "YANG Module Names" subregistry [RFC6020] within the "YANG Parameters" registry.¶
7. Security Considerations
The security considerations for the DOTS signal channel protocol are discussed in Section 11 of [RFC9132].¶
CoAP-specific security considerations are discussed in Section 11 of [RFC9177].¶
Consistent with Section 5 of [RFC9132], the
"ietf
8. References
8.1. Normative References
- [RFC2119]
-
Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC2119 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc2119 - [RFC3688]
-
Mealling, M., "The IETF XML Registry", BCP 81, RFC 3688, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC3688 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc3688 - [RFC6020]
-
Bjorklund, M., Ed., "YANG - A Data Modeling Language for the Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF)", RFC 6020, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC6020 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc6020 - [RFC7252]
-
Shelby, Z., Hartke, K., and C. Bormann, "The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)", RFC 7252, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC7252 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc7252 - [RFC7959]
-
Bormann, C. and Z. Shelby, Ed., "Block-Wise Transfers in the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)", RFC 7959, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC7959 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc7959 - [RFC8174]
-
Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC8174 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc8174 - [RFC8323]
-
Bormann, C., Lemay, S., Tschofenig, H., Hartke, K., Silverajan, B., and B. Raymor, Ed., "CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) over TCP, TLS, and WebSockets", RFC 8323, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC8323 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc8323 - [RFC8791]
-
Bierman, A., Björklund, M., and K. Watsen, "YANG Data Structure Extensions", RFC 8791, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC8791 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc8791 - [RFC9132]
-
Boucadair, M., Ed., Shallow, J., and T. Reddy.K, "Distributed Denial
-of , RFC 9132, DOI 10-Service Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) Signal Channel Specification" .17487 , , <https:///RFC9132 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc9132 - [RFC9177]
-
Boucadair, M. and J. Shallow, "Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) Block-Wise Transfer Options Supporting Robust Transmission", RFC 9177, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC9177 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc9177
8.2. Informative References
- [Key-Map]
-
IANA, "DOTS Signal Channel CBOR Key Values", <https://
www >..iana .org /assignments /dots / - [RFC8340]
-
Bjorklund, M. and L. Berger, Ed., "YANG Tree Diagrams", BCP 215, RFC 8340, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC8340 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc8340 - [RFC8612]
-
Mortensen, A., Reddy, T., and R. Moskowitz, "DDoS Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) Requirements", RFC 8612, DOI 10
.17487 , , <https:///RFC8612 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc8612 - [RFC9244]
-
Boucadair, M., Ed., Reddy.K, T., Ed., Doron, E., Chen, M., and J. Shallow, "Distributed Denial
-of , RFC 9244, DOI 10-Service Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) Telemetry" .17487 , , <https:///RFC9244 www >..rfc -editor .org /info /rfc9244
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tiru Reddy, Meiling Chen, and Kaname Nishizuka for the review.¶
Thanks to Michal Vaško for the yangdoctors review.¶
Thanks to Valery Smyslov for shepherding the document, Paul Wouters for the AD review, Paul Kyzivat for the artart directorate review, Tim Evens for the Gen-ART review, and Jean-Michel Combes for the int-dir review.¶
Thanks to John Scudder, Lars Eggert, Éric Vyncke, Roman Danyliw, Rob Wilton, and Martin Duke for their comments during the IESG review.¶