Access Node Control Protocol (ancp)
-----------------------------------

Charter
Last Modified: 2007-04-04

Current Status: Active Working Group

Chair(s):
    Wojciech Dec  <[email protected]>
    Matthew Bocci  <[email protected]>

Internet Area Director(s):
    Jari Arkko  <[email protected]>
    Mark Townsley  <[email protected]>

Internet Area Advisor:
    Mark Townsley  <[email protected]>

Technical Advisor(s):
    Dan Romascanu  <[email protected]>

Mailing Lists:
    General Discussion:[email protected]
    To Subscribe:      [email protected]
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    Archive:           http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/ancp/index.html

Description of Working Group:

Purpose:

The purpose of the ANCP WG is to standardize an IP based Access Node
Control Protocol (ANCP) for use in service provider Digital Subscriber
Line (DSL) access and aggregation networks. ANCP operates between an
Access Node (AN) and Network Access Server (NAS).

Necessary Terminology:

Access Node (AN) - Network device, usually located at a service
provider central office or street cabinet, that terminates acess loop
connections from Subscribers. In DSL, this is often referred to as a
Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM)

Network Access Server (NAS) - Network device which aggregates
multiplexedSubscriber traffic from a number of Access Nodes. The NAS
plays a central role in per-subsciber policy enforcement and QoS.
Often referred to as an Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) or Broadband
Remote Access Server (BRAS). A detailed definition of the NAS is given
in RFC2881.

Goals:

ANCP is intended to address the requirement for a bidirectional, IP-
based, control protocol that operates across multiple types (i.e.,
Ethernet, ATM) of DSL access and aggregation networks. The goal of an
ANCP message exchange is to convey status and control information
between one or more ANs and one or more NASs without going through
intermediate element managers.

The ANCP WG will address the following four use-cases:

1. Dynamic Access Loop Attributes
Various queuing and scheduling mechanisms are used in access networks
to avoid congestion while dealing with multiple flows and distinct QoS
profiles. Communicating the access-loop status, attributes and current
DSL synchronization rate between the AN and Subscriber up to the NAS
is desirable, particularly when the NAS is providing QoS for
individual flows and subscribers. ANCP will provide a mechanism to
communicate dynamic access-loop attributes from the AN to the NAS.

2. Access Loop Configuration
In additional to reporting Access Loop characteristics from the AN to
the NAS, ANCP will allow a NAS to send loop-specific configuration
information to an AN based on the results of subscriber authentication
and authorization (e.g., after AAA responses have been received at the
NAS).

3. Remote Connectivity Test
Traditional DSL access and aggregation networks employ point-to-point
ATM circuits between the AN and NAS for each subscriber, allowing
troubleshooting of the local loop from the NAS via ATM OAM tools. With
the increasing deployment of Ethernet in the access and aggregation
network, operators require consistent methods to test and troubleshoot
connectivity for mixed Ethernet and ATM access networks (including the
local loop). ANCP will allow a remote procedure for a local loop
connectivity test to be triggered from the NAS with results
communicated back to the NAS.

4. Multicast
When multicast replication for subscriber-bound traffic is performed at
the AN, it offloads the network between the AN and NAS. However, a
subscriber's policy and configuration for multicast traffic may only be
known at the NAS. ANCP will provide a mechanism to communicate the
necessary information exchange between the AN and NAS so as to allow
the AN to perform subscriber bound multicast group replication in line
with the subscriber's policy and configuration, and also allow the NAS
to follow each subscriber's multicast group membership.

Non-Goals:

ANCP is an IP-based protocol that operates between the AN and NAS,
over a DSL access and aggregation network. It will not address setup
or configuration of circuits or connections in the access and
aggregation network itself.

The focus of this WG is on one very specific application space. While
the design of the protocol must be general as to not preclude other
uses in the future should a need arise, it is not a goal of this WG
to address specific requirements outside of DSL access and aggregation
networks.

Security:

The ANCP working group will provide a threat analysis and address the
associated security aspects of the control protocol.

Resiliency and Scalabilty:

A graceful restart mechanism will be defined to enable the protocol to
be resilient to network failures between the AN and NAS.

Scalability at the NAS is of primary concern, as it may be aggregating
traffic from a large number of ANs, which in turn may be serving a
large number of Subscribers. ANCP traffic should not become a denial
of service attack on the NAS control plane. Format of messages,
pacing, transport over UDP or TCP, etc. will be considered with this
in mind.

For reasons of aggregation network scalability, some use cases require
that aspects of NAS or AN functionality may be distributed in nodes in
the aggregation network. In these cases, ANCP can run between these
nodes.

Deliverables:

The working group will define a basic framework and requirements
document intended for Informational publication, focusing on the four
use-cases outlined in this charter. This document will include a
security threat analysis and associated requirements. The WG will then
investigate and define a solution for an IP based control protocol
meeting these requirements.

There are early interoperable implementations of an ANCP-like protocol
which are based on an extended subset of the GSMPv3 protocol. This
running code will be the the starting point for the working group
solution, and will be abandoned only if the WG determines it is not
adequate to meet requirements going forward.

Coordination with other Working Groups or Organizations:

The working group will coordinate with the ADSL MIB working group so
the the management framewoirk and MIB modules are consistent for DSL
access environments. The working group will re-use, as far as
possible, standard MIB modules that have already been defined.

The remote connectivity test use case may require coordination with
ITU-T Ethernet OAM work, and with IEEE 802.1ag.

Goals and Milestones:

  Done         Accept WG I-D for ANCP Framework and Requirements

  Done         Accept WG I-D for Access Node Control Protocol (ANCP)

  Done         Accept WG ID for Security Threats analysis

  Mar 2007       Framework and Requirements last call

  Mar 2007       Accept WG I-D for ANCP MIB

  Jun 2007       Security Threats Analysis last call

  Aug 2007       Access Node Control Protocol (ANCP) Last Call

  Aug 2007       ANCP MIB Last Call

  Nov 2007       Re-charter or conclude Working Group


Internet-Drafts:

Posted Revised         I-D Title   <Filename>
------ ------- --------------------------------------------
Oct 2006 Feb 2007   <draft-ietf-ancp-framework-01.txt>
               Framework and Requirements for an Access Node Control Mechanism
               in Broadband Multi-Service Networks

Jan 2007 Jun 2007   <draft-ietf-ancp-security-threats-01.txt>
               Security Threats and Security Requirements for the Access Node
               Control Protocol (ANCP)

Mar 2007 Mar 2007   <draft-ietf-ancp-protocol-00.txt>
               Protocol for Access Node Control Mechanism in Broadband
               Networks

Jun 2007 Jun 2007   <draft-ietf-ancp-mib-an-00.txt>
               Access Node Control Protocol (ANCP) MIB module for Access Nodes

Request For Comments:

 None to date.

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