Network Working Group                                           D. Stopp
Request for Comments: 3918                                          Ixia
Category: Informational                                       B. Hickman
                                                 Spirent Communications
                                                           October 2004


              Methodology for IP Multicast Benchmarking

Status of this Memo

  This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
  not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
  memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

  Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).

Abstract

  The purpose of this document is to describe methodology specific to
  the benchmarking of multicast IP forwarding devices.  It builds upon
  the tenets set forth in RFC 2544, RFC 2432 and other IETF
  Benchmarking Methodology Working Group (BMWG) efforts.  This document
  seeks to extend these efforts to the multicast paradigm.

  The BMWG produces two major classes of documents: Benchmarking
  Terminology documents and Benchmarking Methodology documents.  The
  Terminology documents present the benchmarks and other related terms.
  The Methodology documents define the procedures required to collect
  the benchmarks cited in the corresponding Terminology documents.

Table of Contents

  1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
  2.  Key Words to Reflect Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
  3.  Test Set Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
      3.1.  Test Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
            3.1.1. IGMP Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
            3.1.2. Group Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
            3.1.3. Frame Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
            3.1.4. TTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
            3.1.5. Trial Duration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
  4.  Forwarding and Throughput. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
      4.1.  Mixed Class Throughput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
      4.2.  Scaled Group Forwarding Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
      4.3.  Aggregated Multicast Throughput. . . . . . . . . . . . .  9



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      4.4.  Encapsulation/Decapsulation (Tunneling) Throughput . . . 10
            4.4.1. Encapsulation Throughput. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
            4.4.2. Decapsulation Throughput. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
            4.4.3. Re-encapsulation Throughput . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  5.  Forwarding Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
      5.1.  Multicast Latency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
      5.2.  Min/Max Multicast Latency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  6.  Overhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
      6.1.  Group Join Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
      6.2.  Group Leave Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  7.  Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
      7.1.  Multicast Group Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  8.  Interaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
      8.1.  Forwarding Burdened Multicast Latency. . . . . . . . . . 25
      8.2.  Forwarding Burdened Group Join Delay . . . . . . . . . . 27
  9.  Security Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  10. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  11. Contributions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  12. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
      12.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
      12.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  13. Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  14. Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

1.  Introduction

  This document defines tests for measuring and reporting the
  throughput, forwarding, latency and Internet Group Management
  Protocol (IGMP) group membership characteristics of devices that
  support IP multicast protocols.  The results of these tests will
  provide the user with meaningful data on multicast performance.

  A previous document, "Terminology for IP Multicast Benchmarking"
  [Du98], defined many of the terms that are used in this document.
  The terminology document should be consulted before attempting to
  make use of this document.

  This methodology will focus on one source to many destinations,
  although many of the tests described may be extended to use multiple
  source to multiple destination topologies.

  Subsequent documents may address IPv6 multicast and related multicast
  routing protocol performance.  Additional insight on IP and multicast
  networking can be found in [Hu95], [Ka98] and [Mt98].







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2.  Key Words to Reflect Requirements

  The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
  "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
  document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14, RFC 2119
  [Br97].  RFC 2119 defines the use of these key words to help make the
  intent of standards track documents as clear as possible.  While this
  document uses these keywords, this document is not a standards track
  document.

3.  Test set up

  The set of methodologies presented in this document are for single
  ingress, multiple egress multicast scenarios as exemplified by
  Figures 1 and 2.  Methodologies for multiple ingress and multiple
  egress multicast scenarios are beyond the scope of this document.

  Figure 1 shows a typical setup for an IP multicast test, with one
  source to multiple destinations.

                    +------------+         +--------------+
                    |            |         |  destination |
  +--------+        |     Egress(-)------->|    test      |
  | source |        |            |         |   port(E1)   |
  |  test  |------>(|)Ingress    |         +--------------+
  |  port  |        |            |         +--------------+
  +--------+        |     Egress(-)------->|  destination |
                    |            |         |    test      |
                    |            |         |   port(E2)   |
                    |    DUT     |         +--------------+
                    |            |               . . .
                    |            |         +--------------+
                    |            |         |  destination |
                    |     Egress(-)------->|    test      |
                    |            |         |   port(En)   |
                    +------------+         +--------------+

                         Figure 1

  If the multicast metrics are to be taken across multiple devices
  forming a System Under Test (SUT), then test frames are offered to a
  single ingress interface on a device of the SUT, subsequently
  forwarded across the SUT topology, and finally forwarded to the test
  apparatus' frame-receiving components by the test egress interface(s)
  of devices in the SUT.  Figure 2 offers an example SUT test topology.
  If a SUT is tested, the test topology and all relevant configuration
  details MUST be disclosed with the corresponding test results.




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              *-----------------------------------------*
              |                                         |
  +--------+  |                     +----------------+  |  +--------+
  |        |  |   +------------+    |DUT B Egress E0(-)-|->|        |
  |        |  |   |DUT A       |--->|                |  |  |        |
  | source |  |   |            |    |      Egress E1(-)-|->|  dest. |
  |  test  |--|->(-)Ingress, I |    +----------------+  |  |  test  |
  |  port  |  |   |            |    +----------------+  |  |  port  |
  |        |  |   |            |--->|DUT C Egress E2(-)-|->|        |
  |        |  |   +------------+    |                |  |  |        |
  |        |  |                     |      Egress En(-)-|->|        |
  +--------+  |                     +----------------+  |  +--------+
              |                                         |
              *------------------SUT--------------------*

                               Figure 2

  Generally, the destination test ports first join the desired number
  of multicast groups by sending IGMP Group Report messages to the
  DUT/SUT.  To verify that all destination test ports successfully
  joined the appropriate groups, the source test port MUST transmit IP
  multicast frames destined for these groups.  After test completion,
  the destination test ports MAY send IGMP Leave Group messages to
  clear the IGMP table of the DUT/SUT.

  In addition, test equipment MUST validate the correct and proper
  forwarding actions of the devices they test in order to ensure the
  receipt of the frames that are involved in the test.

3.1.  Test Considerations

  The methodology assumes a uniform medium topology.  Issues regarding
  mixed transmission media, such as speed mismatch, headers
  differences, etc., are not specifically addressed.  Flow control, QoS
  and other non-essential traffic or traffic-affecting mechanisms
  affecting the variable under test MUST be disabled.  Modifications to
  the collection procedures might need to be made to accommodate the
  transmission media actually tested.  These accommodations MUST be
  presented with the test results.

  An actual flow of test traffic MAY be required to prime related
  mechanisms, (e.g., process RPF events, build device caches, etc.) to
  optimally forward subsequent traffic.  Therefore, prior to running
  any tests that require forwarding of multicast or unicast packets,
  the test apparatus MUST generate test traffic utilizing the same
  addressing characteristics to the DUT/SUT that will subsequently be





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  used to measure the DUT/SUT response.  The test monitor should ensure
  the correct forwarding of traffic by the DUT/SUT.  The priming action
  need only be repeated to keep the associated information current.

  It is the intent of this memo to provide the methodology for basic
  characterizations regarding the forwarding of multicast packets by a
  device or simple system of devices.  These characterizations may be
  useful in illustrating the impact of device architectural features
  (e.g., message passing versus shared memory; handling multicast
  traffic as an exception by the general purpose processor versus the
  by a primary data path, etc.) in the forwarding of multicast traffic.

  It has been noted that the formation of the multicast distribution
  tree may be a significant component of multicast performance. While
  this component may be present in some of the measurements or
  scenarios presented in this memo, this memo does not seek to
  explicitly benchmark the formation of the multicast distribution
  tree.  The benchmarking of the multicast distribution tree formation
  is left as future, more targeted work specific to a given tree
  formation vehicle.

3.1.1.  IGMP Support

  All of the ingress and egress interfaces MUST support a version of
  IGMP.  The IGMP version on the ingress interface MUST be the same
  version of IGMP that is being tested on the egress interfaces.

  Each of the ingress and egress interfaces SHOULD be able to respond
  to IGMP queries during the test.

  Each of the ingress and egress interfaces SHOULD also send LEAVE
  (running IGMP version 2 or later) [Ca02] [Fe97] after each test.

3.1.2.  Group Addresses

  There is no restriction to the use of multicast addresses [De89] to
  compose the test traffic other than those assignments imposed by
  IANA.  The IANA assignments for multicast addresses [IANA1] MUST be
  regarded for operational consistency.  Address selection does not
  need to be restricted to Administratively Scoped IP Multicast
  addresses [Me98].

3.1.3.  Frame Sizes

  Each test SHOULD be run with different multicast frame sizes.  For
  Ethernet, the recommended sizes are 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 1280,
  and 1518 byte frames.




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  Other link layer technologies MAY be used.  The minimum and maximum
  frame lengths of the link layer technology in use SHOULD be tested.

  When testing with different frame sizes, the DUT/SUT configuration
  MUST remain the same.

3.1.4.  TTL

  The data plane test traffic should have a TTL value large enough to
  traverse the DUT/SUT.

  The TTL in IGMP control plane messages MUST be in compliance with the
  version of IGMP in use.

3.1.5.  Trial Duration

  The duration of the test portion of each trial SHOULD be at least 30
  seconds.  This parameter MUST be included as part of the results
  reporting for each methodology.

4.  Forwarding and Throughput

  This section contains the description of the tests that are related
  to the characterization of the frame forwarding of a DUT/SUT in a
  multicast environment.  Some metrics extend the concept of throughput
  presented in RFC 1242.  Forwarding Rate is cited in RFC 2285 [Ma98].

4.1.  Mixed Class Throughput

  Objective:

  To determine the throughput of a DUT/SUT when both unicast class
  frames and multicast class frames are offered simultaneously to a
  fixed number of interfaces as defined in RFC 2432.

  Procedure:

  Multicast and unicast traffic are mixed together in the same
  aggregated traffic stream in order to simulate a heterogeneous
  networking environment.

  The following events MUST occur before offering test traffic:

     o  All destination test ports configured to receive multicast
        traffic MUST join all configured multicast groups;
     o  The DUT/SUT MUST learn the appropriate unicast and
        multicast addresses; and




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     o  Group membership and unicast address learning MUST be
        verified through some externally observable method.

  The intended load [Ma98] SHOULD be configured as alternating
  multicast class frames and unicast class frames to a single ingress
  interface.  The unicast class frames MUST be configured to transmit
  in an unweighted round-robin fashion to all of the destination ports.

  For example, with six multicast groups and 3 destination ports with
  one unicast addresses per port, the source test port will offer
  frames in the following order:

     m1  u1  m2  u2  m3  u3  m4  u1  m5  u2  m6  u3  m1 ...

     Where:

     m<Number> = Multicast Frame<Group>
     u<Number> = Unicast Frame<Target Port>

  Mixed class throughput measurement is defined in RFC 2432 [Du98].  A
  search algorithm MUST be utilized to determine the Mixed Class
  Throughput.  The ratio of unicast to multicast frames MUST remain the
  same when varying the intended load.

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  Traffic distribution for unicast and multicast traffic
        classes
     o  The ratio of multicast to unicast class traffic

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  Mixed Class Throughput as defined in RFC 2432 [Du98],
        including: Throughput per unicast and multicast traffic
        classes.








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  The Mixed Class Throughput results for each test SHOULD be reported
  in the form of a table with a row for each of the tested frame sizes
  per the recommendations in section 3.1.3.  Each row SHOULD specify
  the intended load, number of multicast frames offered, number of
  unicast frames offered and measured throughput per class.

4.2.  Scaled Group Forwarding Matrix

  Objective:

  To determine Forwarding Rate as a function of tested multicast groups
  for a fixed number of tested DUT/SUT ports.

  Procedure:

  This is an iterative procedure.  The destination test port(s) MUST
  join an initial number of multicast groups on the first iteration.
  All destination test ports configured to receive multicast traffic
  MUST join all configured multicast groups.  The recommended number of
  groups to join on the first iteration is 10 groups.  Multicast
  traffic is subsequently transmitted to all groups joined on this
  iteration and the forwarding rate is measured.

  The number of multicast groups joined by each destination test port
  is then incremented, or scaled, by an additional number of multicast
  groups.  The recommended granularity of additional groups to join per
  iteration is 10, although the tester MAY choose a finer granularity.
  Multicast traffic is subsequently transmitted to all groups joined
  during this iteration and the forwarding rate is measured.

  The total number of multicast groups joined MUST not exceed the
  multicast group capacity of the DUT/SUT.  The Group Capacity (Section
  7.1) results MUST be known prior to running this test.

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The total number of multicast groups joined for that
        iteration



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     o  Forwarding rate determined for that iteration

  The Scaled Group Forwarding results for each test SHOULD be reported
  in the form of a table with a row representing each iteration of the
  test.  Each row or iteration SHOULD specify the total number of
  groups joined for that iteration, offered load, total number of
  frames transmitted, total number of frames received and the aggregate
  forwarding rate determined for that iteration.

4.3.  Aggregated Multicast Throughput

  Objective:

  To determine the maximum rate at which none of the offered frames to
  be forwarded through N destination interfaces of the same multicast
  groups are dropped.

  Procedure:

  Offer multicast traffic at an initial maximum offered load to a fixed
  set of interfaces with a fixed number of groups at a fixed frame
  length for a fixed duration of time.  All destination test ports MUST
  join all specified multicast groups.

  If any frame loss is detected, the offered load is decreased and the
  sender will transmit again.  An iterative search algorithm MUST be
  utilized to determine the maximum offered frame rate with a zero
  frame loss.

  Each iteration will involve varying the offered load of the multicast
  traffic, while keeping the set of interfaces, number of multicast
  groups, frame length and test duration fixed, until the maximum rate
  at which none of the offered frames are dropped is determined.

  Parameters to be measured MUST include the maximum offered load at
  which no frame loss occurred.  Other offered loads MAY be measured
  for diagnostic purposes.

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups



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  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  Aggregated Multicast Throughput as defined in RFC 2432
        [Du98]

  The Aggregated Multicast Throughput results SHOULD be reported in the
  format of a table with a row for each of the tested frame sizes per
  the recommendations in section 3.1.3.  Each row or iteration SHOULD
  specify offered load, total number of offered frames and the measured
  Aggregated Multicast Throughput.

4.4.  Encapsulation/Decapsulation (Tunneling) Throughput

  This sub-section provides the description of tests related to the
  determination of throughput measurements when a DUT/SUT or a set of
  DUTs are acting as tunnel endpoints.

  For this specific testing scenario, encapsulation or tunneling refers
  to a packet that contains an unsupported protocol feature in a format
  that is supported by the DUT/SUT.

4.4.1.  Encapsulation Throughput

  Objective:

  To determine the maximum rate at which frames offered to one ingress
  interface of a DUT/SUT are encapsulated and correctly forwarded on
  one or more egress interfaces of the DUT/SUT without loss.

  Procedure:

    Source              DUT/SUT                Destination
   Test Port                                   Test Port(s)
  +---------+        +-----------+             +---------+
  |         |        |           |             |         |
  |         |        |     Egress|--(Tunnel)-->|         |
  |         |        |           |             |         |
  |         |------->|Ingress    |             |         |
  |         |        |           |             |         |
  |         |        |     Egress|--(Tunnel)-->|         |
  |         |        |           |             |         |
  +---------+        +-----------+             +---------+

                        Figure 3






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  Figure 3 shows the setup for testing the encapsulation throughput of
  the DUT/SUT.  One or more tunnels are created between each egress
  interface of the DUT/SUT and a destination test port.  Non-
  Encapsulated multicast traffic will then be offered by the source
  test port, encapsulated by the DUT/SUT and forwarded to the
  destination test port(s).

  The DUT/SUT SHOULD be configured such that the traffic across each
  egress interface will consist of either:

     a) A single tunnel encapsulating one or more multicast address
        groups OR
     b) Multiple tunnels, each encapsulating one or more multicast
        address groups.

  The number of multicast groups per tunnel MUST be the same when the
  DUT/SUT is configured in a multiple tunnel configuration.  In
  addition, it is RECOMMENDED to test with the same number of tunnels
  on each egress interface.  All destination test ports MUST join all
  multicast group addresses offered by the source test port.  Each
  egress interface MUST be configured with the same MTU.

  Note: when offering large frames sizes, the encapsulation process may
  require the DUT/SUT to fragment the IP datagrams prior to being
  forwarded on the egress interface.  It is RECOMMENDED to limit the
  offered frame size such that no fragmentation is required by the
  DUT/SUT.

  A search algorithm MUST be utilized to determine the encapsulation
  throughput as defined in [Du98].

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  MTU size of DUT/SUT interfaces
     o  Originating un-encapsulated frame size
     o  Number of tunnels per egress interface
     o  Number of multicast groups per tunnel
     o  Encapsulation algorithm or format used to tunnel the
        packets





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  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  Measured Encapsulated Throughput as defined in RFC 2432
        [Du98]
     o  Encapsulated frame size

  The Encapsulated Throughput results SHOULD be reported in the form of
  a table and specific to this test there SHOULD be rows for each
  originating un-encapsulated frame size.  Each row or iteration SHOULD
  specify the offered load, encapsulation method, encapsulated frame
  size, total number of offered frames, and the encapsulation
  throughput.

4.4.2.  Decapsulation Throughput

  Objective:

  To determine the maximum rate at which frames offered to one ingress
  interface of a DUT/SUT are decapsulated and correctly forwarded by
  the DUT/SUT on one or more egress interfaces without loss.

  Procedure:

    Source                  DUT/SUT            Destination
   Test Port                                   Test Port(s)
  +---------+             +-----------+        +---------+
  |         |             |           |        |         |
  |         |             |     Egress|------->|         |
  |         |             |           |        |         |
  |         |--(Tunnel)-->|Ingress    |        |         |
  |         |             |           |        |         |
  |         |             |     Egress|------->|         |
  |         |             |           |        |         |
  +---------+             +-----------+        +---------+

                            Figure 4

  Figure 4 shows the setup for testing the decapsulation throughput of
  the DUT/SUT.  One or more tunnels are created between the source test
  port and the DUT/SUT.  Encapsulated multicast traffic will then be
  offered by the source test port, decapsulated by the DUT/SUT and
  forwarded to the destination test port(s).









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  The DUT/SUT SHOULD be configured such that the traffic across the
  ingress interface will consist of either:

     a) A single tunnel encapsulating one or more multicast address
        groups OR
     b) Multiple tunnels, each encapsulating one or more multicast
        address groups.

  The number of multicast groups per tunnel MUST be the same when the
  DUT/SUT is configured in a multiple tunnel configuration.  All
  destination test ports MUST join all multicast group addresses
  offered by the source test port.  Each egress interface MUST be
  configured with the same MTU.

  A search algorithm MUST be utilized to determine the decapsulation
  throughput as defined in [Du98].

  When making performance comparisons between the encapsulation and
  decapsulation process of the DUT/SUT, the offered frame sizes SHOULD
  reflect the encapsulated frame sizes reported in the encapsulation
  test (See section 4.4.1) in place of those noted in section 3.1.3.

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  Originating encapsulation algorithm or format used to
        tunnel the packets
     o  Originating encapsulated frame size
     o  Number of tunnels
     o  Number of multicast groups per tunnel

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  Measured Decapsulated Throughput as defined in RFC 2432
        [Du98]
     o  Decapsulated frame size

  The Decapsulated Throughput results SHOULD be reported in the format
  of a table and specific to this test there SHOULD be rows for each
  originating encapsulated frame size.  Each row or iteration SHOULD
  specify the offered load, decapsulated frame size, total number of
  offered frames and the decapsulation throughput.



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4.4.3.  Re-encapsulation Throughput

  Objective:

  To determine the maximum rate at which frames of one encapsulated
  format offered to one ingress interface of a DUT/SUT are converted to
  another encapsulated format and correctly forwarded by the DUT/SUT on
  one or more egress interfaces without loss.

  Procedure:

    Source                DUT/SUT             Destination
   Test Port                                  Test Port(s)
  +---------+           +---------+           +---------+
  |         |           |         |           |         |
  |         |           |   Egress|-(Tunnel)->|         |
  |         |           |         |           |         |
  |         |-(Tunnel)->|Ingress  |           |         |
  |         |           |         |           |         |
  |         |           |   Egress|-(Tunnel)->|         |
  |         |           |         |           |         |
  +---------+           +---------+           +---------+

                         Figure 5

  Figure 5 shows the setup for testing the Re-encapsulation throughput
  of the DUT/SUT.  The source test port will offer encapsulated traffic
  of one type to the DUT/SUT, which has been configured to re-
  encapsulate the offered frames using a different encapsulation
  format.  The DUT/SUT will then forward the re-encapsulated frames to
  the destination test port(s).

  The DUT/SUT SHOULD be configured such that the traffic across the
  ingress and each egress interface will consist of either:

     a) A single tunnel encapsulating one or more multicast address
        groups OR
     b) Multiple tunnels, each encapsulating one or more multicast
        address groups.

  The number of multicast groups per tunnel MUST be the same when the
  DUT/SUT is configured in a multiple tunnel configuration.  In
  addition, the DUT/SUT SHOULD be configured such that the number of
  tunnels on the ingress and each egress interface are the same.  All
  destination test ports MUST join all multicast group addresses
  offered by the source test port.  Each egress interface MUST be
  configured with the same MTU.




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  Note that when offering large frames sizes, the encapsulation process
  may require the DUT/SUT to fragment the IP datagrams prior to being
  forwarded on the egress interface.  It is RECOMMENDED to limit the
  offered frame sizes, such that no fragmentation is required by the
  DUT/SUT.

  A search algorithm MUST be utilized to determine the re-encapsulation
  throughput as defined in [Du98].

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  MTU size of DUT/SUT interfaces
     o  Originating encapsulation algorithm or format used to
        tunnel the packets
     o  Re-encapsulation algorithm or format used to tunnel the
        packets
     o  Originating encapsulated frame size
     o  Number of tunnels per interface
     o  Number of multicast groups per tunnel

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  Measured Re-encapsulated Throughput as defined in RFC 2432
        [Du98]
     o  Re-encapsulated frame size

  The Re-encapsulated Throughput results SHOULD be reported in the
  format of a table and specific to this test there SHOULD be rows for
  each originating encapsulated frame size.  Each row or iteration
  SHOULD specify the offered load, Re-encapsulated frame size, total
  number of offered frames, and the Re-encapsulated Throughput.

5.  Forwarding Latency

  This section presents methodologies relating to the characterization
  of the forwarding latency of a DUT/SUT in a multicast environment.
  It extends the concept of latency characterization presented in RFC
  2544.






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  The offered load accompanying the latency-measured packet can affect
  the DUT/SUT packet buffering, which may subsequently impact measured
  packet latency.  This SHOULD be a consideration when selecting the
  intended load for the described methodologies below.

  RFC 1242 and RFC 2544 draw a distinction between device types: "store
  and forward" and "bit-forwarding."  Each type impacts how latency is
  collected and subsequently presented.  See the related RFCs for more
  information.

5.1.  Multicast Latency

  Objective:

  To produce a set of multicast latency measurements from a single,
  multicast ingress interface of a DUT/SUT through multiple, egress
  multicast interfaces of that same DUT/SUT as provided for by the
  metric "Multicast Latency" in RFC 2432 [Du98].

  The procedures below draw from the collection methodology for latency
  in RFC 2544 [Br96].  The methodology addresses two topological
  scenarios: one for a single device (DUT) characterization; a second
  scenario is presented or multiple device (SUT) characterization.

  Procedure:

  If the test trial is to characterize latency across a single Device
  Under Test (DUT), an example test topology might take the form of
  Figure 1 in section 3.  That is, a single DUT with one ingress
  interface receiving the multicast test traffic from frame-
  transmitting component of the test apparatus and n egress interfaces
  on the same DUT forwarding the multicast test traffic back to the
  frame-receiving component of the test apparatus.  Note that n
  reflects the number of TESTED egress interfaces on the DUT actually
  expected to forward the test traffic (as opposed to configured but
  untested, non-forwarding interfaces, for example).

  If the multicast latencies are to be taken across multiple devices
  forming a System Under Test (SUT), an example test topology might
  take the form of Figure 2 in section 3.

  The trial duration SHOULD be 120 seconds to be consistent with RFC
  2544 [Br96].  The nature of the latency measurement, "store and
  forward" or "bit forwarding", MUST be associated with the related
  test trial(s) and disclosed in the results report.






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  A test traffic stream is presented to the DUT.  It is RECOMMENDED to
  offer traffic at the measured aggregated multicast throughput rate
  (Section 4.3).  At the mid-point of the trial's duration, the test
  apparatus MUST inject a uniquely identifiable ("tagged") frame into
  the test traffic frames being presented.  This tagged frame will be
  the basis for the latency measurements.  By "uniquely identifiable",
  it is meant that the test apparatus MUST be able to discern the
  "tagged" frame from the other frames comprising the test traffic set.
  A frame generation timestamp, Timestamp A, reflecting the completion
  of the transmission of the tagged frame by the test apparatus, MUST
  be determined.

  The test apparatus will monitor frames from the DUT's tested egress
  interface(s) for the expected tagged frame(s) and MUST record the
  time of the successful detection of a tagged frame from a tested
  egress interface with a timestamp, Timestamp B.  A set of Timestamp B
  values MUST be collected for all tested egress interfaces of the
  DUT/SUT.  See RFC 1242 [Br91] for additional discussion regarding
  store and forward devices and bit forwarding devices.

  A trial MUST be considered INVALID should any of the following
  conditions occur in the collection of the trial data:

     o  Unexpected differences between Intended Load and Offered
        Load or unexpected differences between Offered Load and the
        resulting Forwarding Rate(s) on the DUT/SUT egress ports.
     o  Forwarded test frames improperly formed or frame header
        fields improperly manipulated.
     o  Failure to forward required tagged frame(s) on all expected
        egress interfaces.
     o  Reception of tagged frames by the test apparatus more than
        5 seconds after the cessation of test traffic by the source
        test port.

  The set of latency measurements, M, composed from each latency
  measurement taken from every ingress/tested egress interface pairing
  MUST be determined from a valid test trial:

     M = { (Timestamp B(E0) - Timestamp A),
           (Timestamp B(E1) - Timestamp A), ...
           (Timestamp B(En) - Timestamp A) }

  where (E0 ... En) represents the range of all tested egress
  interfaces and Timestamp B represents a tagged frame detection event
  for a given DUT/SUT tested egress interface.

  A more continuous profile MAY be built from a series of individual
  measurements.



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  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Offered load
     o  Total number of multicast groups

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The set of all latencies with respective time units related
        to the tested ingress and each tested egress DUT/SUT
        interface.

  The time units of the presented latency MUST be uniform and with
  sufficient precision for the medium or media being tested.

  The results MAY be offered in a tabular format and should preserve
  the relationship of latency to ingress/egress interface for each
  multicast group to assist in trending across multiple trials.

5.2.  Min/Max Multicast Latency

  Objective:

  To determine the difference between the maximum latency measurement
  and the minimum latency measurement from a collected set of latencies
  produced by the Multicast Latency benchmark.

  Procedure:

  Collect a set of multicast latency measurements over a single test
  duration, as prescribed in section 5.1.  This will produce a set of
  multicast latencies, M, where M is composed of individual forwarding
  latencies between DUT frame ingress and DUT frame egress port pairs.
  E.g.:

     M = {L(I,E1),L(I,E2), ..., L(I,En)}

  where L is the latency between a tested ingress interface, I, of the
  DUT, and Ex a specific, tested multicast egress interface of the DUT.
  E1 through En are unique egress interfaces on the DUT.





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  From the collected multicast latency measurements in set M, identify
  MAX(M), where MAX is a function that yields the largest latency value
  from set M.

  Identify MIN(M), when MIN is a function that yields the smallest
  latency value from set M.

  The Max/Min value is determined from the following formula:

     Result = MAX(M) - MIN(M)

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Offered load
     o  Total number of multicast groups

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The Max/Min value

  The following results SHOULD be reflected in the test report:

     o  The set of all latencies with respective time units related
        to the tested ingress and each tested egress DUT/SUT
        interface.

  The time units of the presented latency MUST be uniform and with
  sufficient precision for the medium or media being tested.

  The results MAY be offered in a tabular format and should preserve
  the relationship of latency to ingress/egress interface for each
  multicast group.

6.  Overhead

  This section presents methodology relating to the characterization of
  the overhead delays associated with explicit operations found in
  multicast environments.






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6.1.  Group Join Delay

  Objective:

  To determine the time duration it takes a DUT/SUT to start forwarding
  multicast frames from the time a successful IGMP group membership
  report has been issued to the DUT/SUT.

  Procedure:

  The Multicast Group Join Delay measurement may be influenced by the
  state of the Multicast Forwarding Database <MFDB> of the DUT/SUT. The
  states of the MFDB may be described as follows:

     o  State 0, where the MFDB does not contain the specified
        multicast group address.  In this state, the delay measurement
        includes the time the DUT/SUT requires to add the address to
        the MFDB and begin forwarding.   Delay measured from State 0
        provides information about how the DUT/SUT is able to add new
        addresses into MFDB.

     o  State 1, where the MFDB does contain the specified multicast
        group address.  In this state, the delay measurement includes
        the time the DUT/SUT requires to update the MFDB with the
        newly joined node<s> and begin forwarding to the new node<s>
        plus packet replication time.  Delay measured from State 1
        provides information about how well the DUT/SUT is able to
        update the MFDB for new nodes while transmitting packets to
        other nodes for the same IP multicast address.  Examples
        include adding a new user to an event that is being promoted
        via multicast packets.

  The methodology for the Multicast Group Join Delay measurement
  provides two alternate methods, based on the state of the MFDB, to
  measure the delay metric.  The methods MAY be used independently or
  in conjunction to provide meaningful insight into the DUT/SUT ability
  to manage the MFDB.

  Users MAY elect to use either method to determine the Multicast Group
  Join Delay; however the collection method MUST be specified as part
  of the reporting format.

  In order to minimize the variation in delay calculations as well as
  minimize burden on the DUT/SUT, the test SHOULD be performed with one
  multicast group.  In addition, all destination test ports MUST join
  the specified multicast group offered to the ingress interface of the
  DUT/SUT.




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  Method A:

  Method A assumes that the Multicast Forwarding Database <MFDB> of the
  DUT/SUT does not contain or has not learned the specified multicast
  group address; specifically, the MFDB MUST be in State 0. In this
  scenario, the metric represents the time the DUT/SUT takes to add the
  multicast address to the MFDB and begin forwarding the multicast
  packet.  Only one ingress and one egress MUST be used to determine
  this metric.

  Prior to sending any IGMP Group Membership Reports used to calculate
  the Multicast Group Join Delay, it MUST be verified through
  externally observable means that the destination test port is not
  currently a member of the specified multicast group.  In addition, it
  MUST be verified through externally observable means that the MFDB of
  the DUT/SUT does not contain the specified multicast address.

  Method B:

  Method B assumes that the MFDB of the DUT/SUT does contain the
  specified multicast group address; specifically, the MFDB MUST be in
  State 1.  In this scenario, the metric represents the time the
  DUT/SUT takes to update the MFDB with the additional nodes and their
  corresponding interfaces and to begin forwarding the multicast
  packet.  One or more egress ports MAY be used to determine this
  metric.

  Prior to sending any IGMP Group Membership Reports used to calculate
  the Group Join Delay, it MUST be verified through externally
  observable means that the MFDB contains the specified multicast group
  address.  A single un-instrumented test port MUST be used to join the
  specified multicast group address prior to sending any test traffic.
  This port will be used only for insuring that the MFDB has been
  populated with the specified multicast group address and can
  successfully forward traffic to the un-instrumented port.

  Join Delay Calculation

  Once verification is complete, multicast traffic for the specified
  multicast group address MUST be offered to the ingress interface
  prior to the DUT/SUT receiving any IGMP Group Membership Report
  messages.  It is RECOMMENDED to offer traffic at the measured
  aggregated multicast throughput rate (Section 4.3).

  After the multicast traffic has been started, the destination test
  port (See Figure 1) MUST send one IGMP Group Membership Report for
  the specified multicast group.




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RFC 3918       Methodology for IP Multicast Benchmarking   October 2004


  The join delay is the difference in time from when the IGMP Group
  Membership message is sent (timestamp A) and the first frame of the
  multicast group is forwarded to a receiving egress interface
  (timestamp B).

     Group Join delay time = timestamp B - timestamp A

  Timestamp A MUST be the time the last bit of the IGMP group
  membership report is sent from the destination test port; timestamp B
  MUST be the time the first bit of the first valid multicast frame is
  forwarded on the egress interface of the DUT/SUT.

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  Offered load to ingress interface
     o  Method used to measure the join delay metric

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The group join delay time in microseconds per egress
        interface(s)

  The Group Join Delay results for each test MAY be reported in the
  form of a table, with a row for each of the tested frame sizes per
  the recommendations in section 3.1.3.  Each row or iteration MAY
  specify the group join delay time per egress interface for that
  iteration.

6.2.  Group Leave Delay

  Objective:

  To determine the time duration it takes a DUT/SUT to cease forwarding
  multicast frames after a corresponding IGMP Leave Group message has
  been successfully offered to the DUT/SUT.









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  Procedure:

  In order to minimize the variation in delay calculations as well as
  minimize burden on the DUT/SUT, the test SHOULD be performed with one
  multicast group.  In addition, all destination test ports MUST join
  the specified multicast group offered to the ingress interface of the
  DUT/SUT.

  Prior to sending any IGMP Leave Group messages used to calculate the
  group leave delay, it MUST be verified through externally observable
  means that the destination test ports are currently members of the
  specified multicast group.  If any of the egress interfaces do not
  forward validation multicast frames then the test is invalid.

  Once verification is complete, multicast traffic for the specified
  multicast group address MUST be offered to the ingress interface
  prior to receipt or processing of any IGMP Leave Group messages. It
  is RECOMMENDED to offer traffic at the measured aggregated multicast
  throughput rate (Section 4.3).

  After the multicast traffic has been started, each destination test
  port (See Figure 1) MUST send one IGMP Leave Group message for the
  specified multicast group.

  The leave delay is the difference in time from when the IGMP Leave
  Group message is sent (timestamp A) and the last frame of the
  multicast group is forwarded to a receiving egress interface
  (timestamp B).

          Group Leave delay time = timestamp B - timestamp A

  Timestamp A MUST be the time the last bit of the IGMP Leave Group
  message is sent from the destination test port; timestamp B MUST be
  the time the last bit of the last valid multicast frame is forwarded
  on the egress interface of the DUT/SUT.

  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  IGMP version
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  Offered load to ingress interface





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  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The group leave delay time in microseconds per egress
        interface(s)

  The Group Leave Delay results for each test MAY be reported in the
  form of a table, with a row for each of the tested frame sizes per
  the recommendations in section 3.1.3.  Each row or iteration MAY
  specify the group leave delay time per egress interface for that
  iteration.

7.  Capacity

  This section offers a procedure relating to the identification of
  multicast group limits of a DUT/SUT.

7.1.  Multicast Group Capacity

  Objective:

  To determine the maximum number of multicast groups a DUT/SUT can
  support while maintaining the ability to forward multicast frames to
  all multicast groups registered to that DUT/SUT.

  Procedure:

  One or more destination test ports of DUT/SUT will join an initial
  number of multicast groups.

  After a minimum delay as measured by section 6.1, the source test
  ports MUST transmit to each group at a specified offered load.

  If at least one frame for each multicast group is forwarded properly
  by the DUT/SUT on each participating egress interface, the iteration
  is said to pass at the current capacity.

  For each successful iteration, each destination test port will join
  an additional user-defined number of multicast groups and the test
  repeats.  The test stops iterating when one or more of the egress
  interfaces fails to forward traffic on one or more of the configured
  multicast groups.

  Once the iteration fails, the last successful iteration is the stated
  Maximum Group Capacity result.







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  Reporting Format:

  The following configuration parameters MUST be reflected in the test
  report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  IGMP version
     o  Offered load

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The total number of multicast group addresses that were
        successfully forwarded through the DUT/SUT

  The Multicast Group Capacity results for each test SHOULD be reported
  in the form of a table, with a row for each of the tested frame sizes
  per the recommendations in section 3.1.3.  Each row or iteration
  SHOULD specify the number of multicast groups joined per destination
  interface, number of frames transmitted and number of frames received
  for that iteration.

8.  Interaction

  Network forwarding devices are generally required to provide more
  functionality than just the forwarding of traffic.  Moreover,
  network-forwarding devices may be asked to provide those functions in
  a variety of environments.  This section offers procedures to assist
  in the characterization of DUT/SUT behavior in consideration of
  potentially interacting factors.

8.1.  Forwarding Burdened Multicast Latency

  Objective:

  To produce a set of multicast latency measurements from a single
  multicast ingress interface of a DUT/SUT through multiple egress
  multicast interfaces of that same DUT/SUT as provided for by the
  metric "Multicast Latency" in RFC 2432 [Du98] while forwarding meshed
  unicast traffic.

  Procedure:

  The Multicast Latency metrics can be influenced by forcing the
  DUT/SUT to perform extra processing of packets while multicast class
  traffic is being forwarded for latency measurements.





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  The Burdened Forwarding Multicast Latency test MUST follow the
  described setup for the Multicast Latency test in Section 5.1.  In
  addition, another set of test ports MUST be used to burden the
  DUT/SUT (burdening ports).  The burdening ports will be used to
  transmit unicast class traffic to the DUT/SUT in a fully meshed
  traffic distribution as described in RFC 2285 [Ma98].  The DUT/SUT
  MUST learn the appropriate unicast addresses and verified through
  some externally observable method.

  Perform a baseline measurement of Multicast Latency as described in
  Section 5.1.  After the baseline measurement is obtained, start
  transmitting the unicast class traffic at a user-specified offered
  load on the set of burdening ports and rerun the Multicast Latency
  test.  The offered load to the ingress port MUST be the same as was
  used in the baseline measurement.

  Reporting Format:

  Similar to Section 5.1, the following configuration parameters MUST
  be reflected in the test report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  Test duration
     o  IGMP version
     o  Offered load to ingress interface
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  Offered load to burdening ports
     o  Total number of burdening ports

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The set of all latencies related to the tested ingress and
        each tested egress DUT/SUT interface for both the baseline
        and burdened response.

  The time units of the presented latency MUST be uniform and with
  sufficient precision for the medium or media being tested.

  The latency results for each test SHOULD be reported in the form of a
  table, with a row for each of the tested frame sizes per the
  recommended frame sizes in section 3.1.3, and SHOULD preserve the
  relationship of latency to ingress/egress interface(s) to assist in
  trending across multiple trials.







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8.2.  Forwarding Burdened Group Join Delay

  Objective:

  To determine the time duration it takes a DUT/SUT to start forwarding
  multicast frames from the time a successful IGMP Group Membership
  Report has been issued to the DUT/SUT while forwarding meshed unicast
  traffic.

  Procedure:

  The Forwarding Burdened Group Join Delay test MUST follow the
  described setup for the Group Join Delay test in Section 6.1.  In
  addition, another set of test ports MUST be used to burden the
  DUT/SUT (burdening ports).  The burdening ports will be used to
  transmit unicast class traffic to the DUT/SUT in a fully meshed
  traffic pattern as described in RFC 2285 [Ma98].  The DUT/SUT MUST
  learn the appropriate unicast addresses and verified through some
  externally observable method.

  Perform a baseline measurement of Group Join Delay as described in
  Section 6.1.  After the baseline measurement is obtained, start
  transmitting the unicast class traffic at a user-specified offered
  load on the set of burdening ports and rerun the Group Join Delay
  test.  The offered load to the ingress port MUST be the same as was
  used in the baseline measurement.

  Reporting Format:

  Similar to Section 6.1, the following configuration parameters MUST
  be reflected in the test report:

     o  Frame size(s)
     o  Number of tested egress interfaces on the DUT/SUT
     o  IGMP version
     o  Offered load to ingress interface
     o  Total number of multicast groups
     o  Offered load to burdening ports
     o  Total number of burdening ports
     o  Method used to measure the join delay metric

  The following results MUST be reflected in the test report:

     o  The group join delay time in microseconds per egress
        interface(s) for both the baseline and burdened response.






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  The Group Join Delay results for each test MAY be reported in the
  form of a table, with a row for each of the tested frame sizes per
  the recommendations in section 3.1.3.  Each row or iteration MAY
  specify the group join delay time per egress interface, number of
  frames transmitted and number of frames received for that iteration.

9.  Security Considerations

  As this document is solely for the purpose of providing metric
  methodology and describes neither a protocol nor a protocol's
  implementation, there are no security considerations associated with
  this document specifically.  Results from these methodologies may
  identify a performance capability or limit of a device or system in a
  particular test context.  However, such results might not be
  representative of the tested entity in an operational network.

10.  Acknowledgements

  The Benchmarking Methodology Working Group of the IETF and
  particularly Kevin Dubray, Juniper Networks, are to be thanked for
  the many suggestions they collectively made to help complete this
  document.

11.  Contributions

  The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals for
  their help and participation of the compilation of this document:
  Hardev Soor, Ixia, and Ralph Daniels, Spirent Communications, both
  who made significant contributions to the earlier versions of this
  document.  In addition, the authors would like to acknowledge the
  members of the task team who helped bring this document to fruition:
  Michele Bustos, Tony De La Rosa, David Newman and Jerry Perser.

12.  References

12.1.  Normative References

  [Br91]   Bradner, S., "Benchmarking Terminology for Network
           Interconnection Devices", RFC 1242, July 1991.

  [Br96]   Bradner, S. and J. McQuaid, "Benchmarking Methodology for
           Network Interconnect Devices", RFC 2544, March 1999.

  [Br97]   Bradner, S. "Use of Keywords in RFCs to Reflect Requirement
           Levels, RFC 2119, March 1997.

  [Du98]   Dubray, K., "Terminology for IP Multicast Benchmarking", RFC
           2432, October 1998.



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RFC 3918       Methodology for IP Multicast Benchmarking   October 2004


  [IANA1]  IANA multicast address assignments,
           http://www.iana.org/assignments/multicast-addresses

  [Ma98]   Mandeville, R., "Benchmarking Terminology for LAN Switching
           Devices", RFC 2285, February 1998.

  [Me98]   Meyer, D., "Administratively Scoped IP Multicast", BCP 23,
           RFC 2365, July 1998.

12.2.  Informative References

  [Ca02]   Cain, B., Deering, S., Kouvelas, I., Fenner, B., and A.
           Thyagarajan, "Internet Group Management Protocol, Version
           3", RFC 3376, October 2002.

  [De89]   Deering, S., "Host Extensions for IP Multicasting", STD 5,
           RFC 1112, August 1989.

  [Fe97]   Fenner, W., "Internet Group Management Protocol, Version 2",
           RFC 2236, November 1997.

  [Hu95]   Huitema, C., "Routing in the Internet", Prentice-Hall, 1995.

  [Ka98]   Kosiur, D., "IP Multicasting: the Complete Guide to
           Interactive Corporate Networks", John Wiley & Sons Inc.,
           1998.

  [Mt98]   Maufer, T., "Deploying IP Multicast in the Enterprise",
           Prentice-Hall, 1998.






















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13.  Authors' Addresses

  Debra Stopp
  Ixia
  26601 W. Agoura Rd.
  Calabasas, CA  91302
  USA

  Phone: + 1 818 871 1800
  EMail: [email protected]


  Brooks Hickman
  Spirent Communications
  26750 Agoura Rd.
  Calabasas, CA  91302
  USA

  Phone: + 1 818 676 2412
  EMail: [email protected]































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14.  Full Copyright Statement

  Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).

  This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
  contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
  retain all their rights.

  This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
  "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/S HE
  REPRESENTS OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE
  INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
  IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF
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  WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

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Acknowledgement

  Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
  Internet Society.







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