Network Working Group                                           S. Floyd
Request for Comments: 4774                                          ICIR
BCP: 124                                                   November 2006
Category: Best Current Practice


                 Specifying Alternate Semantics for
           the Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) Field

Status of This Memo

  This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
  Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
  improvements.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

  Copyright (C) The IETF Trust (2006).

Abstract

  There have been a number of proposals for alternate semantics for the
  Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) field in the IP header RFC
  3168.  This document discusses some of the issues in defining
  alternate semantics for the ECN field, and specifies requirements for
  a safe coexistence in an Internet that could include routers that do
  not understand the defined alternate semantics.  This document
  evolved as a result of discussions with the authors of one recent
  proposal for such alternate semantics.






















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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction ....................................................2
  2. An Overview of the Issues .......................................3
  3. Signalling the Use of Alternate ECN Semantics ...................4
     3.1. Using the Diffserv Field for Signalling ....................5
  4. Issues of Incremental Deployment ................................6
     4.1. Option 1:  Unsafe for Deployment in the Internet ...........7
     4.2. Option 2:  Verification that Routers Understand the
          Alternate ..................................................8
     4.3. Option 3:  Friendly Coexistence with Competing Traffic .....8
  5. Evaluation of the Alternate ECN Semantics ......................10
     5.1. Verification of Feedback from the Router ..................10
     5.2. Coexistence with Competing Traffic ........................11
     5.3. Proposals for Alternate ECN with Edge-to-Edge Semantics ...12
     5.4. Encapsulated Packets ......................................12
     5.5. A General Evaluation of the Alternate ECN Semantics .......12
  6. Security Considerations ........................................12
  7. Conclusions ....................................................13
  8. Acknowledgements ...............................................13
  9. Normative References ...........................................13
  10. Informative References ........................................13

1.  Introduction

  [RFC3168], a Proposed Standard document, defines the ECN field in the
  IP header, and specifies the semantics for the codepoints for the ECN
  field.  However, end nodes could specify the use of alternate
  semantics for the ECN field, e.g., using codepoints in the diffserv
  field of the IP header.

  There have been a number of proposals in the IETF and in the research
  community for alternate semantics for the ECN codepoint.  One such
  proposal, [BCF05], proposes alternate ECN semantics for real-time
  inelastic traffic such as voice, video conferencing, and multimedia
  streaming in DiffServ networks.  In this proposal, the alternate ECN
  semantics would provide information about two levels of congestion
  experienced along the path [BCF05].  Another research proposal,
  [XSSK05], proposes a low-complexity protocol, Variable-structure
  congestion Control Protocol (VCP), that uses the two bits in the ECN
  field to indicate low-load, high-load, and overload (congestion),
  where transport protocols can increase more rapidly during the low-
  load regime.  Some of the proposals for alternate ECN semantics are
  for when ECN is used in an edge-to-edge context between gateways at
  the edge of a network region, e.g., for pre-congestion notification
  for admissions control [BESFC06].  Other proposals for alternate ECN
  semantics are listed on the ECN Web Page [ECN].




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  The definition of multiple semantics for the ECN field could have
  significant implications on both host and router implementations.
  There is a huge base of installed hosts and routers in the Internet,
  and in other IP networks, and updating these is an enormous and
  potentially expensive undertaking.  Some existing devices might be
  able to support the new ECN semantics with only a software upgrade
  and without significant degradation in performance.  Some other
  equipment might be able to support the new semantics, but with a
  degradation in performance -- which could range from trivial to
  catastrophic.  Some other deployed equipment might be able to support
  the new ECN semantics only with a hardware upgrade, which, in some
  cases, could be prohibitively expensive to deploy on a very wide
  scale.  For these reasons, it would be difficult and would take a
  significant amount of time to universally deploy any new ECN
  semantics.  In particular, routers can be difficult to upgrade, since
  small routers sometimes are not updated frequently, and large routers
  commonly have specialized forwarding paths to facilitate high
  performance.

  This document describes some of the technical issues that arise in
  specifying alternate semantics for the ECN field, and gives
  requirements for a safe coexistence in a world using the default ECN
  semantics (or using no ECN at all).

2.  An Overview of the Issues

  In this section, we discuss some of the issues that arise if some of
  the traffic in a network consists of alternate-ECN traffic (i.e.,
  traffic using alternate semantics for the ECN field).  The issues
  include the following: (1) how routers know which ECN semantics to
  use with which packets; (2) incremental deployment in a network where
  some routers use only the default ECN semantics or do not use ECN at
  all; (3) coexistence of alternate-ECN traffic with competing traffic
  on the path; and (4) a general evaluation of the alternate ECN
  semantics.

  (1) The first issue concerns how routers know which ECN semantics to
      use with which packets in the network:

      How does the connection indicate to the router that its packets
      are using alternate ECN semantics?  Is the specification of
      alternate-ECN semantics robust and unambiguous?  If not, is this
      a problem?

      As an example, in most of the proposals for alternate ECN
      semantics, a diffserv field is used to specify the use of
      alternate ECN semantics.  Do all routers that understand this
      diffserv codepoint understand that it uses alternate ECN



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      semantics, or not?  Diffserv allows routers to re-mark DiffServ
      Code Point (DSCP) values within the network; what is the effect
      of this on the alternate ECN semantics?

      This is discussed in more detail in Section 3 below.

  (2) A second issue is that of incremental deployment in a network
      where some routers only use the default ECN semantics, and other
      routers might not use ECN at all.  In this document, we use the
      phrase "new routers" to refer to the routers that understand the
      alternate ECN semantics, and "old routers" to refer to routers
      that don't understand or aren't willing to use the alternate ECN
      semantics.

      The possible existence of old routers raises the following
      question:  How does the possible presence of old routers affect
      the performance of the alternate-ECN connections?

  (3) The possible existence of old routers also raises the question of
      how the presence of old routers affects the coexistence of the
      alternate-ECN traffic with competing traffic on the path.

      Issues (2) and (3) are discussed in Section 4 below.

  (4) A final issue is that of the general evaluation of the alternate
      ECN semantics:

      How well does the alternate-ECN traffic perform, and how well
      does it coexist with competing traffic on the path, in a "clean"
      environment with new routers and with the unambiguous
      specification of the use of alternate ECN semantics?

      These issues are discussed in Section 5.

3.  Signalling the Use of Alternate ECN Semantics

  This section discusses question (1) from Section 2:

  (1) How does the connection indicate to the router that its packets
      are using alternate ECN semantics?  Is the specification of
      alternate ECN semantics robust and unambiguous?  If not, is this
      a problem?

  The assumption of this document is that when alternate semantics are
  defined for the ECN field, a codepoint in the diffserv field is used
  to signal the use of these alternate ECN semantics to the router.
  That is, the end host sets the codepoint in the diffserv field to
  indicate to routers that alternate semantics to the ECN field are



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  being used.  Routers that understand this diffserv codepoint would
  know to use the alternate semantics for interpreting and setting the
  ECN field.  Old ECN-capable routers that do not understand this
  diffserv codepoint would use the default ECN semantics in
  interpreting and setting the ECN field.

  In general, the diffserv codepoints are used to signal the per-hop
  behavior at router queues.  One possibility would be to use one
  diffserv codepoint to signal a per-hop behavior with the default ECN
  semantics, and a separate diffserv codepoint to signal a similar
  per-hop behavior with the alternate ECN semantics.  Another
  possibility would be to use a diffserv codepoint to signal the use of
  best-effort per-hop queueing and scheduling behavior, but with
  alternate ECN semantics.  A detailed discussion of these issues is
  beyond the scope of this document.

  We note that this discussion does not exclude the possibility of
  using other methods, including out-of-band mechanisms, for signalling
  the use of alternate semantics for the ECN field.  The considerations
  in the rest of this document apply regardless of the method used to
  signal the use of alternate semantics for the ECN field.

3.1.  Using the Diffserv Field for Signalling

  We note that the default ECN semantics defined in RFC 3168 are the
  current default semantics for the ECN field, regardless of the
  contents of any other fields in the IP header.  In particular, the
  default ECN semantics apply for more than best-effort traffic with a
  codepoint of '000000' for the diffserv field - the default ECN
  semantics currently apply regardless of the contents of the diffserv
  field.

  There are two ways to use the diffserv field to signal the use of
  alternate ECN semantics.  One way is to use an existing diffserv
  codepoint, and to modify the current definition of that codepoint,
  through approved IETF processes, to specify the use of alternate ECN
  semantics with that codepoint.  A second way is to define a new
  diffserv codepoint, and to specify the use of alternate ECN semantics
  with that codepoint.  We note that the first of these two mechanisms
  raises the possibility that some routers along the path will
  understand the diffserv codepoint but will use the default ECN
  semantics with this diffserv codepoint, or won't use ECN at all, and
  that other routers will use the alternate ECN semantics with this
  diffserv codepoint.







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4.  Issues of Incremental Deployment

  This section discusses questions (2) and (3) posed in Section 2:

  (2) How does the possible presence of old routers affect the
      performance of the alternate-ECN connections?

  (3) How does the possible presence of old routers affect the
      coexistence of the alternate-ECN traffic with competing traffic
      on the path?

  When alternate semantics are defined for the ECN field, it is
  necessary to ensure that there are no problems caused by old routers
  along the path that don't understand the alternate ECN semantics.

  One possible problem is that of poor performance for the alternate-
  ECN traffic.  Is it essential to the performance of the alternate-ECN
  traffic that all routers along the path understand the alternate ECN
  semantics?  If not, what are the possible consequences, for the
  alternate-ECN traffic itself, when some old routers along the path
  don't understand the alternate ECN semantics?  These issues have to
  be answered in the context of each specific proposal for alternate
  ECN semantics.

  A second specific problem is that of possible unfair competition with
  other traffic along the path.  If there is an old router along the
  path that doesn't use ECN, that old router could drop packets from
  the alternate-ECN traffic, and expect the alternate-ECN traffic to
  reduce its sending rate as a result.  Does the alternate-ECN traffic
  respond to packet drops as an indication of congestion?

                                 |--------|
    Alternate-ECN traffic ---->  |        | ---> CE-marked packet
                                 |  Old   |
    Non-ECN traffic ---------->  | Router | ---> dropped packet
                                 |        |
    RFC-3168 ECN traffic ----->  |        | ---> CE-marked packet
                                 |--------|

   Figure 1: Alternate-ECN traffic, an old router, using RFC-3168 ECN,
    that is congested and ready to drop or mark the arriving packet.

  Similarly, what if there is an old router along the path that
  understands only the default ECN semantics from RFC 3168, as in
  Figure 1 above?  In times of congestion, the old default-ECN router
  could see an alternate-ECN packet with one of the ECN-Capable
  Transport (ECT) codepoints set in the ECN field in the IP header, as
  defined in RFC 3168, and set the Congestion Experienced (CE)



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  codepoint in the ECN field as an alternative to dropping the packet.
  The router in this case would expect the alternate-ECN connection to
  respond, in terms of congestion control, as it would if the packet
  has been dropped.  If the alternate-ECN traffic fails to respond
  appropriately to the CE codepoint being set by an old router, this
  could increase the aggregate traffic arriving at the old router,
  resulting in an increase in the packet-marking and packet-dropping
  rates at that router, further resulting in the alternate-ECN traffic
  crowding out the other traffic competing for bandwidth on that link.

  Basically, there are three possibilities for avoiding scenarios where
  the presence of old routers along the path results in the alternate-
  ECN traffic competing unfairly with other traffic along the path:

  Option 1:  Alternate-ECN traffic is clearly understood as unsafe for
  deployment in the global Internet; or

  Option 2:  All alternate-ECN traffic deploys some mechanism for
  verifying that all routers on the path understand and agree to use
  the alternate ECN semantics for this traffic; or

  Option 3:  The alternate ECN semantics are defined in such a way as
  to ensure the fair and peaceful coexistence of the alternate-ECN
  traffic with best-effort and other traffic, even in environments that
  include old routers that do not understand the alternate ECN
  semantics.

  Each of these alternatives is explored in more detail below.

4.1.  Option 1:  Unsafe for Deployment in the Internet

  The first option specified above is for the alternate-ECN traffic to
  be clearly understood as only suitable for enclosed environments, and
  as unsafe for deployment in the global Internet.  Specifically, this
  would mean that it would be unsafe for packets using the alternate
  ECN semantics to be unleashed in the global Internet.  This
  restriction would prevent the alternate-ECN traffic from traversing
  an old router outside of the enclosed environment that didn't
  understand the alternate semantics.  This document doesn't comment on
  whether a mechanism would be required to ensure that the alternate
  ECN semantics would not be let loose on the global Internet.  This
  document also doesn't comment on the chances that this scenario would
  be considered acceptable for standardization by the IETF community.








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4.2.  Option 2:  Verification that Routers Understand the Alternate
     Semantics

  The second option specified above is for the alternate-ECN traffic to
  include a mechanism for ensuring that all routers along the path
  understand and agree to the use of the alternate ECN semantics for
  this traffic.  As an example, such a mechanism could consist of a
  field in an IP option that all routers along the path decrement if
  they agree to use the alternate ECN semantics with this traffic.  (A
  similar mechanism is proposed for Quick-Start, for verifying that all
  of the routers along the path understand the Quick-Start IP Option
  [QuickStart].)  Using such a mechanism, a sender could have
  reasonable assurance that the packets that are sent specifying the
  use of alternate ECN semantics only traverse routers that, in fact,
  understand and agree to use these alternate semantics for these
  packets.  Note, however, that most existing routers are optimized for
  IP packets with no options, or with only some very well-known and
  simple IP options.  Thus, the definition and use of any new IP option
  may have a serious detrimental effect on the performance of many
  existing IP routers.

  Such a mechanism should be robust in the presence of paths with
  multi-path routing, and in the presence of routing or configuration
  changes along the path while the connection is in use.  In
  particular, if this option is used, connections could include some
  form of monitoring for changes in path behavior and/or periodic
  monitoring that all routers along the path continue to understand the
  alternate ECN semantics.

4.3.  Option 3:  Friendly Coexistence with Competing Traffic

  The third option specified above is for the alternate ECN semantics
  to be defined so that traffic using the alternate semantics would
  coexist safely in the Internet on a path with one or more old routers
  that use only the default ECN semantics.  In this scenario, a
  connection sending alternate-ECN traffic would have to respond
  appropriately to a CE packet (a packet with the ECN codepoint "11")
  received at the receiver, using a conformant congestion control
  response.  Hopefully, the connection sending alternate-ECN traffic
  would also respond appropriately to a dropped packet, which could be
  a congestion indication from a router that doesn't use ECN.

  RFC 3168 defines the default ECN semantics as follows:

  "Upon the receipt by an ECN-Capable transport of a single CE packet,
  the congestion control algorithms followed at the end-systems MUST be
  essentially the same as the congestion control response to a *single*
  dropped packet.  For example, for ECN-Capable TCP the source TCP is



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  required to halve its congestion window for any window of data
  containing either a packet drop or an ECN indication."

  The only conformant congestion control mechanisms currently
  standardized in the IETF are TCP [RFC2581] and protocols using TCP-
  like congestion control (e.g., SCTP [RFC2960], DCCP with CCID-2
  ([RFC4340], [RFC4341])), and TCP-Friendly Rate Control (TFRC)
  [RFC3448], and protocols with TFRC-like congestion control (e.g.,
  DCCP using CCID-3 [RFC4342]).  TCP uses Additive-Increase
  Multiplicative-Decrease congestion control, and responds to the loss
  or ECN-marking of a single packet by halving its congestion window.
  In contrast, the equation-based congestion control mechanism in TFRC
  estimates the loss event rate over some period of time, and uses a
  sending rate that would be comparable, in packets per round-trip-
  time, to that of a TCP connection experiencing the same loss event
  rate.

  So what are the requirements for alternate-ECN traffic to compete
  appropriately with other traffic on a path through an old router that
  doesn't understand the alternate ECN semantics (and therefore might
  be using the default ECN semantics)?  The first and second
  requirements below concern compatibility between traffic using
  alternate ECN semantics and routers using default ECN semantics.

  The first requirement for compatibility with routers using default
  ECN is that if a packet is marked with the ECN codepoint "11" in the
  network, this marking is not changed on the packet's way to the
  receiver (unless the packet is dropped before it reaches the
  receiver).  This requirement is necessary to ensure that congestion
  indications from a default-ECN router make it to the transport
  receiver.

  A second requirement for compatibility with routers using default ECN
  is that the end-nodes respond to packets that are marked with the ECN
  codepoint "11" in a way that is friendly to flows using IETF-
  conformant congestion control.  This requirement is needed because
  the "11"-marked packets might have come from a congested router that
  understands only the default ECN semantics, and that expects that
  end-nodes will respond appropriately to CE packets.  This requirement
  would ensure that the traffic using the alternate semantics does not
  `bully' competing traffic that it might encounter along the path, and
  that it does not drive up congestion on the shared link
  inappropriately.

  Additional requirements concern compatibility between traffic using
  default ECN semantics and routers using alternate ECN semantics.
  This situation could occur if a diffserv codepoint using default ECN
  semantics is redefined to use alternate ECN semantics, and traffic



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  from an "old" source traverses a "new" router.  If the router "knows"
  that a packet is from a sender using alternate semantics (e.g.,
  because the packet is using a certain diffserv codepoint, and all
  packets with that diffserv codepoint use alternate semantics for the
  ECN field), then the requirements below are not necessary, and the
  rules for the alternate semantics apply.

  A requirement for compatibility with end-nodes using default ECN is
  that if a packet that *could* be using default semantics is marked
  with the ECN codepoint "00", this marking must not be changed to
  "01", "10", or "11" in the network.  This prevents the packet from
  being represented incorrectly to a default-ECN router downstream as
  ECN-Capable.  Similarly, if a packet that *could* be using default
  semantics is marked with the ECN codepoint "01", then this codepoint
  should not be changed to "10" in the network (and a "10" codepoint
  should not be changed to "01").  This requirement is necessary to
  avoid interference with the transport protocol's use of the ECN nonce
  [RFC3540].

  As discussed earlier, the current conformant congestion control
  responses to a dropped or default-ECN-marked packet consist of TCP
  and TCP-like congestion control, and of TFRC (TCP-Friendly Rate
  Control).  Another possible response considered in RFC 3714, but not
  standardized in a standards-track document, is that of simply
  terminating an alternate-ECN connection for a period of time if the
  long-term sending rate is higher than would be that of a TCP
  connection experiencing the same packet dropping or marking rates
  [RFC3714].  We note that the use of such a congestion control
  response to CE-marked packets would require specification of time
  constants for measuring the loss rates and for stopping transmission,
  and would require a consideration of issues of packet size.

5.  Evaluation of the Alternate ECN Semantics

  This section discusses question (4) posed in Section 2:

  (4) How well does the alternate-ECN traffic perform, and how well
      does it coexist with competing traffic on the path, in a "clean"
      environment with new routers and with the unambiguous
      specification of the use of alternate ECN semantics?

5.1.  Verification of Feedback from the Router

  One issue in evaluating the alternate ECN semantics concerns
  mechanisms to discourage lying from the transport receiver to the
  transport sender.  In many cases, the sender is a server that has an
  interest in using the alternate ECN semantics correctly, while the




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  receiver has more incentive to lie about the congestion experienced
  along the path.

  In the default ECN semantics, two of the four ECN codepoints are used
  for ECN-Capable(0) and ECN-Capable(1).  The use of two codepoints for
  ECN-Capable, instead of one, permits the data sender to verify the
  receiver's reports that packets were actually received unmarked at
  the receiver.  In particular, the sender can specify that the
  receiver report to the sender whether each unmarked packet was
  received ECN-Capable(0) or ECN-Capable(1), as discussed in RFC 3540
  [RFC3540].  This use of ECN-Capable(0) and ECN-Capable(1) is
  independent of the semantics of the other ECN codepoints, and could
  be used, if desired, with alternate semantics for the other
  codepoints.

  If alternate semantics for the ECN codepoint don't include the use of
  two separate codepoints to indicate ECN-Capable, then the connections
  using those semantics have lost the ability to verify that the data
  receiver is accurately reporting the received ECN codepoint to the
  data sender.  In this case, it might be necessary for the alternate-
  ECN framework to include alternate mechanisms for ensuring that the
  data receiver is reporting feedback appropriately to the sender.  As
  one possibility, policers could be used in routers to ensure that end
  nodes are responding appropriately to marked packets.

5.2.  Coexistence with Competing Traffic

  A second general issue concerns the coexistence of alternate-ECN
  traffic with competing traffic along the path, in a clean environment
  where all routers understand and are willing to use the alternate ECN
  semantics for the traffic that specifies its use.

  If the traffic using the alternate ECN semantics is best-effort
  traffic, then it is subject to the general requirement of fair
  competition with TCP and other traffic along the path [RFC2914].

  If the traffic using the alternate ECN semantics is diffserv traffic,
  then the requirements are governed by the overall guidelines for that
  class of diffserv traffic.  It is beyond the scope of this document
  to specify the requirements, if any, for the coexistence of diffserv
  traffic with other traffic on the link; this should be addressed in
  the specification of the diffserv codepoint itself.









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5.3.  Proposals for Alternate ECN with Edge-to-Edge Semantics

  RFC 3168 specifies the use of the default ECN semantics by an end-
  to-end transport protocol, with the requirement that "upon the
  receipt by an ECN-Capable transport of a single CE packet, the
  congestion control algorithms followed at the end-systems MUST be
  essentially the same as the congestion control response to a *single*
  dropped packet" ([RFC3168], Section 5).  In contrast, some of the
  proposals for alternate ECN semantics are for ECN used in an edge-
  to-edge context between gateways at the edge of a network region,
  e.g., [BESFC06].

  When alternate ECN is defined with edge-to-edge semantics, this
  definition needs to ensure that the edge-to-edge semantics do not
  conflict with a connection using other ECN semantics end-to-end.  One
  way to avoid conflict would be for the edge-to-edge ECN proposal to
  include some mechanism to ensure that the edge-to-edge ECN is not
  used for connections that are using other ECN semantics (standard or
  otherwise) end-to-end.  Alternately, the edge-to-edge semantics could
  be defined so that they do not conflict with a connection using other
  ECN semantics end-to-end.

5.4.  Encapsulated Packets

  RFC 3168 has an extensive discussion of the interactions between ECN
  and IP tunnels, including IPsec and IP in IP.  Proposals for
  alternate ECN semantics might interact with IP tunnels differently
  than default ECN.  As a result, proposals for alternate ECN semantics
  must explicitly consider the issue of interactions with IP tunnels.

5.5.  A General Evaluation of the Alternate ECN Semantics

  A third general issue concerns the evaluation of the general merits
  of the proposed alternate ECN semantics.  Again, it would be beyond
  the scope of this document to specify requirements for the general
  evaluation of alternate ECN semantics.

6.  Security Considerations

  This document doesn't propose any new mechanisms for the Internet
  protocol, and therefore doesn't introduce any new security
  considerations.









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RFC 4774         Alternate Semantics for the ECN Field     November 2006


7.  Conclusions

  This document has discussed some of the issues to be considered in
  the specification of alternate semantics for the ECN field in the IP
  header.

  Specifications of alternate ECN semantics must clearly state how they
  address the issues raised in this document, particularly the issues
  discussed in Section 2.  In addition, specifications for alternate
  ECN semantics must meet the requirements in Section 5.2 for
  coexistence with competing traffic.

8.  Acknowledgements

  This document is based in part on conversations with Jozef Babiarz,
  Kwok Ho Chan, and Victor Firoiu on their proposal for an alternate
  use of the ECN field in DiffServ environments.  Many thanks to
  Francois Le Faucheur for feedback recommending that the document
  include a section at the beginning discussing the potential issues
  that need to be addressed.  Thanks also to Mark Allman, Fred Baker,
  David Black, Gorry Fairhurst, and to members of the TSVWG working
  group for feedback on these issues.

9.  Normative References

  [RFC3168]    Ramakrishnan, K., Floyd, S., and D. Black, "The Addition
               of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to IP", RFC
               3168, September 2001.

10.  Informative References

  [BCF05]      Babiarz, J., Chan, K., and V. Firoiu, "Congestion
               Notification Process for Real-Time Traffic", Work in
               Progress, July 2005.

  [BESFC06]    Briscoe, B., et al., "An edge-to-edge Deployment Model
               for Pre-Congestion Notification: Admission Control over
               a DiffServ Region", Work in Progress, June 2006.

  [ECN]        ECN Web Page, URL <www.icir.org/floyd/ecn.html>.

  [QuickStart] S. Floyd, M. Allman, A. Jain, and P. Sarolahti, "Quick-
               Start for TCP and IP", Work in Progress, October 2006.

  [RFC2581]    Allman, M., Paxson, V., and W. Stevens, "TCP Congestion
               Control", RFC 2581, April 1999.





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RFC 4774         Alternate Semantics for the ECN Field     November 2006


  [RFC2914]    Floyd, S., "Congestion Control Principles", BCP 41, RFC
               2914, September 2000.

  [RFC2960]    Stewart, R., Xie, Q., Morneault, K., Sharp, C.,
               Schwarzbauer, H., Taylor, T., Rytina, I., Kalla, M.,
               Zhang, L., and V. Paxson, "Stream Control Transmission
               Protocol", RFC 2960, October 2000.

  [RFC3448]    Handley, M., Floyd, S., Padhye, J., and J. Widmer, "TCP
               Friendly Rate Control (TFRC): Protocol Specification",
               RFC 3448, January 2003.

  [RFC3540]    Spring, N., Wetherall, D., and D. Ely, "Robust Explicit
               Congestion Notification (ECN) Signaling with Nonces",
               RFC 3540, June 2003.

  [RFC3714]    Floyd, S. and J. Kempf, "IAB Concerns Regarding
               Congestion Control for Voice Traffic in the Internet",
               RFC 3714, March 2004.

  [RFC4340]    Kohler, E., Handley, M., and S. Floyd, "Datagram
               Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP)", RFC 4340, March
               2006.

  [RFC4341]    Floyd, S. and E. Kohler, "Profile for Datagram
               Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP) Congestion Control ID
               2: TCP-like Congestion Control", RFC 4341, March 2006.

  [RFC4342]    Floyd, S., Kohler, E., and J. Padhye, "Profile for
               Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP) Congestion
               Control ID 3: TCP-Friendly Rate Control (TFRC)", RFC
               4342, March 2006.

  [XSSK05]     Y. Xia,  L. Subramanian, I. Stoica, and S. Kalyanaraman,
               One More Bit Is Enough, SIGCOMM 2005, September 2005.

Author's Address

  Sally Floyd
  ICIR (ICSI Center for Internet Research)

  Phone: +1 (510) 666-2989
  EMail: [email protected]
  URL: http://www.icir.org/floyd/







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RFC 4774         Alternate Semantics for the ECN Field     November 2006


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