Network Working Group J. Heinanen Request for Comments: 2697 Telia Finland Category: Informational R. Guerin University of Pennsylvania September 1999 Network Working Group J. Heinanen Request for Comments: 2697 Telia Finland Category: Informational R. Guerin University of Pennsylvania September 1999 This document defines a Single Rate Three Color Marker (srTCM), which can be used as component in a Diffserv traffic conditioner [RFC2475, RFC2474]. The srTCM meters a traffic stream and marks its packets according to three traffic parameters, Committed Information Rate (CIR), Committed Burst Size (CBS), and Excess Burst Size (EBS), to be either green, yellow, or red. A packet is marked green if it doesn't exceed the CBS, yellow if it does exceed the CBS, but not the EBS, and red otherwise. The Single Rate Three Color Marker (srTCM) meters an IP packet stream and marks its packets either green, yellow, or red. Marking is based on a Committed Information Rate (CIR) and two associated burst sizes, a Committed Burst Size (CBS) and an Excess Burst Size (EBS). A packet is marked green if it doesn't exceed the CBS, yellow if it does exceed the CBS, but not the EBS, and red otherwise. The srTCM is useful, for example, for ingress policing of a service, where only the length, not the peak rate, of the burst determines service eligibility. +-------+ +--------+ | | | | Packet Stream ===>| Meter |===>| Marker |===> Marked Packet Stream | | | | +-------+ +--------+ +-------+ +--------+ | | | | Packet Stream ===>| Meter |===>| Marker |===> Marked Packet Stream | | | | +-------+ +--------+ The Meter operates in one of two modes. In the Color-Blind mode, the Meter assumes that the packet stream is uncolored. In the Color-Aware mode the Meter assumes that some preceding entity has pre-colored the incoming packet stream so that each packet is either green, yellow, or red. The details of the pre-coloring process, including handling of error scenarios, and how the Meter determines the color of a pre-colored packet are DS domain specific and outside the scope of this document. The srTCM can be used to mark a packet stream in a service, where different, decreasing levels of assurances (either absolute or relative) are given to packets which are green, yellow, or red. For example, a service may discard all red packets, because they exceeded both the committed and excess burst sizes, forward yellow packets as best effort, and forward green packets with a low drop probability. This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than English. This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.