Jerry%20Perser

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IETF BMWG WLAN Switch Mesh Benchmarking

• Jerry Perser
• jperser_at_veriwave.com

66th IETF Meeting Montreal
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Where is Jerry?
DUT
Large Rack of Test Gear
Jerry in his usual position

• Jerry says hello, and is sorry he couldnt be
  here in person
• Hes busy with a bit of applied WLAN switch
  benchmarking
• Tom A. will serve as virtual Jerry

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Motivation and Background

• Enterprise WLANs highly IP-centric and switched
• WLAN switches and lightweight APs
• Layer 3/4 aware (sometimes even Layer-7 aware)
• Incorporates many IETF-defined functions ARP
  caching and proxying, DHCP service, firewalling,
  IPsec, etc
• Considerable work in IETF in this area
• CAPWAP WLAN switch protocols
• MANET WLAN mesh protocols
• Equipment vendors would like to use the same
  benchmarking techniques as their customers, for
  measuring WLAN switch and mesh performance
• Its all very ad-hoc today
• Test tool vendors would like to have the same
  approach to testing as service providers and
  equipment vendors

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Scope of Proposed Work

• Extend existing router/switch RFCs and drafts to
  cover WLAN switches and meshes
• RFC 1242, RFC 2285, RFC 2544, RFC 2889, etc.
• Hash stuffing draft
• Random MACs wireless security problems
• Extend for higher-layer functions of WLAN
  switches and meshes
• Add in wireless device specific requirements
• Include general WLAN switch data plane
  performance
• What does throughput with zero loss mean for
  wireless, which has error rates of 10-5 and
  retransmissions?
• Add WLAN-specific terminology/methodology
• Roaming and scalability (support of CAPWAP)
• Multi-hop mesh performance, recovery (support of
  MANET)

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What About IEEE 802.11T?

• IEEE 802.11T PAR limits scope to 802.11 WLAN
  devices and networks no mention of IPv4 or IPv6
• WLAN switches have Ethernet interfaces, not
  802.11
• WLAN switches do not contain conforming
  implementations of the 802.11 PHY or MAC
• WLAN switches usually transport IP-encapsulated
  packets
• BMWG standardizes IP-level benchmark terminology
  methodology
• Layer 3-7 functions outside the scope of normal
  802 work
• BMWG has far more background in switching
  routing benchmarking
• Can draw on a large experience base (RFC 1242 and
  2285)
• CAPWAP and MANET are already IETF work items
• Makes sense to keep it all together

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Next steps

• Start discussion on work proposals
• Solicit help
• Submit drafts
• Terminology
• Methodology
• Ensure no overlap with IEEE 802.11T
• Comments?