Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 Hiroaki Satou, NTT Internet Draft Hiroshi Ohta, NTT Expires: April 26, 2007 Christian Jacquenet, France Telecom Tsunemasa Hayashi, NTT Haixiang He, Nortel Networks October 23, 2006 AAA Framework for Multicasting Status of this Memo By submitting this Internet-Draft, each author represents that any applicable patent or other IPR claims of which he or she is aware have been or will be disclosed, and any of which he or she becomes aware will be disclosed, in accordance with Section 6 of BCP 79. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet- Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt. The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 1] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 This Internet-Draft will expire on April 26, 2007. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006) Abstract IP multicast-based services, such as TV broadcasting or videoconferencing raise the issue of making sure that potential customers are fully entitled to access the corresponding contents. There is indeed a need for service and content providers to identify (if not authenticate, especially within the context of enforcing electronic payment schemes) and to invoice such customers in a reliable and efficient manner. This memo describes the framework for specifying the Authorization, Authentication and Accounting (AAA) capabilities that could be activated within the context of the deployment and the operation of IP multicast-based services. This framework addresses the requirements presented in draft-ietf-mboned- maccnt-req-04.txt, "Requirements for Accounting, Authentication and Authorization in Well Managed IP Multicasting Services". 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose and Background IP multicasting is designed to serve cases of group communication schemes of any kind, such as 1-to-n (case of TV broadcasting services for example) or n-to-p (case of videoconferencing services, for example). In these environments, IP multicast provides a better resource optimization than using a unicast transmission scheme, where data need to be replicated as many times as there are receivers. Activation of IP multicast capabilities in networks yields the establishment and the maintenance of multicast distribution trees that are receiver-initiated by nature: multicast-formatted data are forwarded to receivers who explicitly request them. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 2] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 IP multicast-based services, such as TV broadcasting or videoconferencing raise the issue of making sure that potential customers are fully entitled to access the corresponding contents. There is indeed a need for service and content providers to identify (if not authenticate, especially within the context of enforcing electronic payment schemes) and to invoice such customers in a reliable and efficient manner. This memo describes the framework for specifying the Authorization, Authentication and Accounting (AAA) capabilities that could be activated within the context of the deployment and the operation of IP multicast-based services. Specifically, this framework addresses the requirements presented in draft-ietf-mboned-maccnt-req-04.txt, "Requirements for Accounting, Authentication and Authorization in Well Managed IP Multicasting Services" MACCNT-REQ-draft describes the requirements in CDN services using IP multicast[1]. The requirements are derived from: - need for user tracking and billing capabilities - need for network access control to satisfy the requirements of the Network Service Provider (NSP) and/or content access control to satisfy the requirements of the Content Provider (CP) - methods for sharing information between the network service provider and content provider to make it possible to fulfill the above two requirements. Detailed requirements are presented in MACCNT-REQ-draft. These requirements include mechanisms for recording end-user requests and provider responses for content-delivery, sharing user information (possibly anonymously depending on the trust model) between content provider and network service provider, and protecting resources through the prevention of network and content access by unauthorized users, as well as other AAA related requirements. The purpose of this memo is to provide a generalized framework for specifying multicast-inferred AAA capabilities that can meet these requirements. This framework is to provide a basis for future work of investigating the applicability of existing AAA protocols to provide these AAA capabilities in IP multicast specific context and/or if deemed necessary, the refining or defining of protocols to provide these capabilities. This draft's scope is limited to discussing SSM, 1-to-n IP multicasting exclusively. 2. Definitions and Abbreviations 2.1 Definitions For the purpose of this memo the following definitions apply: Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 3] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 Accounting: The set of capabilities that allow the retrieval of a set of statistical data that can be defined on a per customer and/or a per service basis, within the context of the deployment of multicast-based services. Such data are retrieved for billing purposes, and can be retrieved on a regular basis or upon unsolicited requests. Such data include (but are not necessarily limited to) the volume of multicast-formatted data that have been forwarded to the receiver over a given period of time, the volume of multicast-formatted data that have been exchanged between a receiver (or set of) and a given source over a given period of time (e.g. the duration of a multicast session), etc. Authentication: action for identifying a user as a genuine one. Authorization: The set of capabilities that need to be activated to make sure a given requesting customer is (1) what he claims to be (identification purposes), and (2) is fully entitled to access a set of services (authentication purposes). Receiver: an end-host or end-client which receives content. A receiver may be identified by a network ID such as MAC address or IP address. User: a human with a user account. A user may possibly use multiple reception devices. Multiple users may use the same reception device. Note: The definition of a receiver (device) and a user (human) should not be confused. 2.2 Abbreviations For the purpose of this draft the following abbreviations apply: ACL: Access Control List CDN: Content Delivery Network CDS: Content Delivery Services CP: Content Provider NSP: Network Service Provider TP: Transit Provider Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 4] 3. Common use models and network architecture implications In some cases a single entity may design and be responsible for a system that covers the various common high-level requirements of a multicasting system such as 1) content serving, 2) the infrastructure to multicast it, 3) network and content access control mechanisms. In many cases however the content provision and network provision roles are divided between separate entities. The MACCNT-REQ-draft provides more detail of the multiple versus single entity CDS network model. As such it should not be assumed that the entity responsible for the multicasting structure and the entity responsible for content serving are the same. Indeed because the infrastructure for multicasting is expensive and many content holders are not likely to be competent at building and maintaining complicated infrastructures necessary for multicasting, many content holders would prefer to purchase transport and management services from a network service provider and thus share the infrastructure costs with other content holders. Similarly network service providers in many cases do not specialize in providing content and are unlikely to build and maintain such a resource-intensive system without a certain level of demand from content holders. The use model of a single NSP providing multicasting services to multiple CPs the following general requirements from MACCNT-REQ- draft apply: -Need for user tracking and billing capabilities -Need for network access control and/or content access control satisfactory to the requirements of the CP -Methods for sharing information between the NSP and CP to make the above two possible When the NSP and CP are the same single entity the general requirements are as follows. -Need for user tracking and user-billing capabilities -Need for access control and/or content protection at level the entity deems appropriate 4. Framework and Roles of Entities 4.1 Framework for multicast AAA Hayashi, He, Satou, Ohta [Page 5] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 A general high-level framework can be represented as follows. +------------------------------+ | user | | | +------------------------------+ | Access ^ Response | Request | & Multicast Data V | +------------------------------+ | NSP | | | +------------------------------+ | Access ^ Response | Request | (Success) v | +------------------------------+ | CP | | | +------------------------------+ For the sake of simplicity, the above diagram portrays a case where there is a single NSP entity and a single CP entity, but multiple CPs can be connected to the same NSP. It is also possible for the same CP to be connected to multiple NSP networks (e.g. network selection). In other words the relationship of NSP:CP can be described as 1:1, 1:N or M:N. Furthermore it is possible that the NSP and CP could be the same entity. Description of Roles: The user (or the user's device) selects a CP and a NSP when the user requests content. The NSP may be automatically selected by a user terminal: e.g. a fixed line NSP for STB or a mobile NSP for mobile phone. In some usage cases it is possible that the NSP used by the user terminal will not always be the same. For example a user may have contracted with different NSPs for fixed line or mobile roaming access. The CP is responsible for Authentication and Authorization of users' access to content that the CP manages. The CP hopes to collect accounting information related to the access of their content. The CP may choose to authenticate and authorize NSPs which are eligible to provide users access to its contents. When the CP cannot (e.g. error or resource issues) or decides not (e.g. policy issues) to deliver content, the CP is responsible for notifying the NSP of the reason. It is up to the NSP how to relay or translate the messages to the user. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 6] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 The NSP is responsible for managing its network resources. The NSP may perform admission control. It is also responsible for relaying the AAA messages from the CP whether the user is eligible to receive content (authentication by proxy), and the NSPs relevant AAA server will make the final decision of whether the connection can be established. When the NSP cannot or decides not to multicast to users, the NSP is responsible for notifying the users of the reason. 4.2 Multiple User IDs Users may hold multiple user IDs: IDs which have been separately assigned for each subscription they may have for various NSPs and CPs. When the user wants to access content or otherwise use the network, the user registers the corresponding user ID with a request for content, etc: web authentication is one possible method. Terminal portability can be realized if the NSP authenticates a user using a user ID. This allows the user to access the content from various network access points. Each CP may identify users by the user IDs that it has issued to them. The NSP and CP do not need to know the corresponding user id for the same user in the other provider's domain, and it is not necessary that there is a one to one relationship. It is quite possible for one person to hold multiple user ids for the same provider. 4.3 Accounting MACCNT-REQ-draft defines requirements for Accounting and Billing. These include the requirement for the NSP to log user behavior such as the join action and the leave action, as well as the result of the access-control decision. (MACCNT-REQ-draft, 4.5) MACCNT-REQ- draft also specifies that there should be a standardized format for sharing with the CP the user behavior and content reception information which the NSP is logging.(MACCNT-REQ-draft, 4.5.1) In order to provide the granularity of user-behavior and actual content reception information as specified in MACCNT-REQ-draft, the NSP should not manage multicast states on a subnet basis, but on a user basis (see in MACCNT-REQ-draft, 4.1 "User identification") because the NSP needs to be able to notify the CP of a user's start and stop times for accounting purposes. This means that the NSP sends to the CP AAA an indication for Join and Leave on a user basis. This framework specifies an accounting API provided by the NSP and accessed by the CP to allow for sharing user-behavior and content- reception information between the NSP AAA and CP AAA. This Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 7] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 accounting API should be configurable to allow the CP to request only the logging information it actually requires. Such an API would allow for realtime accounting information sharing by the NSP to the CP. When logging information is shared through the accounting API, it is important that the CP be able to match the user as described in the database operated by the NSP to the user as described in the database operated by the CP. The NSP requires the capability to log both user and host information for each join and leave, indicating the corresponding multicast source for each action. When either a CP source stops sending, or the NSP stops multicasting, in an unsolicited manner, there is also a need to notify the AAA servers accordingly about the users who are impacted by this event. Also, intermittent logs between the join and leave would allow for finer diagnostics and therefore could serve useful in billing discrepancies, and provide for a better estimation of the time span that content was multicasted in the even that users disconnect without sending leave messages. 4.4 Access Control and CP selection by NSP When a NSP receives an access request from a user, it is necessary for the NSP to determine to which CP the request is to be directed. It is necessary for the NSP to ensure that it is not spoofed by an inappropriate CP or user. 4.5 API for Admission Control Information by NSP After authorizing a user request, the NSP may have further conditions for determining its admission control decision. MACCNT- REQ-draft defines requirements for providing the network capability to conduct admission control based on the network bandwidth usage status and bandwidth management policy. (MACCNT-REQ-draft, 4.2.2, 4.2.3 & 4.9) Such QoS measurement and policy mechanisms themselves are out of the scope of this memo. However the NSP's AAA Server should be provided with an Admission control API that allows for interfacing so that additional conditions can be added to the admission control decision. 4.6 Access Control and Distinguishing of Users by CP The user ID and authentication information are forwarded transparently by the NSP so that the CP can distinguish the user, as well as authenticate and authorize the request. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 8] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 4.7 Caching of AAA results An NSP should be able to cache AAA results based upon an agreement between the NSP and a CP. The AAA cache would store information about permissions of a specific user to receive multicast data from specified channel(s) up to specified expiration date(s) and time(s). If such caching is implemented, a method must exist for the CP to communicate this permission information to the NSP. The NSP refers to the AAA cache and if the cache indicates that the user has permission to receive multicast data from a specific channel at that time, the NSP may forward the data without querying the CP. It should be possible for a CP to send unsolicited requests to the NSP to refresh or change the permissions for a user for specific channel(s). When a user is receiving multicast content and the permission is about to expire, the NSP may send a notification to the user client that his session is about to expire, and that he will need to re- connect. The user will have to reestablish a connection. In the case that the user still has permission to the content, they should be able to continue to receive the content without interruption. 5. Network Connection Model and Functional Components Section 3.1 introduces the high-level AAA framework for multicasting. This section provides more detail on the network connection model and constituent functional components. 5.1 Basic Connection Model +-------------+ | user | | | +-------------+ ^ Access & Resource | Request v +-------------+ | NSP | | | +-------------+ ^ Access | Request v +-------------+ | CP | | | Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 9] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 +-------------+ First a user that requests content sends an Access request to an NSP which then forwards it on to the appropriate CP for Authentication and Authorization purposes. The CP responds with either "success" or "failure". If "success", the NSP may forward a success response and stream multicast data to the user. In this model the user selects the NSP to which to send its content request. Based on this request the NSP selects an appropriate CP to which it forwards the request. The CP responds to the NSP's request: it may not respond to another NSP in regards to the request. In this model, as described in section 3.1, the relationship between NSP and CP can be 1:1, 1:N or M:N. Users may connect to multiple networks, and networks have multiple users. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 10] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 5.2 Transit Provision The diagram below shows that a Transit Provider(hereafter, TP) may relay requests between NSPs and CPs. +-------------+ | user | | | +-------------+ ^ Access & Resource | Request v +-------------+ | NSP | | | +-------------+ ^ Access & Resource | Request v +-------------+ | TP | | | +-------------+ ^ Access | Request v +-------------+ | CP | | | +-------------+ For the sake of simplification the above diagram shows a 1-1 relationship between an NSP and a TP. However it is also possible for a single NSP to connect to multiple TPs, and a single TP to multiple NSPs. A single TP may connect to one or more CPs. Similarly just as a single CP may connect to multiple NSPs (as described in the general high-level framework, section 3.1), a single CP may connect to one or more TPs. A solution will include a mechanism through which the NSPs know which TP(s) are to be used to communicate with which CP(s), and CPs know which TP(s) to use for which NSP(s). When a TP receives an access or resource request from an NSP or CP, it must relay the request to the correct CP or NSP, respectively. Minimally, this means that it must reconstruct the request with translated address information. In this model therefore a TP must understand the format and meaning of the requests. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 11] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 There may be multiple TPs between a NSP and CP so that a TP is actually receiving from and/or sending requests to another TP and not directly from/to a NSP or CP. 5.3 Transit with Tunnels In addition to the above model of request relaying, a TP may communicate requests through tunneling based on the contract between the TP and the NSP and/or between the TP and the CP. So in this case the TP will not directly need to process the contents of the access and resource request (such as, header information), but instead pass the request directly to the correct NSP or CP, using a separate protocol to wrap the original requests. Below is a diagram, representing how a TP can provide tunneling between NSP(s) and CP(s). +-----------------+ | user | | | +-----------------+ ^ Access & Resource | Request v +------------------+ | NSP | | | +------------------+ |^| |:| |:| +-|:|--------------+ | |:| TP | | |:| | +-|:|--------------+ |:| |:| Tunnel |:| |V| +------------------+ | CP | | | +------------------+ In this model too, the relationship between NSP and TP and between transit provider and CP can be 1:1, 1:N or M:N. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 12] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 5.4 Constituent Logical Functional Components of the fully enabled AAA Framework Section 3.1 introduces the high-level AAA framework for multicasting. Below is a diagram of a fully enabled multicasting network with AAA, including the logical components within the various entities. +-------------------------------+ | user | | | +-------------------------------+ ^ | Access & resource request v +-------------------------------+ | NSP | | | |+--------------+ +---------+| ||NR Management |<-->|AAA Proxy|| (NR= network resource) |+--------------+ RR +---------+| (RR= resource request) +-------------------------------+ ^ | Access request v +------------------------------+ | CP | | | | +---------+ | | | AAA | | | +---------+ | +------------------------------+ In the fully enabled model the NSP provides proxying of authentication and authorization between the NSP and CP, as well as user-based accounting. The AAA proxy server of the NSP communicates with the CP's AAA server. Although not shown in the above diagram for the sake of simplicity, in addition to direct proxying between a NSP and CP, this proxying may be done through a TP. This means that the transit provider is also cable of supporting AAA proxying. In the fully enabled model the NSP also includes a component that provides network resource management (e.g. QoS management), as described in section 3.4, "Network Resource Management by NSP". When a transit provider is used it may also provide Network Resource management of its own resources. 5.5 Modularity of the framework Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 13] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 In the interest of flexibility, this framework is modular so that it is possible that partially enabled versions of the models are supported. A AAA-enabled version provides AAA functionality without Network Resource management. A Network-Resource-Management-enabled (QoS-enabled) version provides Network Resource management without AAA functionality. Similarly, the possibility of one or more layers of transit provision between an NSP and CP is in the interest of modularity and extendibility. 6. IANA considerations This memo does not raise any IANA consideration issues. 7. Security considerations Refer to section 3.3. Also the user information related to authentication with the CP must be protected in some way. Otherwise, this memo does not raise any new security issues which are not already addressed by the original protocols. Enhancement of multicast access control capabilities should enhance security performance. 8. Conclusion This memo provides a generalized framework for solution standards to meet the requirements presented in MACCNT-REQ-draft. Further work should be done to break down the content provider and network service provider entities into their functional objects such as edge devices, AAA servers, etc. Normative References [1] Hayashi, et. al., "Accounting, Authentication and Authorization Issues in Well Managed IP Multicasting Services", draft-ietf- mboned-maccnt-req-04.txt, February 2006, Work in Progress. Authors' Addresses Hiroaki Satou NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories 3-9-11 Midoricho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, 180-8585 Japan Phone : +81 422 59 4683 Email : satou.hiroaki@lab.ntt.co.jp Hiroshi Ohta Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 14] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories 3-9-11 Midoricho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, 180-8585 Japan Phone : +81 422 59 3617 Email: ohta.hiroshi@lab.ntt.co.jp Christian Jacquenet France Telecom 3, avenue Francois Chateau CS 36901, 35069 Rennes Cedex, France Phone: +33 2 99 87 63 31 Email: christian.jacquenet@francetelecom.com Tsunemasa Hayashi NTT Network Innovation Laboratories 1-1 Hikari-no-oka, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa, 239-0847 Japan Phone: +81 46 859 8790 Email: tsunemasa@gmail.com Haixiang He Nortel 600 Technology Park Drive Billerica, MA 01801, USA Phone: +1 978 288 7482 Email: haixiang@nortel.com Comments Comments are solicited and should be addressed to the mboned working group's mailing list at mboned@lists.uoregon.edu_and/or the authors. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 15] Internet Draft AAA Framework for Multicasting October 2006 Full Copyright Statement Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006). 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/SHE 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 THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 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The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement this standard. Please address the information to the IETF at ietf- ipr@ietf.org. Expiration This Internet-Draft will expire on April 26, 2007. Acknowledgement Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the Internet Society. Satou, Ohta, Hayashi, He [Page 16]