OPSAWG C. Lin Internet-Draft H. Zhang Intended status: Standards Track New H3C Technologies Expires: 31 August 2026 27 February 2026 Export of RoCEv2 Base Transport Header (BTH) Information Using IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) draft-lin-opsawg-ipfix-rocev2-00 Abstract This document defines a new set of IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) Information Elements (IEs) for exporting Base Transport Header (BTH) information for RDMA over Converged Ethernet version 2 (RoCEv2) traffic. These extensions enable network monitoring systems to collect and analyze the characteristics of RDMA traffic widely used in high-performance computing, storage, and artificial intelligence applications. Status of This Memo This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet- Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/. 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." This Internet-Draft will expire on 31 August 2026. Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved. Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 1] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/ license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License. Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. New IPFIX Information Elements for RoCEv2 BTH . . . . . . . . 3 4. Operational Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6.1. New IPFIX IEs for RoCEv2 BTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6.1.1. rdmaOpCode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6.1.2. rdmaPartitionKey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6.1.3. rdmaDestinationQP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6.1.4. rdmaSourceQP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6.1.5. rdmaPacketSequenceNumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6.1.6. rdmaBTHFlags1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6.1.7. rdmaBTHFlags2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6.1.8. rdmaBTHFlags3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 7. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 7.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 7.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 1. Introduction Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) [RFC5040] is a network technology that allows a computer to read from or write to the memory of another computer directly, without involving the operating system. This zero-copy and kernel-bypass feature greatly reduces CPU overhead and communication latency. InfiniBand [IBTA-SPEC] and RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) are two mainstream RDMA implementations that bypass the operating system kernel and achieve zero-copy data transfer. RoCE technology has become a key component of high-performance data center networks, especially in low-latency, high-throughput scenarios such as artificial intelligence training, distributed storage, and financial transactions. RDMA over Converged Ethernet version 2 (RoCEv2) runs on top of UDP (port 4791) and inherits the transport layer protocol of the InfiniBand Architecture (IBA). Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 2] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 The existing IPFIX [RFC7011] standard lacks the ability to monitor specific fields of RoCEv2, which limits the ability of network operators to perform in-depth analysis, troubleshooting, and performance optimization of RDMA traffic. To close this gap, this document defines a new set of Information Elements (IEs) to carry RoCEv2 BTH key fields. 2. Terminology The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here. The following terms are used as defined in [RFC7011]: * IPFIX * IPFIX Information Elements The following terms are used in this document: * QP: Queue Pair, a communication endpoint in RDMA architecture. * BTH: Base Transport Header, the RDMA transport header containing QP information. * P_Key: Partition Key. * PSN: Packet Sequence Number. 3. New IPFIX Information Elements for RoCEv2 BTH This section defines new IPFIX IEs for exporting RoCEv2 BTH key fields. rdmaOpCode The RoCEv2 BTH OpCode field, which indicates the type of the InfiniBand Architecture data packet. rdmaPartitionKey The RoCEv2 BTH Partition Key field, which identifies the logical partition to which the data packet belongs. rdmaDestinationQP The RoCEv2 BTH Destination Queue Pair (QP) field, indicating the work QP number at the destination. Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 3] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 rdmaSourceQP The RoCEv2 BTH Source Queue Pair (QP) field (if present), indicating the work QP number at the Source. rdmaPacketSequenceNumber The RoCEv2 BTH Packet Sequence Number (PSN) field, which is used to detect whether data packets are lost or duplicated, ensuring the reliability and orderliness of transmission. rdmaBTHFlags1 The SE, M, Pad, and TVer fields of The RoCEv2 BTH. The size of this Information Element is 1 octet. rdmaBTHFlags2 The F/R, and B/R fields of The RoCEv2 BTH. The size of this Information Element is 1 octet. rdmaBTHFlags3 The A field of The RoCEv2 BTH. The size of this Information Element is 1 octet. 4. Operational Considerations The exporter needs to parse RoCEv2 BTH information, which may affect the exporter's performance. Implementers SHOULD consider measures to mitigate this impact, such as sampling rate limiting or hardware acceleration. 5. Security Considerations The Security Considerations for IPFIX [RFC7011] apply to this document as well. When exporting RDMA BTH information across security domains, to prevent information security risks caused by the leakage of sensitive network topology details such as QP numbers, it is recommended to implement comprehensive protection measures, such as using the encrypted transmission options of the IPFIX framework (such as DTLS [RFC9147]) to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data during transmission. To defend against Denial-of-Service (DOS) attacks that may be caused by maliciously crafted RoCEv2 packets and to prevent the exporter from being overloaded by processing a large amount of invalid traffic, it is recommended to adopt certain protection strategies, such as configuring reasonable rate limiting policies to prevent the monitoring system from being overwhelmed by massive data packets and to ensure its stable operation. Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 4] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 6. IANA Considerations 6.1. New IPFIX IEs for RoCEv2 BTH This document specifies new IPFIX IEs to enable export of RoCEv2 BTH key fields along with other flow information. This document requests IANA to add these IPFIX IEs to the "IPFIX Information Elements" registry available at [IANA-IPFIX]. Table 1 lists the new IPFIX IEs for RoCEv2 BTH: +============+==========================+===============+ | Element ID | Name | Reference | +============+======================--==+===============+ | TBD1 | rdmaOpCode | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD2 | rdmaPartitionKey | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD3 | rdmaDestinationQP | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD4 | rdmaSourceQP | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD5 | rdmaPacketSequenceNumber | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD6 | rdmaBTHFlags1 | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD7 | rdmaBTHFlags2 | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ | TBD8 | rdmaBTHFlags3 | This document | +------------+--------------------------+---------------+ Table 1: New IEs in the "IPFIX Information Elements" Registry 6.1.1. rdmaOpCode Name: rdmaOpCode Element ID: TBD1 Description: The RoCEv2 BTH OpCode field, which indicates the type of the InfiniBand Architecture data packet. Abstract Data Type: unsigned8 Data Type Semantics: identifier Status: current Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 5] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 Reference: [this document] 6.1.2. rdmaPartitionKey Name: rdmaPartitionKey Element ID: TBD2 Description: The RoCEv2 BTH Partition Key field, which identifies the logical partition to which the data packet belongs. Abstract Data Type: unsigned16 Data Type Semantics: identifier Status: current Reference: [this document] 6.1.3. rdmaDestinationQP Name: rdmaDestinationQP Element ID: TBD3 Description: The RoCEv2 BTH Destination Queue Pair (QP) field, indicating the work QP number at the destination. The actual effective bits are 24 bits, stored in the lower 24 bits of the 32-bit field, and the higher 8 bits should be 0. Abstract Data Type: unsigned32 Data Type Semantics: identifier Status: current Reference: [this document] 6.1.4. rdmaSourceQP Name: rdmaSourceQP Element ID: TBD4 Description: The RoCEv2 BTH Source Queue Pair (QP) field (if present), indicating the work QP number at the Source. The actual effective bits are 24 bits, stored in the lower 24 bits of the 32-bit field, and the higher 8 bits should be 0. Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 6] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 Abstract Data Type: unsigned32 Data Type Semantics: identifier Status: current Reference: [this document] 6.1.5. rdmaPacketSequenceNumber Name: rdmaPacketSequenceNumber Element ID: TBD5 Description: The RoCEv2 BTH Packet Sequence Number (PSN) field, which is used to detect whether data packets are lost or duplicated, ensuring the reliability and orderliness of transmission. The actual effective bits are 24 bits, stored in the lower 24 bits of the 32-bit field, and the higher 8 bits should be 0. Abstract Data Type: unsigned32 Data Type Semantics: default Status: current Reference: [this document] 6.1.6. rdmaBTHFlags1 Name: rdmaBTHFlags1 Element ID: TBD6 Description: The SE, M, Pad, and TVer fields of The RoCEv2 BTH. The size of this Information Element is 1 octet. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 +--+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |SE|M|Pad| TVer | +--+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Bits 0: Solicited Event (SE) field. Bits 1: Migration Request (M) field. Bits 2-3: Pad Count (Pad) field. Bits 4-7: Transport Header Version (TVer) field. Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 7] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 Abstract Data Type: unsigned8 Data Type Semantics: default Status: current Reference: [this document] 6.1.7. rdmaBTHFlags2 Name: rdmaBTHFlags2 Element ID: TBD7 Description: The F/R, and B/R fields of The RoCEv2 BTH. The size of this Information Element is 1 octet. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |F/R|B/R| Resv | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ Bits 0: Forward Explicit Congestion Notification (FECN)/Res1 (F/R) field. Bits 1: Backward Explicit Congestion Notification (BECN)/Res1 (B/R) field. Bits 2-7: Reserved field. Abstract Data Type: unsigned8 Data Type Semantics: flags Status: current Reference: [this document] 6.1.8. rdmaBTHFlags3 Name: rdmaBTHFlags3 Element ID: TBD8 Description: The A field of The RoCEv2 BTH. The size of this Information Element is 1 octet. Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 8] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |A| Resv | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Bits 0: Acknowledge Request (A) field. Bits 1-7: Reserved field. Abstract Data Type: unsigned8 Data Type Semantics: flags Status: current Reference: [this document] 7. References 7.1. Normative References [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997, . [RFC5040] Recio, R., Metzler, B., Culley, P., Hilland, J., and D. Garcia, "A Remote Direct Memory Access Protocol Specification", RFC 5040, DOI 10.17487/RFC5040, October 2007, . [RFC7011] Claise, B., Ed., Trammell, B., Ed., and P. Aitken, "Specification of the IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) Protocol for the Exchange of Flow Information", STD 77, RFC 7011, DOI 10.17487/RFC7011, September 2013, . [RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, May 2017, . 7.2. Informative References [IANA-IPFIX] "IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) Entities", n.d., . Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 9] Internet-Draft Export of RoCEv2 BTH Using IPFIX February 2026 [IBTA-SPEC] InfiniBand Trade Association, "InfiniBand Architecture Specification", InfiniBand Architecture Specification Volume 1-2, Release 1.6, December 2023, . [RFC9147] Rescorla, E., Tschofenig, H., and N. Modadugu, "The Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) Protocol Version 1.3", RFC 9147, DOI 10.17487/RFC9147, April 2022, . Authors' Addresses Changwang Lin New H3C Technologies Beijing China Email: linchangwang.04414@h3c.com Haiyang Zhang New H3C Technologies Beijing China Email: zhang.haiyangA@h3c.com Lin & Zhang Expires 31 August 2026 [Page 10]