ROHC IP-Only Profile: RObust Header Compression (ROHC): A Compression Profile for IP
The missing ROHC profile: compressing plain IP headers on their own, with no UDP or RTP underneath.
Jonsson, L-E. and G. Pelletier, "RObust Header Compression (ROHC): A Compression Profile for IP", RFC 3843, DOI 10.17487/RFC3843, June 2004, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3843>.
@misc{rfc3843,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 3843,
howpublished = {RFC 3843},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC3843},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3843},
author = {L-E. Jonsson and G. Pelletier},
title = {{RObust Header Compression (ROHC): A Compression Profile for IP}},
pagetotal = 16,
year = 2004,
month = jun,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group L-E. Jonsson
Request for Comments: 3843 G. Pelletier
Category: Standards Track Ericsson
June 2004
RObust Header Compression (ROHC): A Compression Profile for IP
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).
Abstract
The original RObust Header Compression (ROHC) RFC (RFC 3095) defines
a framework for header compression, along with compression protocols
(profiles) for IP/UDP/RTP, IP/ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload),
IP/UDP, and also a profile for uncompressed packet streams. However,
no profile was defined for compression of IP only, which has been
identified as a missing piece in RFC 3095. This document defines a
ROHC compression profile for IP, similar to the IP/UDP profile
defined by RFC 3095, but simplified to exclude UDP, and enhanced to
compress IP header chains of arbitrary length.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. ROHC IP Compression (Profile 0x0004) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.1. Static Chain Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.2. Handling Multiple Levels of IP Headers . . . . . . . . . 3
3.3. Constant IP-ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.4. Additional Mode Transition Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.5. Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.6. Packet Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.7. The CONTEXT_MEMORY Feedback Option . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4. Security Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5. IANA Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
7. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Appendix A. Detailed Procedures for Canceling Mode Transitions. . 12
A.1. Transition from Optimistic to Reliable Mode. . . . . . . 12
A.2. Transition from Unidirectional to Reliable Mode. . . . . 13
A.3. Transition from Reliable to Optimistic Mode. . . . . . . 13
A.4. Transition Back to Unidirectional Mode . . . . . . . . . 14
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1. Introduction
The original RObust Header Compression (ROHC) RFC [RFC-3095] defines
a framework for header compression, along with compression protocols
(profiles) for IP/UDP/RTP, IP/ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload),
IP/UDP, and also a profile for uncompressed packet streams. The
profile for uncompressed data was defined to provide a means to
encapsulate all traffic over a link within ROHC packets. Through
this profile, the lower layers do not have to provide multiplexing
for different packet types, but instead ROHC can handle any packet
stream, even if compression profiles for all kinds of packet streams
have not yet been defined or implemented over the link.
Although the profile without compression is simple and can tunnel
arbitrary packets, it has of course a major weakness in that it does
not compress the headers at all. When considering that normally all
packets are expected to be IP [RFC-791, RFC-2460] packets, and that
the IP header often represents a major part of the total header, a
useful alternative to no compression would for most packets be
compression of the IP header only. Unfortunately, such a profile was
not defined in [RFC-3095], and this has thus been identified as an
important missing piece in the ROHC toolbox.
This document addresses this missing compression support and defines
a ROHC compression profile for IP [RFC-791, RFC-2460] only, similar
to the IP/UDP profile defined by [RFC-3095], but simplified to
exclude UDP. Due to the similarities with the IP/UDP profile, the IP
compression profile is described based on the IP/UDP profile, mainly
covering differences. The most important differences are a different
way of terminating the static header chain, and the capability of
compressing IP header chains of arbitrary length.
2. Terminology
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC-2119].
ROHC UDP
"ROHC UDP" in this document refers to the IP/UDP profile (Profile
0x0002) as defined in [RFC-3095].
3. ROHC IP Compression (Profile 0x0004)
In general, there are no major differences between the ROHC UDP
profile and the IP profile (ROHC IP) defined in this document, since
the removal of UDP has no impact on the compression mechanisms in
principle. As for ROHC UDP, the compressor generates a 16-bit
sequence number which increases by one for each packet compressed in
the packet stream, simply called SN below. The most important
difference between this profile and ROHC UDP is about static chain
termination and the handling of multiple IP headers. Unless stated
explicitly below, mechanisms and formats are the same as for ROHC
UDP.
3.1. Static Chain Termination
One difference for IP-only compression, compared to IP/UDP
compression, is related to the termination of the static chain in IR
headers. For the UDP profile, the chain always ends with a UDP
header part, which per definition provides the boundaries for the
chain. The UDP header is also the last header in the uncompressed
packet (except for a potential application header). For the IP-only
profile, there is no single last header that per profile definition
terminates the chain. Instead, the static chain is terminated if the
"Next Header / Protocol" field of a static IP header part indicates
anything but IP (IPinIP or IPv6). Alternatively, the compressor can
choose to end the static chain at any IP header, and indicate this by
setting the MSB of the IP version field to 1 (0xC for IPv4 or 0xE for
IPv6). The decompressor must store this indication in the context
for correct decompression of subsequent headers. Note that the IP
version field in decompressed headers must be restored to its
original value.
3.2. Handling Multiple Levels of IP Headers
The ROHC IR and IR-DYN packets defined in [RFC-3095] are used to
communicate static and/or dynamic parts of a context. For each of
the compression profiles defined in [RFC-3095], there is a single
last header in the header chain that clearly marks the termination of
the static chain. The length of the dynamic chain is then inferred
from the static chain in the IR header itself, or from the static
chain in the context for the IR-DYN header. The length of both
static and dynamic chains may thus be of arbitrary length and may, in
theory, initialize a context with an arbitrary number of IP levels.
However, the general compressed header formats defined in [RFC-3095,
section 5.7.] specifies that at most two levels of IP headers (the
'Inner' and the 'Outer' level of IP headers) may be included in a
compressed header. Specifically, the format defined for Extension 3
[RFC-3095, section 5.7.5.] can only carry one single 'Outer' IP
header. In addition, while list compression may be used to compress
other types of headers, it cannot be used to compress additional IP
headers, as IP headers may not be part of an extension header chain
in compressed headers [RFC-3095, section 5.8.].
For the compression profiles defined in [RFC-3095], the consequence
is that at most two levels of IP headers can be compressed. In other
words, the presence of additional IP headers at best partially
disables header compression, as the compressor will only be allowed
to send IR and IR-DYN packets in such cases.
For the compression of IP headers only, the additional IP headers
would however not have to cause header compression to be disabled
because there is no single packet type that ends the compressed
chain. The excess IP headers could simply be left uncompressed by
implicitly terminating the static and dynamic chains after at most
two levels of IP headers.
The IP-only profile defined in this document goes one step further
and supports compression of an arbitrary number of IP levels. This
is achieved by adding a dynamic chain to the general format of
compressed headers, to include the header part of each IP level in
excess of the first two.
As explained above, the static chain within IR packets can be of
arbitrary length, and the chain is terminated by the presence of a
non-IP header (not IPinIP nor IPv6). Alternatively, the chain may be
explicitly terminated with a special code value in the IP version
field, as described in section 3.1. The dynamic chain is structured
analogously.
For compressed headers, the information related to the initial two IP
headers is carried as for the IP/UDP profile, and a chain of dynamic
header information is added to the end of the compressed header for
each and every additional IP header. Thus, this additional data
structure is exactly the same as the one used in IR and IR-DYN
packets. The length of the chain is inferred from the chain of
static parameters in the context. While a dynamic chain carries
dynamically changing parameters using an uncompressed representation,
this ensures that flows with arbitrary levels of IP headers will not
impair compression efficiency.
3.3. Constant IP-ID
Most IPv4 stacks assign an IP-ID according to the value of a counter,
increasing by one for each outgoing packet. ROHC UDP compresses the
IP-ID field using offset IP-ID encoding based on the UDP SN [RFC-
3095]. For stacks generating IP-ID values using a pseudo-random
number generator, the field is not compressed and is sent as-is in
its entirety as additional octets after the compressed header.
Cases have also been found where an IPv4 stack uses a constant value
for the IP Identifier. When the IP-ID field is constant, it cannot
be compressed using offset IP-ID encoding and the field must be sent
in its entirety. This overhead can be avoided with the addition of a
flag within the dynamic part of the chain used to initialize the IPv4
header, as follow:
Dynamic part:
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| Type of Service |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| Time to Live |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
/ Identification / 2 octets
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| DF|RND|NBO|SID| 0 |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
/ Generic extension header list / variable length
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
SID: Static IP Identifier.
For IR and IR-DYN packets, the logic is the same as for ROHC UDP
with the addition that field(SID) must be kept in the context.
For compressed headers other than IR and IR-DYN:
If value(RND) = 0 and context(SID) = 0, hdr(IP-ID) is
compressed using Offset IP-ID encoding (see [RFC-3095 section
4.5.5]) using p = 0 and default-slope(IP-ID offset) = 0.
If value(RND) = 0 and context(SID) = 1, hdr(IP-ID) is constant
and compressed away; hdr(IP-ID) is the value of context(IP-ID).
If value(RND) = 1, IP-ID is the uncompressed hdr(IP-ID). IP-ID
is then passed as additional octets at the end of the
compressed header, after any extensions.
Note: Only IR and IR-DYN packets can update context(SID).
Note: All other fields are the same as for ROHC UDP [RFC-3095].
3.4. Additional Mode Transition Logic
The profiles defined in [RFC-3095] operate using different modes of
compression. A mode transition can be requested once a packet has
reached the decompressor by sending feedback indicating the desired
mode. As per the specifications found in [RFC-3095], the compressor
is compelled to honor such requests.
For the IP profile defined in this document, the Mode parameter for
the value mode = 0 (packet types UOR-2, IR and IR-DYN) is redefined
to allow the compressor to decline a mode transition requested by the
decompressor:
Mode: Compression mode. 0 = (C)ancel Mode Transition
Upon receiving the Mode parameter set to '0', the decompressor MUST
stay in its current mode of operation and SHOULD refrain from sending
further mode transition requests for the declined mode for a certain
amount of time.
More specifically, with reference to the parameters C_TRANS, C_MODE,
D_TRANS, and D_MODE defined in [RFC-3095, section 5.6.1.], the
following modifications apply when the compressor cancels a mode
transition:
Parameters for the compressor side:
- C_MODE:
This value must not be changed when sending mode information
within packets if the mode parameter is set to '0' (as a
response to a mode transition request from the decompressor).
- C_TRANS:
C_TRANS is (P)ending when receiving a mode transition request
from the decompressor. C_TRANS is set to (D)one when the
compressor receives an ACK for a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet
sent with the mode parameter set to the mode in use at the time
the mode transition request was initiated.
Parameters for the decompressor side:
- D_MODE:
D_MODE MUST remain unchanged when receiving a UOR-2, an IR-DYN,
or an IR packet sent with the mode parameter set to '0'.
- D_TRANS:
D_TRANS is (P)ending when a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet sent
with the mode parameter set to '0' is received. It is set to
(D)one when a packet of type 1 or 0 corresponding to the
unchanged mode is received.
The resulting mode transition procedure is described below:
Compressor Decompressor
----------------------------------------------
C_MODE = X | | D_MODE = X
| Mode Request(Y) +-<-<-<-| D_TRANS = I
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = P |-<-<-<-+ |
C_MODE = X | |
|->->->-+ IR/IR-DYN/UOR-2(SN,C) |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
|->-.. +->->->-| D_TRANS = P
|->-.. | D_MODE = X
| ACK(SN,X) +-<-<-<-|
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = D |-<-<-<-+ |
| |
|->->->-+ X-0, X-1* |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
| +->->->-| D_TRANS = D
| |
where X: mode in use before the mode transition was initiated
Y: mode requested by the decompressor
C: (C)ancel mode transition
3.5. Initialization
The static context for ROHC IP compression can be initialized in
either of two ways:
1) By using an IR packet as in ROHC UDP, where the profile is 0x0004,
and the static chain ends with the static part of an IP header,
where the Next Header/Protocol field has any value but IPinIP (4)
or IPv6 (41) [PROTOCOL], or where the IP version field indicates
termination (see section 3.1). At the compressor, SN is
initialized to a random value when the first IR packet is sent.
2) By reusing an existing context. This is done with an IR-DYN
packet, identifying profile 0x0004, where the dynamic chain
corresponds to the prefix of the existing static chain, ending
with an IP header where the Next Header/Protocol field has any
value but IPinIP (4) or IPv6 (41) [PROTOCOL], or where the IP
version field indicates termination (see section 3.1). At the
compressor, SN is initialized to a random value when the first
IR-DYN packet is sent.
For ROHC IP, the dynamic part of an IR or IR-DYN packet is similar to
the one for ROHC UDP, with a two-octet field containing the SN
present at the end of the dynamic chain in IR and IR-DYN packets. It
should be noted that the static and dynamic chains have an arbitrary
length, and the SN is added only once, at the end of the dynamic
chain in IR and IR-DYN packets.
3.6. Packet Types
Except for one new feedback option (see section 3.7), the only packet
format that differs from ROHC UDP is the general format for
compressed packets, which has no UDP checksum in the end. Instead,
it ends with a list of dynamic header portions, one for each IP
header above the initial two (if any, as indicated by the presence of
corresponding header portions in the static chain).
The general format for a compressed header is thus as follows:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
: Add-CID octet : |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |
| first octet of base header | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |
: : |
/ 0, 1, or 2 octets of CID / |
: : |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |
/ remainder of base header / |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |
: : |
/ Extension / |
: : |
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
: : |
+ IP-ID of outer IPv4 header +
: : (see section 5.7 of [RFC-3095])
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
/ AH data for outer list / |
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
: : |
+ GRE checksum + |
: : |
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
: : |
+ IP-ID of inner IPv4 header + |
: : |
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
/ AH data for inner list / |
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
: : |
+ GRE checksum + |
: : |
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
: List of :
/ Dynamic chains / variable, given by static chain
: for additional IP headers : (includes no SN)
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Note that the list of dynamic chains for the additional IP headers in
compressed packets do not have a sequence number at the end of the
chain, as SN is present within compressed base headers.
3.7. The CONTEXT_MEMORY Feedback Option
The CONTEXT_MEMORY option informs the compressor that the
decompressor does not have sufficient memory resources to handle the
context of the packet stream, as the stream is currently compressed.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| Opt Type = 9 | Opt Len = 0 |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
When receiving a CONTEXT_MEMORY option, the compressor SHOULD take
actions to compress the packet stream in a way that requires less
decompressor memory resources, or stop compressing the packet stream.
4. Security Considerations
The security considerations of [RFC-3095] apply equally to this
document, without exceptions or additions.
5. IANA Considerations
ROHC profile identifier 0x0004 has been reserved by the IANA for the
profile defined in this document.
6. Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Carsten Bormann, Fredrik Lindstrom,
Tommy Lundemo, and especially the committed document reviewers
Kristofer Sandlund and Mark West, for valuable input and review.
7. Normative References
[RFC-791] Postel, J., "Internet Protocol", RFC 791, September 1981.
[RFC-2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[RFC-2460] Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6
(IPv6) Specification", RFC 2460, December 1998.
[RFC-3095] Bormann, C., Burmeister, C., Degermark, M., Fukushima,
H., Hannu, H., Jonsson, L-E., Hakenberg, R., Koren, T.,
Le, K., Liu, Z., Martensson, A., Miyazaki, A., Svanbro,
K., Wiebke, T., Yoshimura, T. and H. Zheng, "Robust
Header Compression (ROHC)", RFC 3095, July 2001.
[PROTOCOL] "Assigned Internet Protocol Numbers", IANA registry at:
http://www.iana.org/assignments/protocol-numbers
Appendix A. Detailed Procedures for Canceling Mode Transitions
The profiles defined in [RFC-3095] operate using different modes of
compression: Unidirectional (U-Mode), Bi-directional Optimistic
(O-Mode), and Bi-directional Reliable (R-Mode). Compression always
starts in the U-Mode, and mode transitions can only be initiated by
the decompressor [RFC-3095, section 5.6.]. A mode transition can be
requested once a packet has reached the decompressor by sending
feedback indicating the desired mode.
With reference to the parameters C_TRANS, C_MODE, D_TRANS, and D_MODE
defined in [RFC-3095, section 5.6.1.], the following sub-sections
describe the resulting procedures when a compressor declines a mode
transition request from the decompressor as described in section 3.4.
A.1. Transition from Optimistic to Reliable Mode
When the decompressor initiates a mode transition from Optimistic to
Reliable mode, the cancellation of the transition procedure is as
follows:
Compressor Decompressor
----------------------------------------------
| |
| ACK(R)/NACK(R) +-<-<-<-| D_TRANS = I
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = P |-<-<-<-+ |
C_MODE = O | |
|->->->-+ IR/IR-DYN/UOR-2(SN,C) |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
|->-.. +->->->-| D_TRANS = P
|->-.. | D_MODE = O
| ACK(SN,O) +-<-<-<-|
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = D |-<-<-<-+ |
| |
|->->->-+ UO-0, UO-1* |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
| +->->->-| D_TRANS = D
The compressor must not send packet types 1 or 0 when C_TRANS is P,
i.e., not until it has received an ACK for a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR
packet sent with the mode transition parameter set to C. When the
decompressor receives a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet sent with the
mode transition parameter set to C, it must keep the value D_MODE as
O and set D_TRANS to P. When the decompressor receives packet types
0 or 1, after having ACKed a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet, it sets
D_TRANS to D.
A.2. Transition from Unidirectional to Reliable Mode
The cancellation of a transition from Unidirectional to Reliable mode
follows the same procedure as defined in section 4.2 above.
A.3. Transition from Reliable to Optimistic Mode
When the decompressor initiates a mode transition from Reliable to
Optimistic mode, the cancellation of the transition procedure is
described as follows:
Compressor Decompressor
----------------------------------------------
| |
| ACK(O)/NACK(O) +-<-<-<-| D_TRANS = I
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = P |-<-<-<-+ |
C_MODE = R | |
|->->->-+ IR/IR-DYN/UOR-2(SN,C) |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
|->-.. +->->->-| D_MODE = R
|->-.. |
| ACK(SN,R) +-<-<-<-|
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = D |-<-<-<-+ |
| |
|->->->-+ R-0, R-1* |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
| +->->->-| D_TRANS = D
| |
The compressor must not send packet types 1 or 0 when C_TRANS is P,
i.e., not until it has received an ACK for a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR
packet sent with the mode transition parameter set to C. When the
decompressor receives a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet sent with the
mode transition parameter set to C, it must keep the value D_MODE as
R. When the decompressor receives packet types 0 or 1, after having
ACKed a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet, it sets D_TRANS to D.
A.4. Transition Back to Unidirectional Mode
When the decompressor initiates a mode transition from Reliable or
Optimistic mode back to Unidirectional mode, the cancellation of the
transition procedure is as follows:
Compressor Decompressor
----------------------------------------------
| |
| ACK(U)/NACK(U) +-<-<-<-| D_TRANS = I
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = P |-<-<-<-+ |
C_MODE = O/R| |
|->->->-+ IR/IR-DYN/UOR-2(SN,C) |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
|->-.. +->->->-|
|->-.. |
| ACK(SN,O/R) +-<-<-<-|
| +-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-+ |
C_TRANS = D |-<-<-<-+ |
| R-0, R-1* or |
|->->->-+ UO-0, UO-1* |
| +->->->->->->->-+ |
| +->->->-| D_TRANS = D
D_MODE = O/R
When the decompressor receives a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet sent
with the mode transition parameter set to C, it must keep the value
D_MODE to the bi-directional mode already in use (either O- or R-
mode). After ACKing the first UOR-2(C), IR-DYN(C), or IR(C), the
decompressor MUST continue to send feedback with the Mode parameter
set to the bi-directional mode in use (either O- or R-mode) until it
receives packet types 0 or 1. When the decompressor receives packet
types 0 or 1, after having ACKed a UOR-2, IR-DYN, or IR packet, it
sets D_TRANS to D.
Authors' Addresses
Lars-Erik Jonsson
Ericsson AB
Box 920
SE-971 28 Lulea, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 404 29 61
Fax: +46 920 996 21
EMail: lars-erik.jonsson@ericsson.com
Ghyslain Pelletier
Ericsson AB
Box 920
SE-971 28 Lulea, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 404 29 43
Fax: +46 920 996 21
EMail: ghyslain.pelletier@ericsson.com
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§1The Missing Profile
The original RObust Header Compression RFC, RFC 3095, defines a framework for header compression along with compression protocols, called profiles, for IP/UDP/RTP, IP/ESP, IP/UDP and a profile for uncompressed packet streams. The uncompressed profile exists so that all traffic can be encapsulated over a link within ROHC packets, letting the lower layers avoid multiplexing different packet types. It is simple and can tunnel arbitrary packets, but it does not compress the headers at all.
Since normally all packets are expected to be IP packets, and the IP header often represents a major part of the total header, compression of the IP header alone would for most packets be a useful alternative to no compression. No such profile was defined in RFC 3095, and this has been identified as an important missing piece in the ROHC toolbox.
This document defines a ROHC compression profile for IP only, similar to the IP/UDP profile but simplified to exclude UDP. Because of the similarities with the IP/UDP profile, the IP compression profile is described based on that profile, mainly covering differences. The most important differences are a different way of terminating the static header chain and the capability of compressing IP header chains of arbitrary length. In general there are no major differences between the two profiles, since removing UDP has no impact on the compression mechanisms in principle. As in the IP/UDP profile, the compressor generates a 16-bit sequence number that increases by one for each packet compressed in the stream.
ROHC shrinks headers by sending the repeating parts once and then only the differences. The framework had profiles for IP/UDP/RTP, IP/ESP and IP/UDP, but none for plain IP. This one fills that hole.
| Aspect | ROHC UDP (0x0002) | ROHC IP (0x0004) |
|---|---|---|
| Last header in the chain | The UDP header ends the chain | A non-IP next header, or a termination code in the version field |
| IP levels that can be compressed | At most two | Any number |
| End of a compressed header THIS RFC | Ends with the UDP checksum | Ends with dynamic chains for the extra IP headers |
| Constant IP identifier | Not handled | Signalled with the SID flag and compressed away |
§3Profile 0x0004 and Static Chain Termination
In the IP profile defined here, known as ROHC IP, the static chain is terminated when the "Next Header / Protocol" field of a static IP header part indicates anything but IP, that is, anything other than IPinIP or IPv6. Alternatively, the compressor can choose to end the static chain at any IP header and indicate this by setting the most significant bit of the IP version field to 1, which is the value 0xC for IPv4 or 0xE for IPv6. The decompressor must store this indication in the context for correct decompression of subsequent headers, and the IP version field in decompressed headers must be restored to its original value.
This is the first of the two important differences from the IP/UDP profile. In the UDP profile the chain always ends with a UDP header part, which by definition provides the boundary for the chain, and the UDP header is also the last header in the uncompressed packet, apart from a possible application header. For the IP-only profile there is no single last header that ends the chain by definition, so the profile needs another way to mark the end.
A compressed header normally ends at a known point, such as the UDP header. With plain IP there is no such fixed point, so the chain ends either at a header that is not followed by another IP header, or at a header marked with a special version value.
§3.2Header Chains of Arbitrary Length
In the profiles defined by RFC 3095, there is a single last header in the header chain that marks the end of the static chain, and the length of the dynamic chain is then inferred from the static chain in the IR header or from the static chain in the context for the IR-DYN header. Both chains may be of arbitrary length, so a context may in theory be initialized with an arbitrary number of IP levels. However, the general compressed header formats of RFC 3095 allow at most two levels of IP headers, the inner and the outer, in a compressed header, and list compression cannot be used for additional IP headers. The consequence for the RFC 3095 profiles is that at most two levels of IP headers can be compressed; extra IP headers at best partially disable header compression, and the compressor is then only allowed to send IR and IR-DYN packets.
For IP-only compression, additional IP headers would not have to disable header compression, because there is no single packet type that ends the compressed chain. The excess IP headers could simply be left uncompressed by implicitly terminating the static and dynamic chains after at most two levels. The IP-only profile goes one step further and supports compression of an arbitrary number of IP levels. This is achieved by adding a dynamic chain to the general format of compressed headers, holding the header part of each IP level in excess of the first two. The information related to the initial two IP headers is carried as for the IP/UDP profile, and a chain of dynamic header information is added to the end of the compressed header for every additional IP header. The length of the chain is inferred from the chain of static parameters in the context. While a dynamic chain carries dynamically changing parameters using an uncompressed representation, this ensures that flows with arbitrary levels of IP headers will not impair compression efficiency.
The older profiles could only squeeze two IP headers into one packet, so extra headers made compression useless. This profile adds a list of extra header parts to the compressed packet, so a tunnel of any depth still compresses well.
§3.3The Constant IP-ID
Most IPv4 stacks assign an IP-ID according to the value of a counter that increases by one for each outgoing packet. ROHC UDP compresses the IP-ID field using offset IP-ID encoding based on the UDP sequence number. For stacks generating IP-ID values using a pseudo-random number generator, the field is not compressed and is sent as is, in its entirety, as additional octets after the compressed header. Cases have also been found where an IPv4 stack uses a constant value for the IP Identifier. When the IP-ID field is constant it cannot be compressed using offset IP-ID encoding, so the field must be sent in its entirety.
This overhead is avoided with the addition of a flag within the dynamic part of the chain used to initialize the IPv4 header. The dynamic part carries the Type of Service and Time to Live octets, then the two-octet Identification field, then a row of flags: DF, RND, NBO, SID and a reserved zero bit. SID means static IP identifier. For IR and IR-DYN packets the logic is the same as for ROHC UDP with the addition that the SID field must be kept in the context. For compressed headers other than IR and IR-DYN, if the RND value is 0 and the context SID is 0, the IP-ID is compressed using offset IP-ID encoding with p = 0 and a default slope of 0. If the RND value is 0 and the context SID is 1, the IP-ID is constant and compressed away, and its value is the context IP-ID. If the RND value is 1, the IP-ID is the uncompressed value and is passed as additional octets at the end of the compressed header, after any extensions. Only IR and IR-DYN packets can update the context SID.
Some stacks keep the same IP identification number for every packet. The IP-only profile adds one flag that tells the other end to keep that number instead of sending it again with each packet.
| Field | Name | Size | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TYPE-OF-SERVICE | Type of Service | 1 byte | Carried in the dynamic part of the chain. | |
TIME-TO-LIVE | Time to Live | 1 byte | Carried in the dynamic part of the chain. | |
IDENTIFICATION | Identification | 2 bytes | The IP-ID. Compressed away when the SID flag says it is constant. | |
FLAGS | DF RND NBO SID 0 | 1 byte | The SID flag marks a static IP identifier, so the field is not sent again. |
§3.4Canceling a Mode Transition
The profiles defined in RFC 3095 operate in different modes of compression: Unidirectional, Bi-directional Optimistic and Bi-directional Reliable. Compression always starts in Unidirectional mode, and mode transitions can only be initiated by the decompressor, which requests a transition once a packet has reached it. The compressor is compelled to honor such requests.
For the IP profile, the Mode parameter value of 0, used with the UOR-2, IR and IR-DYN packet types, is redefined to let the compressor decline a requested mode transition. Upon receiving the Mode parameter set to 0, the decompressor MUST stay in its current mode of operation and SHOULD refrain from sending further mode transition requests for the declined mode for a certain amount of time.
The RFC then sets out how the four state variables behave. On the compressor side, the mode value must not change when sending mode information within packets if the mode parameter is set to 0, and the transition flag is pending when a mode transition request is received from the decompressor, becoming done when the compressor receives an acknowledgement for a UOR-2, IR-DYN or IR packet sent with the mode parameter set to the mode in use when the request was initiated. On the decompressor side, the mode MUST remain unchanged when receiving a UOR-2, IR-DYN or IR packet sent with the mode parameter set to 0, and the transition flag is pending on receipt, becoming done when a packet of the corresponding type for the unchanged mode is received. Appendix A gives the detailed procedures for canceling a transition from Optimistic to Reliable mode, from Unidirectional to Reliable mode, from Reliable to Optimistic mode, and back to Unidirectional mode.
The decompressor normally asks the compressor to switch mode and the compressor must agree. This profile lets the compressor say no, and the decompressor has to stay in its current mode until it asks again later.
§3.6Packet Types, Initialization and the Compressed Format
Except for one new feedback option, the only packet format that differs from ROHC UDP is the general format for compressed packets, which has no UDP checksum at the end. Instead it ends with a list of dynamic header portions, one for each IP header above the initial two, if any, as indicated by the presence of corresponding header portions in the static chain. The general format runs from the Add-CID octet and the base header, through the optional CID, the remainder of the base header and any extension, then the IP-ID of the outer IPv4 header, the outer list's AH data and GRE checksum, the IP-ID of the inner IPv4 header, the inner list's AH data and GRE checksum, and finally the list of dynamic chains for the additional IP headers, whose length is given by the static chain and which include no sequence number. The sequence number is present within compressed base headers.
The static context for ROHC IP compression can be initialized in two ways. It can be initialized by using an IR packet as in ROHC UDP, where the profile is 0x0004 and the static chain ends with the static part of an IP header whose Next Header or Protocol field has any value except IPinIP (4) or IPv6 (41), or where the IP version field indicates termination. It can also be initialized by reusing an existing context, done with an IR-DYN packet identifying profile 0x0004, where the dynamic chain corresponds to the prefix of the existing static chain. In both cases the sequence number is initialized to a random value when the first IR or IR-DYN packet is sent.
The new CONTEXT_MEMORY feedback option informs the compressor that the decompressor does not have sufficient memory resources to handle the context of the packet stream as it is currently compressed. Its option type is 9 and its option length is 0. On receiving it, the compressor SHOULD take actions to compress the packet stream in a way that requires fewer decompressor memory resources, or stop compressing the packet stream.
The compressed packet keeps the usual shape but drops the UDP checksum and adds the extra header parts at the end. A context is set up either from scratch or by reusing an existing one. A new feedback option lets the decompressor say that it is running out of memory.
§4Security Considerations
The RFC says that the security considerations of RFC 3095 apply equally to this document, without exceptions or additions. The profile is a compression format and adds no new mechanism of its own: it reuses the framework, its modes of operation and its feedback options, and changes only how the header chain ends and how constant IP identifiers are signalled.
This document adds nothing new about security. Whatever the ROHC framework in RFC 3095 says about security applies here unchanged.