Introduction

The One-Way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP) [RFC4656] defines the Type-P Descriptor field and negotiation of its value in the OWAMPControl protocol. The Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) [RFC5357] states that only a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value (see [RFC2474], [RFC3168], and [RFC3260]) can be defined by Type-P Descriptor, and the negotiated value must be used by both the Session-Sender and Session-Reflector. The TWAMP specification also states that the same DSCP value (found in the Session-Sender packet) MUST be used in the test packet reflected by the Session- Reflector. However, the TWAMP-Test protocol does not specify any methods to determine or report when the DSCP value has changed or is different than expected in the forward or reverse direction. Remarking the DSCP (changing its original value) in IP networks is possible and often accomplished by a Differentiated Services policy configured on a single node along the IP path. In many cases, a change of the DSCP value indicates an unintentional or erroneous behavior. At best, the Session-Sender can detect a change of the DSCP reverse direction, assuming such a change is actually detectable.

This document describes an OPTIONAL feature for TWAMP. It is called DSCP and ECN Monitoring. It allows the Session-Sender to know the actual DSCP value received at the Session-Reflector. Furthermore, this feature tracks the Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) value (see [RFC2474], [RFC3168], and [RFC3260]) received at the Session-Reflector. This is helpful to determine if the ECN is actually operating or if an ECN-capable node has detected congestion in the forward direction.