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Alternate Marking Deployment Framework
draft-ietf-ippm-alt-mark-deployment-07

Document Type Active Internet-Draft (ippm WG)
Authors Giuseppe Fioccola , Keyi Zhu , Thomas Graf , Lin Zhang , Massimo Nilo
Last updated 2026-07-03
Replaces draft-fz-ippm-alt-mark-deployment
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draft-ietf-ippm-alt-mark-deployment-07
IPPM                                                         G. Fioccola
Internet-Draft                                                    K. Zhu
Intended status: Informational                                    Huawei
Expires: 4 January 2027                                          T. Graf
                                                                Swisscom
                                                                L. Zhang
                                                            China Mobile
                                                                 M. Nilo
                                                                FiberCop
                                                             3 July 2026

                 Alternate Marking Deployment Framework
                 draft-ietf-ippm-alt-mark-deployment-07

Abstract

   This document provides a framework for Alternate Marking deployment
   and includes considerations and guidance for the deployment of the
   methodology.

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
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   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
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   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on 4 January 2027.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   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

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   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
     1.1.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     1.2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   2.  AltMark Deployment Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   3.  AltMark Measurement Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   4.  Type of Measurements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   5.  AltMark Deployment Framework  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   6.  Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
     6.1.  YANG Model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     6.2.  PCEP and BGP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   7.  Data Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     7.1.  IPFIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     7.2.  YANG-Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     7.3.  Hybrid Two-Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   8.  Encapsulations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     8.1.  IPv6  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     8.2.  SRv6  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     8.3.  BIER  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     8.4.  MPLS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     8.5.  SFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     8.6.  NVO3  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   9.  Operational Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
   10. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
   11. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   12. Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   13. Contributors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   14. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     14.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     14.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18

1.  Introduction

   The Alternate Marking [RFC9341] and Clustered Alternate Marking
   [RFC9342] define the Alternate Marking technique that is a hybrid
   performance measurement method, per [RFC7799] classification of
   measurement methods.  This method is based on marking consecutive
   batches of packets and it can be used to measure packet loss,
   latency, and jitter on live traffic.

   The first experiments on Alternate-Marking were described in
   [RFC8321] and [RFC8889].

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   According to the definitions of [RFC7799], the Alternate-Marking
   Method can be classified as Hybrid Type I.  Indeed, Alternate Marking
   can be implemented by using reserved bits in the protocol header, and
   the change in value of these marking bits at the source node is
   formally considered a modification of the stream of interest.

   This document complements [RFC9341] and [RFC9342] as it explains the
   mechanisms that can be used to manage and deploy the method.

   This document can be considered as the base document to deploy the
   Alternate Marking Method.  There are three complementary documents to
   be considered for the manageability aspects:

      [I-D.ietf-ippm-alt-mark-yang], that defines the a YANG Data Model
      for the Alternate Marking Method for configuration;

      [I-D.ietf-ippm-on-path-telemetry-yang], that defines an On-Path
      Telemetry YANG Data Model for notification;

      [I-D.ietf-opsawg-ipfix-alt-mark], that defines IPFIX Alternate-
      Marking Information Elements.

1.1.  Requirements Language

   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.

1.2.  Terminology

   Abbreviations used in this document:

      AltMark: Alternate-Marking

      NMS: Network Management System

      IPv6: Internet Protocol version 6

      SRv6: Segment Routing over IPv6 dataplane

      BIER: Bit Index Explicit Replication

      MPLS: Multi-Protocol Label Switching

      SFC: Service Function Chaining

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      NVO3: Network Virtualization Overlays

      IPFIX: IP Flow Information Export

      YANG: Yet Another Next Generation

      PCEP: Path Computation Element Communication Protocol

      BGP: Border Gateway Protocol

2.  AltMark Deployment Domain

   The Alternate Marking Method MUST be deployed in a controlled domain
   for security and compatibility reasons.  In this regard, [RFC8799]
   reports further examples of specific limited domain solutions.  It is
   not common that the user traffic originates and terminates within the
   controlled domain.  For this reason, it will typically only be
   applicable in an overlay network, where user traffic is encapsulated
   at one domain border, decapsulated at the other domain border and the
   encapsulation incorporates the relevant extension header for
   Alternate Marking.  This requirement also implies that an
   implementation MUST filter packets that carry Alternate Marking data
   and are entering or leaving the controlled domain.

   A controlled domain is a managed network where it is required to
   select, monitor and control the access to the network by enforcing
   policies at the domain boundaries in order to discard undesired
   external packets entering the domain and check the internal packets
   leaving the domain.  It does not necessarily mean that a controlled
   domain is a single administrative domain or a single organization.  A
   controlled domain can correspond to a single administrative domain or
   can be composed by multiple administrative domains under a defined
   network management.  Indeed, some scenarios may imply that the
   Alternate Marking Method involves more than one domain, but in these
   cases, it is RECOMMENDED that the multiple domains create a whole
   controlled domain while traversing the external domain by employing
   IPsec authentication and encryption or other VPN technology that
   provides full packet confidentiality and integrity protection.  In a
   few words, it must be possible to control the domain boundaries and
   eventually use specific precautions if the traffic traverse the
   Internet.  Note that, if there is a trust relationship between
   different entities, the controlled domain can still be considered.
   The different entities just need to agree on how to manage it in
   terms of configuration and reporting.

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   The Alternate Marking measurement domain can overlap with the
   controlled domain or may be a subset of the controlled domain.  The
   typical scenarios for the application of the Alternate Marking Method
   depend on the controlled domain boundaries, in particular:

      the user equipment can be the starting or ending node, only in
      case it is fully managed and if it belongs to the controlled
      domain.  In this case the user generated packets contain the
      Alternate Marking data.  But, in practice, this is not common due
      to the fact that the user equipment cannot be totally secured in
      the majority of cases.

      the CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) or the PE (Provider Edge)
      routers are most likely to be the starting or ending nodes since
      they can be border routers of the controlled domain.  For
      instance, the CPE, which connects the user's premises with the
      service provider's network, belongs to a controlled domain only if
      it is managed by the service provider and if additional security
      measures are taken to keep it trustworthy.  Typically the CPE or
      the PE can encapsulate a received packet in an outer header which
      contains the Alternate Marking data.  They can also be able to
      filter and drop packets from outside of the domain with
      inconsistent fields to make effective the relevant security rules
      at the domain boundaries, for example a simple security check can
      be to insert the Alternate Marking data if and only if the
      destination is within the controlled domain.

3.  AltMark Measurement Nodes

   An Alternate-Marking Domain consists of marking nodes, unmarking
   nodes, and transit nodes.

      A marking node, also called encapsulating node, incorporates the
      AltMark Data Fields into packets in order to enable Alternate-
      Marking.  If the Alternate-Marking method is enabled for a
      selected flow of the traffic, the encapsulating node is
      responsible for applying the AltMark functionality to the selected
      flow and to take initial timestamps and packet counters.

      A transit node only reads AltMark Data Fields in order to take
      timestamps and packet counters.

      An unmarking node, also called decapsulating node, reads AltMark
      Data Fields in order to take final timestamps and packet counters
      and then removes any AltMark Data Fields from packets.

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           Configuration   Configuration   Configuration  Configuration
           and             and             and            and
           Export of       Export of       Export of      Export of
           AltMark data    AltMark data    AltMark data   AltMark data
               |               |               |               |
               |               |               |               |
               |               |               |               |
 User     +----+----+     +----+----+     +----+----+     +----+----+
 packets  |Marking  |     | Transit |     | Transit |     |Unmarking|
 -------->|Node     |====>| Node    |====>| Node    |====>|Node     |-->
          |         |     | A       |     | B       |     |         |
          +---------+     +---------+     +---------+     +---------+

               Figure 1: Roles of Alternate-Marking Nodes

4.  Type of Measurements

   The methodology described in the previous sections can be applied to
   various performance measurement problems.  The only requirement is to
   select and mark the flow to be monitored; in this way, packets are
   batched by the sender, and each batch is alternately marked such that
   it can be easily recognized by the receiver.

   Either one or two flag bits might be available for marking in
   different deployments:

      One flag: packet loss measurement MUST be done as described in
      Section 3.1 of [RFC9341], while delay measurement MUST be done
      according to the single-marking method described in Section 3.2.1
      of [RFC9341].  Mean delay (Section 3.2.1.1 of [RFC9341]) MAY also
      be used but it could imply more computational load.

      Two flags: packet loss measurement MUST be done as described in
      Section 3.1 of [RFC9341], while delay measurement MUST be done
      according to double-marking method Section 3.2.2 of [RFC9341].  In
      this case single-marking MAY also be used in combination with
      double-marking and the two approaches provide slightly different
      pieces of information that can be combined to have a more robust
      data set.

   There are some operational guidelines to consider for the purpose of
   deciding to follow the recommendations above and use one or two
   flags.

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      The Alternate-Marking method utilizes specific flags in the packet
      header, so an important factor is the number of flags available
      for the implementation.  Indeed, if there is only one flag
      available there is no other way, while if two flags are available
      the option with two flags is certainly more complete.

      The duration of the Alternate-Marking period affects the frequency
      of the measurement and this is a parameter that can be decided on
      the basis of the required temporal sampling.  But it cannot be
      freely chosen, as explained in Section 5 of [RFC9341].

      The Alternate-Marking methodologies enable packet loss, delay and
      delay variation calculation, but in accordance with the method
      used (e.g. single-marking or double-marking), there is different
      kind of information that can be derived.  For example, to get more
      statistics of extent data, the option with two flags is desirable.
      For this reason, the type of data needed in the specific scenario
      is an additional element to take into account.

      The Alternate-Marking methods imply different computational load
      depending on the method employed.  Therefore, the available
      computational resources on the measurement points can also
      influence the choice.  As an example, mean delay calculation may
      require more processing and it may not be the best option to
      minimize the computational load.

   A deployment of the Alternate-Marking Method should also take into
   account how to handle and recognize marked and unmarked traffic.
   Since Alternate-Marking normally employs a marking field which is
   dedicated, reserved, and included in a protocol extension, the
   measurement points can learn whether the measurement is activated or
   not by checking if the specific extension is included or not within
   the packets.

5.  AltMark Deployment Framework

   Figure 2 shows an overview of the Alternate-Marking Deployment
   Framework, including Network Configuration and Data Collection
   functions, which can also be implemented in different systems.

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                                +----------------+
                               +---------------+ |
                               | Network       | |
                               | Configuration | |
                               | and           | |
                               | Data          | |
                               | Collection    |-+
                               +---------------+
                                       |
                                       |
                                       |
                                       |
               +---------------+-------+-------+---------------+
               |               |               |               |
               |               |               |               |
               |               |               |               |
 User     +----+----+     +----+----+     +----+----+     +----+----+
 packets  |Marking  |     | Transit |     | Transit |     |Unmarking|
 -------->|Node     |====>| Node    |====>| Node    |====>|Node     |-->
          |         |     | A       |     | B       |     |         |
          +---------+     +---------+     +---------+     +---------+

   Figure 2: Alternate-Marking Framework with Configuration and Data
                                 Export

6.  Configuration

   Several mechanisms can be used for configuration and, in particular,
   YANG Model, PCEP and BGP.  These are needed to signal and configure
   the parameters to identify the flow to monitor both in case of point-
   to-point flow and multipoint-to-multipoint flow.  Indeed, the
   selection of the identification fields directly affects the type of
   paths that the flow would follow in the network.  As an example, for
   IPv6 the setting of the Flow Monitoring Identification (FlowMonID) is
   used in combination with source and destination addresses to identify
   a flow, as described in Section 5.3 of [RFC9343], and it can be
   pseudo-randomly generated by the source node or assigned by the
   central controller.

   Additionally, other parameters are essential for the activation of
   the AltMark methodology: the choice between end-to-end or hop-by-hop
   measurement, the choice between the methods with one flag or two
   flags and the duration of the Alternate-Marking period which affects
   the measurement frequency (longer the duration of the block, the less
   frequently the measurement can be taken).

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6.1.  YANG Model

   The YANG model can be used for the definition of the AltMark data
   sent over network management protocols such as the NETCONF and
   RESTCONF.  They can be used for configuring Alternate-Marking in
   network nodes that support it.  An example of the Alternate-Marking
   YANG model is defined in [I-D.ietf-ippm-alt-mark-yang].

6.2.  PCEP and BGP

   There are also other control plane mechanisms to advertise and
   activate AltMark capabilities, using PCEP and BGP:
   [I-D.ietf-idr-sr-policy-ifit], [I-D.ietf-idr-bgp-ifit-capabilities],
   [I-D.ietf-pce-pcep-ifit], [I-D.he-idr-bgp-flowspec-ifit].

7.  Data Export

   Each packet marked for Alternate-Marking, as for example the AltMark
   IPv6 option type defined in Section 3.1 of [RFC9343] or the Segment
   Routing TLV Type as defined in Section 3.1 of [RFC9947] is counted or
   timestamped according to the method.  The export of data can be done
   using the IPFIX or YANG push metering process depending which Network
   Telemetry [RFC9232] protocol is used to export the data.

   There are two options for the computation:

      The NMS acts as Collector.  The loss and delay metrics are
      computed on the NMS by comparing the packet counts and timestamps
      at each AltMark period, according to the AltMark technique
      [RFC9341] [RFC9342].

      The computation of loss and delay metrics can be done directly on
      the node, if we assume that the relevant counters and timestamps
      are carried with the packet and available on the node.  According
      to [RFC9951], it is possible to export the delay performance
      metrics in IPFIX.  Therefore, assuming we have the counter and
      timestamp information directly on the node, as enabled by
      [RFC9947], the delay can be computed on the router.

   When data are collected, packet counts and timestamps are reported to
   the collector, but a certain synchronization mechanism is required to
   ensure that the collected data is correlated properly.  Therefore,
   the Period Number (PN) can be used to help to determine the packet
   counts related to the same block of markers, or the timestamps
   related to the same marked packet.  The PN is generated each time a
   node reads the packet counts or timestamps, and is associated with
   each packet count and timestamp reported.  The assumption is that the
   nodes are time synchronized as described in [RFC9341] and [RFC9342].

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   The PN can be calculated as the modulo of the local time (when the
   counts or timestamps are read) and the interval of the marking time
   period.

   Note that, in addition to IPFIX, YANG-Push and Hydrid Two-Step, which
   are reported below, it is also possible to employ gRPC, an open
   source Remote Procedure Call (RPC) framework for exporting telemetry
   data.

7.1.  IPFIX

   For IPFIX [RFC7011], new Information Elements (IEs) for FlowMonID,
   Loss and Delay flag are needed so that the data can be aggregated
   according to the Alternate-Marking Method.  The new IEs to export
   Alternate Marking measurement data are specified in
   [I-D.ietf-opsawg-ipfix-alt-mark].

   The IPFIX entities, which are of interest to describe the
   relationship to the forwarding topology and the control-plane are
   further described in [I-D.ietf-opsawg-ipfix-alt-mark].

7.2.  YANG-Push

   For YANG-Push [RFC8641], periodic subscription as defined in
   Section 3.1 of [RFC8641] is used to subscribe data.
   [I-D.ietf-ippm-on-path-telemetry-yang] introduces a YANG data model
   for monitoring Alternate-Marking telemetry data.

   Since the amount of observed data could overwhelm a router processor
   on a network node, publishing data from network processors as
   specified in [I-D.ietf-netconf-distributed-notif] is advised.

7.3.  Hybrid Two-Step

   Another option for collecting AltMark data can be the Hybrid Two-Step
   (HTS) approach, defined in [I-D.ietf-ippm-hybrid-two-step].  It is a
   method of telemetry collection that separates the act of measuring
   the performance metric from collecting this information.  A packet in
   the flow to which the AltMark method is applied can be used as an HTS
   Trigger, while the HTS Follow-up packet is then generated to collect
   the measurement data from the nodes, as further detailed in
   [I-D.ietf-ippm-hybrid-two-step].

8.  Encapsulations

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8.1.  IPv6

   The Alternate-Marking encapsulation for IPv6 is defined in [RFC9343],
   which also discusses deployment considerations for IPv6 networks.

   The IPv6 AltMark Option [RFC9343] applies the Alternate Marking
   Method to IPv6, and defines an Extension Header Option to encode the
   Alternate Marking Method for both the Hop-by-Hop Options Header and
   the Destination Options Header.

   [I-D.zhou-ippm-enhanced-alternate-marking] defines extended data
   fields for the IPv6 AltMark Option and provides enhanced capabilities
   to overcome some challenges and enable future proof applications.  It
   is worth mentioning that the enhanced capabilities are intended for
   further use and are optional.

   Additional extended data fields for the IPv6 AltMark Option are
   introduced in [I-D.wang-ippm-ipv6-flow-measurement] and
   [I-D.wang-ippm-ipv6-distributed-flow-measurement].

8.2.  SRv6

   The Alternate-Marking encapsulation for SRv6 is discussed in IPv6
   AltMark Option [RFC9343] and [RFC9947].  However, it is to be noted
   that [RFC9343] also applies to SRv6.  While [RFC9947] is an
   alternative experimental approach and it uses an experimental TLV in
   the SRH.

8.3.  BIER

   The Alternate-Marking encapsulation for BIER is introduced in
   [I-D.ietf-bier-pmmm-oam].

8.4.  MPLS

   The Alternate-Marking application to MPLS has some options, as
   introduced in [RFC9571], [RFC9714], [I-D.cx-mpls-mna-inband-pm].

8.5.  SFC

   The Alternate-Marking encapsulation for SFC is introduced in
   [I-D.mfm-ippm-sfc-nsh-pmamm].

8.6.  NVO3

   The Alternate-Marking encapsulation for NVO3 is introduced in
   [I-D.fmm-nvo3-pm-alt-mark].

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9.  Operational Considerations

   This document aims to complement [RFC9341] and [RFC9342] in terms of
   operation and manageability of the methodology.  Indeed, the previous
   sections cover the aspects related to configuration and data export.

   [RFC9341] and [RFC9342] already include some recommendations for
   deployment.  Further details about the method operation are specified
   for the different extensions: IPv6 [RFC9343], SRH [RFC9947], and MPLS
   [RFC9714].

   In a controlled domain, the nodes may support the AltMark specific
   encapsulation and this also depends on the implementation.  If a node
   is configured to read the AltMark option, the measurement is done on
   that node, otherwise it is simply not considered in the measurement.

   Assuming that the measurement domain overlaps with the controlled
   domain, the procedure for AltMark data encapsulation can be
   summarized as follows:

   *  Ingress Marking Node: the Ingress Node of a controlled domain that
      supports the Alternate Marking Method adds the AltMark data in the
      the data packets.

   *  Intermediate Transit Node: if an Intermediate Node is not capable
      of processing the AltMark data, it simply ignores it.  If an
      Intermediate Node is capable of processing the AltMark data, it
      processes it.

   *  Egress Unmarking Node: The Egress Node is the last node of the
      controlled domain.  The processing if the AltMark data is similar
      to the processing at the Intermediate Nodes.  The only difference
      is that it needs to remove the AltMark data from the the data
      packets.

   All the nodes in the AltMark measurement domain can be configured
   using the YANG model in [I-D.ietf-ippm-alt-mark-yang], while the data
   can be exported using IPFIX [I-D.ietf-opsawg-ipfix-alt-mark] or the
   on-path telemetry YANG model [I-D.ietf-ippm-on-path-telemetry-yang].

10.  Security Considerations

   Alternate Marking [RFC9341] and Clustered Alternate Marking [RFC9342]
   analyze different security concerns and related solutions.  These
   aspects are valid and applicable also to this document.  In
   particular the fundamental security requirement is that Alternate
   Marking MUST only be applied in a specific limited domain, as also
   mentioned in [RFC8799].

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11.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no request to IANA.

12.  Acknowledgements

   The authors of this document would like to thank Greg Mirsky,
   Chongfeng Xie, Xiao Min, Benoit Claise for their comments and
   reviews.

13.  Contributors

   Tianran Zhou
   Huawei
   Email: zhoutianran@huawei.com

   Mauro Cociglio
   Email: mauro.cociglio@outlook.com

   Fabio Bulgarella
   Telecom Italia
   Email: fabio.bulgarella@guest.telecomitalia.it

   Fabrizio Milan
   FiberCop
   Email: fabrizio.milan@fibercop.com

14.  References

14.1.  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,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

   [RFC9341]  Fioccola, G., Ed., Cociglio, M., Mirsky, G., Mizrahi, T.,
              and T. Zhou, "Alternate-Marking Method", RFC 9341,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9341, December 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9341>.

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   [RFC9342]  Fioccola, G., Ed., Cociglio, M., Sapio, A., Sisto, R., and
              T. Zhou, "Clustered Alternate-Marking Method", RFC 9342,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9342, December 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9342>.

14.2.  Informative References

   [I-D.cx-mpls-mna-inband-pm]
              Cheng, W., Min, X., Gandhi, R., Mirsky, G., and G.
              Fioccola, "MNA for Performance Measurement with Alternate
              Marking Method", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-
              cx-mpls-mna-inband-pm-08, 27 February 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-cx-mpls-mna-
              inband-pm-08>.

   [I-D.fmm-nvo3-pm-alt-mark]
              Fioccola, G., Mirsky, G., and T. Mizrahi, "Performance
              Measurement (PM) with Alternate Marking in Network
              Virtualization Overlays (NVO3)", Work in Progress,
              Internet-Draft, draft-fmm-nvo3-pm-alt-mark-03, 23 October
              2018, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-fmm-
              nvo3-pm-alt-mark-03>.

   [I-D.he-idr-bgp-flowspec-ifit]
              hexiaoming, X., Wang, A., Cheng, W., Dong, J., and X. Min,
              "BGP Extensions to Enable BGP FlowSpec based IFIT", Work
              in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-he-idr-bgp-flowspec-
              ifit-03, 25 May 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-he-idr-bgp-
              flowspec-ifit-03>.

   [I-D.ietf-bier-pmmm-oam]
              Mirsky, G., Zheng, L., Chen, M., and G. Fioccola,
              "Performance Measurement (PM) with Marking Method in Bit
              Index Explicit Replication (BIER) Layer", Work in
              Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-bier-pmmm-oam-16, 7
              November 2024, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/
              draft-ietf-bier-pmmm-oam-16>.

   [I-D.ietf-idr-bgp-ifit-capabilities]
              Fioccola, G., Pang, R., Wang, S., Decraene, B., Zhuang,
              S., and H. Wang, "Advertising In-situ Flow Information
              Telemetry (IFIT) Capabilities in BGP", Work in Progress,
              Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-idr-bgp-ifit-capabilities-09,
              17 April 2026, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/
              draft-ietf-idr-bgp-ifit-capabilities-09>.

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   [I-D.ietf-idr-sr-policy-ifit]
              Qin, F., Yuan, H., Yang, S., Zhou, T., and G. Fioccola,
              "BGP SR Policy Extensions to Enable IFIT", Work in
              Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-idr-sr-policy-ifit-
              12, 17 April 2026, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/
              draft-ietf-idr-sr-policy-ifit-12>.

   [I-D.ietf-ippm-alt-mark-yang]
              Graf, T., Wang, M., Fioccola, G., Zhou, T., and X. Min, "A
              YANG Data Model for the Alternate Marking Method", Work in
              Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-ippm-alt-mark-yang-
              03, 10 June 2026, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/
              draft-ietf-ippm-alt-mark-yang-03>.

   [I-D.ietf-ippm-hybrid-two-step]
              Mirsky, G., Lingqiang, W., Zhui, G., Song, H., and P.
              Thubert, "Hybrid Two-Step Performance Measurement Method",
              Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-ippm-hybrid-
              two-step-06, 19 September 2025,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-ippm-
              hybrid-two-step-06>.

   [I-D.ietf-ippm-on-path-telemetry-yang]
              Fioccola, G., Zhou, T., Zhu, Y., Zhang, W., and K. Zhu,
              "On-Path Telemetry YANG Data Model", Work in Progress,
              Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-ippm-on-path-telemetry-yang-03,
              10 June 2026, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/
              draft-ietf-ippm-on-path-telemetry-yang-03>.

   [I-D.ietf-netconf-distributed-notif]
              Zhou, T., Zheng, G., Voit, E., Graf, T., and P. Francois,
              "Subscription to Notifications in a Distributed
              Architecture", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-
              ietf-netconf-distributed-notif-19, 13 April 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-netconf-
              distributed-notif-19>.

   [I-D.ietf-opsawg-ipfix-alt-mark]
              Graf, T., Fioccola, G., Zhou, T., and Y. Zhu, "IP Flow
              Information Export (IPFIX) Alternate-Marking Information
              Elements", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-
              opsawg-ipfix-alt-mark-06, 10 June 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-opsawg-
              ipfix-alt-mark-06>.

   [I-D.ietf-pce-pcep-ifit]
              Yuan, H., 王雪荣, Yang, P., Li, W., and G. Fioccola, "Path
              Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP)

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              Extensions to Enable IFIT", Work in Progress, Internet-
              Draft, draft-ietf-pce-pcep-ifit-08, 2 January 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-pce-
              pcep-ifit-08>.

   [I-D.mfm-ippm-sfc-nsh-pmamm]
              Mirsky, G., Fioccola, G., and T. Mizrahi, "Performance
              Measurement (PM) with Alternate Marking Method in Service
              Function Chaining (SFC) Network Service Header (NSH)
              Domain", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-mfm-ippm-
              sfc-nsh-pmamm-00, 1 April 2022,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-mfm-ippm-sfc-
              nsh-pmamm-00>.

   [I-D.wang-ippm-ipv6-distributed-flow-measurement]
              Wang, H., Li, J., Lin, C., Min, X., and G. Mirsky,
              "Distributed Flow Measurement in IPv6", Work in Progress,
              Internet-Draft, draft-wang-ippm-ipv6-distributed-flow-
              measurement-06, 29 December 2024,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-wang-ippm-
              ipv6-distributed-flow-measurement-06>.

   [I-D.wang-ippm-ipv6-flow-measurement]
              Li, J., Li, Z., Lin, C., Min, X., and G. Mirsky, "Flow
              Measurement in IPv6 Network", Work in Progress, Internet-
              Draft, draft-wang-ippm-ipv6-flow-measurement-10, 12
              January 2026, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/
              draft-wang-ippm-ipv6-flow-measurement-10>.

   [I-D.zhou-ippm-enhanced-alternate-marking]
              Zhou, T., Fioccola, G., Liu, Y., Pang, R., Xiong, L., Lee,
              S., Cociglio, M., and W. Li, "Enhanced Alternate Marking
              Method", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-zhou-
              ippm-enhanced-alternate-marking-19, 5 June 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-zhou-ippm-
              enhanced-alternate-marking-19>.

   [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,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7011>.

   [RFC7799]  Morton, A., "Active and Passive Metrics and Methods (with
              Hybrid Types In-Between)", RFC 7799, DOI 10.17487/RFC7799,
              May 2016, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7799>.

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   [RFC8321]  Fioccola, G., Ed., Capello, A., Cociglio, M., Castaldelli,
              L., Chen, M., Zheng, L., Mirsky, G., and T. Mizrahi,
              "Alternate-Marking Method for Passive and Hybrid
              Performance Monitoring", RFC 8321, DOI 10.17487/RFC8321,
              January 2018, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8321>.

   [RFC8641]  Clemm, A. and E. Voit, "Subscription to YANG Notifications
              for Datastore Updates", RFC 8641, DOI 10.17487/RFC8641,
              September 2019, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8641>.

   [RFC8799]  Carpenter, B. and B. Liu, "Limited Domains and Internet
              Protocols", RFC 8799, DOI 10.17487/RFC8799, July 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8799>.

   [RFC8889]  Fioccola, G., Ed., Cociglio, M., Sapio, A., and R. Sisto,
              "Multipoint Alternate-Marking Method for Passive and
              Hybrid Performance Monitoring", RFC 8889,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8889, August 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8889>.

   [RFC9232]  Song, H., Qin, F., Martinez-Julia, P., Ciavaglia, L., and
              A. Wang, "Network Telemetry Framework", RFC 9232,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9232, May 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9232>.

   [RFC9343]  Fioccola, G., Zhou, T., Cociglio, M., Qin, F., and R.
              Pang, "IPv6 Application of the Alternate-Marking Method",
              RFC 9343, DOI 10.17487/RFC9343, December 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9343>.

   [RFC9571]  Bryant, S., Ed., Swallow, G., Chen, M., Fioccola, G., and
              G. Mirsky, "Extension of RFC 6374-Based Performance
              Measurement Using Synonymous Flow Labels", RFC 9571,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9571, May 2024,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9571>.

   [RFC9714]  Cheng, W., Ed., Min, X., Ed., Zhou, T., Dai, J., and Y.
              Peleg, "Encapsulation for MPLS Performance Measurement
              with the Alternate-Marking Method", RFC 9714,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9714, February 2025,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9714>.

   [RFC9947]  Fioccola, G., Zhou, T., Mishra, G., Wang, X., Zhang, G.,
              and M. Cociglio, "Application of the Alternate-Marking
              Method to the Segment Routing Header", RFC 9947,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9947, March 2026,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9947>.

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   [RFC9951]  Graf, T., Claise, B., and A. Huang-Feng, "Export of Delay
              Performance Metrics in IP Flow Information Export
              (IPFIX)", RFC 9951, DOI 10.17487/RFC9951, April 2026,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9951>.

Authors' Addresses

   Giuseppe Fioccola
   Huawei
   Viale Martesana, 12
   20055 Vimodrone (Milan)
   Italy
   Email: giuseppe.fioccola@huawei.com

   Keyi Zhu
   Huawei
   156 Beiqing Rd.
   Beijing
   100095
   China
   Email: zhukeyi@huawei.com

   Thomas Graf
   Swisscom
   Binzring 17
   CH-8045 Zurich
   Switzerland
   Email: thomas.graf@swisscom.com

   Lin Zhang
   China Mobile
   Email: zhanglin1@cmdi.chinamobile.com

   Massimo Nilo
   FiberCop
   Email: massimo.nilo@fibercop.com

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