



Network Working Group                                            J. Dong
Internet-Draft                                       Huawei Technologies
Intended status: Experimental                             L.M. Contreras
Expires: 8 January 2026                                       Telefonica
                                                             7 July 2025


                IETF Network Slice Service Benchmarking
                   draft-dong-bmwg-network-slicing-00

Abstract

   Network slicing aims to provide assurance of specific network
   performance objectives for network services which require both
   connectivity and specific performance commitment.  Such network
   services are considered as network slice services.  This document
   provides a benchmarking methodology for network slicing, focusing on
   evaluating the key functionalities of network slicing mechanisms and
   the performance of network slice services.  The network slicing
   functionalities includes the data plane, control plane and management
   plane mechanisms for realizing network slice service, and the
   performance of network slice service includes the service level
   agreement (SLA) commitments (bandwidth, delay, and jitter), path
   constraints and resource guarantee.

   The tests aim to demonstrate how network slicing can support
   competing services in a shared network, ensuring that critical
   network services in one network slice remain unaffected by congestion
   or unexpected behavior of other traffic in the same network.

Requirements Language

   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 [RFC2119].

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/.






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   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 8 January 2026.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2025 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

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   provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Benchmarking Methodology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.1.  Test Setup  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.2.  Traffic Profiles  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.3.  Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  Test Cases  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.1.  Network Slice Resource Partition  . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     4.2.  Network Slice Topology Control  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     4.3.  SR Policy with Resource Guarantee . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     4.4.  Network Slice Service with Bandwidth Guarantee  . . . . .   7
     4.5.  Network Slice Service with Latency Guarantee  . . . . . .   8
   5.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   7.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   8.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     8.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     8.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10









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1.  Introduction

   Network slicing aims to provide assurance of specific network
   performance objectives for network services which require both
   connectivity and specific performance commitment.  Such network
   services are considered as network slice services.  [RFC9543]
   describes the general framework for requesting and operating network
   slices built from IETF technologies.  [RFC9543] also introduces the
   concept of Network Resource Partition (NRP), which is a subset of the
   buffer/queuing/scheduling resources and associated policies on each
   of a connected set of links in the underlay network.  NRP can be
   created to support specific SLAs of one or a group of network slice
   services.  In a default deployment, the network resources are not
   partitioned, which means all the network service are provisioned over
   the underlay network with shared network resources.  Depending on the
   types of services carried in the network, this may or may not meet
   all the service requirements.

   [RFC9732] describes a framework for Enhanced Virtual Private Networks
   (VPNs) based on Network Resource Partitions (NRPs) to support the
   needs of applications with specific traffic performance requirements
   (e.g., low latency, bounded jitter).  NRP-based enhanced VPN can be
   used to deliver network slice services.

   As outlined in [RFC9543], network slicing is crucial for 5G services
   and beyond, where diverse service requirements demand tailored
   performance guarantees.  Benchmarking of network slicing is essential
   to understand its effect on service assurance, particularly in high-
   demand service environments.  Evaluating performance aspects such as
   resource guarantee and SLA adherence helps service providers to
   understand different types of network slicing mechanisms and choose
   the suitable one for their network scenarios and demands.

   This document provides benchmarking guidelines to evaluate the key
   functionalities and effectiveness of network slicing, referencing
   [RFC2544] for benchmarking principles.  More specifically, it focuses
   on the benchmarking of 1) Network Resource partitioning for network
   slices; 2) Network Slice Topology Control; 3) SR Path with Resource
   Guarantee 4) Service SLA assurance, including bandwidth, latency
   etc..

2.  Terminology

   Network Slice: As defined in [RFC9543], An IETF Network Slice enables
   connectivity between a set of SDPs with specific Service Level
   Objectives (SLOs) and Service Level Expectations (SLEs) over a common
   underlay network.




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   Network Resource Partition (NRP): As defined in [RFC9543], an NRP is
   a subset of the buffer/queuing/scheduling resources and associated
   policies on each of a connected set of links in the underlay network.

   End-to-End SLA: A guaranteed level of service performance across an
   entire network path.


3.  Benchmarking Methodology


3.1.  Test Setup

   Benchmarking tests will be conducted in a controlled environment,
   consisting of:

   Hardware: Network devices capable of supporting network slicing.

   Software: Network slice control and management tools.

   Traffic Generator: Configured to simulate background and high-value
   service traffic scenarios.

3.2.  Traffic Profiles

   Background Traffic: Continuous traffic aimed at saturating network
   links to simulate congestion.

   High-Value Traffic: Critical service traffic which requires
   guaranteed bandwidth, low latency etc., such as voice or video
   streaming.

3.3.  Metrics

   Bandwidth of network slice service: The amount of bandwidth consumed
   by a network slice service.

   Delay (Latency) of network slice service: Time taken for a data
   packet to traverse the network via a network slice.

   Jitter of network slice service: Variation of packet arrival time in
   a network slice, which can affect time-sensitive applications.

4.  Test Cases







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                    Network Slice
         +---+          +---+            +---+
    +--- |PE1|----------| P1|------------|PE3|---+
    |    +-+-+          +-+-+            +-+-+   |
    |      |              |                |     |
    |    +-+-+          +---+            +-+-+   |
    +--- |PE2|----------| P2|------------|PE4|---+
    |    +---+          +---+            +---+   |
    |          +-----------------+               |
    +----------|Traffic Generator|---------------+
               +-----------------+

                     Test Topology

4.1.  Network Slice Resource Partition

   Objective: Verify that whether the device supports the partitioning
   of link resources to form an NRP.

   Procedure:

   1.  Create an NRP instance, specify the set of links which belong to
       the NRP.

   2.  On each of the link of the NRP, configure the set of bandwidth to
       be reserved for the NRP.

   3.  Generate background traffic in the network.

   4.  Generate test traffic with NRP Selector ID
       [I-D.ietf-6man-enhanced-vpn-vtn-id] carried in data packet, test
       the NRP throughput on each link .

   Expected Results:

   1.  The NRP instance is created successfully.

   2.  On each of the links in the NRP, the bandwidth resource is
       reserved successfully.

   3.  The throughput of test traffic is the same as the reserved
       bandwidth of the NRP.

4.2.  Network Slice Topology Control

   Objective: Verify the mechanism to control the topology of an NRP, so
   that network slice traffic will only be forwarded along the paths
   within the NRP topology.



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   Procedure:

   1.  Create an NRP instance, reserve link bandwidth on each link of
       the NRP.

   2.  Define a logical topology which aligns with the NRP topology
       using either Flexible-Algorithm [RFC9350] or Multi-Topology
       [RFC5120] with Segment Routing.

   3.  Generate background traffic in the network.

   4.  Generate test traffic with Algorithm/Topology -specific SR SID
       and NRP Selector ID carried in the packet, check the packet
       forwarding path and throughput.

   Expected Results:

   1.  The NRP instance is created successfully, and the link resources
       for the NRP are reserved successfully.

   2.  The Flex-Algo or Multi-topology is created successfully, and
       aligns with the topology of NRP.

   3.  The test traffic is sent along the paths within the specified
       Flex-Algorithm or MT, no traffic goes to links out side the
       topology of NRP.

   4.  The throughput of test traffic is the same as the reserved
       bandwidth on the set of links of the NRP.

4.3.  SR Policy with Resource Guarantee

   Objective: Verify that an SR Policy can be associated with an NRP to
   provide guaranteed performance for network slice service

   Procedure:

   1.  Provision an SR Policy [RFC9256] with one or multiple candidate
       paths, each consists of one or multiple segment lists.

   2.  Create an NRP instance, reserve link bandwidth on each link of
       the NRP.  The topology of the NRP covers all the candidate paths
       and segment lists of the SR Policy.

   3.  Associate the SR Policy with the NRP for resource guarantee.

   4.  Generate background traffic in the network.




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   5.  Generate test traffic with the SID list and NRP Selector ID
       carried in the packet, check the packet forwarding path and
       throughput.

   Expected Results:

   1.  The NRP instance is created successfully, and the link resources
       for the NRP are reserved successfully.

   2.  The SR Policy is created successfully, and is associated with the
       NRP.

   3.  The test traffic is sent along the paths specified by the SID
       list of the SR Policy.

   4.  The throughput of test traffic is the same as the reserved
       bandwidth on the set of links of the NRP.

4.4.  Network Slice Service with Bandwidth Guarantee

   Objective: Verify that the bandwidth required by a network slice
   service can be guaranteed.

   Procedure:

   1.  Provision an L3VPN or EVPN service with the requirement on high
       bandwidth.

   2.  Provision an SR Policy with one or multiple candidate paths, each
       consists of one or multiple SID lists according to the
       connectivity and bandwidth requirement of the L3VPN or EVPN
       service.

   3.  Create an NRP instance, reserve link bandwidth on each link of
       the NRP to meet the bandwidth requirement of the network slice
       service.  The topology of the NRP covers all the candidate paths
       of the SR Policy.

   4.  Associate the SR Policy with the NRP for bandwidth guarantee.

   5.  Generate background traffic in the network, make the network
       congested.

   6.  Generate test traffic of the VPN service, steer the VPN service
       into the SR Policy.  Check the packet forwarding path and
       throughput.

   Expected Results:



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   1.  The VPN service is provisioned successfully.

   2.  The NRP instance is created successfully, and the link resources
       for the NRP are reserved successfully.

   3.  The SR Policy is created successfully, and is associated with the
       NRP.

   4.  The VPN service test traffic is sent along the paths specified by
       the SID list of the SR Policy, and the packet is encapsulated
       with the NRP Selector ID.

   5.  The throughput of test VPN traffic is the same as the required
       bandwidth of the service.

4.5.  Network Slice Service with Latency Guarantee

   Objective: Verify that the latency required by a network slice
   service can be guaranteed.

   Procedure:

   1.  Provision an L3VPN or EVPN service with specific requirement on
       bandwidth and latency.

   2.  Provision an SR Policy with one or multiple candidate paths, each
       consists of one or multiple SID lists which can meet the latency
       requirement of the L3VPN or EVPN service.

   3.  Create an NRP instance, reserve link bandwidth on each link of
       the NRP to meet the SLA requirement of the network slice service.
       The topology of the NRP covers all the candidate paths of the SR
       Policy.

   4.  Associate the SR Policy with the NRP for latency guarantee.

   5.  Generate background traffic in the network, make the network
       congested.

   6.  Generate test traffic of the VPN service, steer the VPN service
       into the SR Policy.  Check the packet forwarding path, throughput
       and latency.

   Expected Results:

   1.  The VPN service is provisioned successfully.





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   2.  The NRP instance is created successfully, and the link resources
       for the NRP are reserved successfully.

   3.  The SR Policy is created successfully, and is associated with the
       NRP.

   4.  The VPN service test traffic is sent along the paths specified by
       the SID list of the SR Policy, and the packet is encapsulated
       with the NRP Selector ID.

   5.  The throughput of test VPN traffic is the same as the required
       bandwidth of the service, the latency of the traffic meet the
       required latency of the service.

5.  IANA Considerations

   This document makes no request of IANA.

   Note to RFC Editor: this section may be removed on publication as an
   RFC.

6.  Security Considerations

   TBD

7.  Acknowledgements

   The authors would like to thank Xuesong Geng for the review and
   valuable suggestions.

8.  References

8.1.  Normative References

   [I-D.ietf-6man-enhanced-vpn-vtn-id]
              Dong, J., Li, Z., Xie, C., Ma, C., and G. S. Mishra,
              "Carrying Network Resource (NR) related Information in
              IPv6 Extension Header", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft,
              draft-ietf-6man-enhanced-vpn-vtn-id-10, 2 March 2025,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-6man-
              enhanced-vpn-vtn-id-10>.

   [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>.





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   [RFC2544]  Bradner, S. and J. McQuaid, "Benchmarking Methodology for
              Network Interconnect Devices", RFC 2544,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2544, March 1999,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2544>.

   [RFC9256]  Filsfils, C., Talaulikar, K., Ed., Voyer, D., Bogdanov,
              A., and P. Mattes, "Segment Routing Policy Architecture",
              RFC 9256, DOI 10.17487/RFC9256, July 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9256>.

   [RFC9543]  Farrel, A., Ed., Drake, J., Ed., Rokui, R., Homma, S.,
              Makhijani, K., Contreras, L., and J. Tantsura, "A
              Framework for Network Slices in Networks Built from IETF
              Technologies", RFC 9543, DOI 10.17487/RFC9543, March 2024,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9543>.

   [RFC9732]  Dong, J., Bryant, S., Li, Z., Miyasaka, T., and Y. Lee, "A
              Framework for NRP-Based Enhanced Virtual Private
              Networks", RFC 9732, DOI 10.17487/RFC9732, March 2025,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9732>.

8.2.  Informative References

   [RFC5120]  Przygienda, T., Shen, N., and N. Sheth, "M-ISIS: Multi
              Topology (MT) Routing in Intermediate System to
              Intermediate Systems (IS-ISs)", RFC 5120,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5120, February 2008,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5120>.

   [RFC9350]  Psenak, P., Ed., Hegde, S., Filsfils, C., Talaulikar, K.,
              and A. Gulko, "IGP Flexible Algorithm", RFC 9350,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9350, February 2023,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9350>.

Authors' Addresses

   Jie Dong
   Huawei Technologies
   China
   Email: jie.dong@huawei.com


   Luis M. Contreras
   Telefonica
   Spain
   Email: luismiguel.contrerasmurillo@telefonica.com





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