Session Date/Time: 21 Mar 2025 02:30

scone

Summary

The scone working group session focused on the standard communication of nano elements. Key discussions revolved around a merged protocol proposal for framing and syntax, including encoding throughput advice, and a potential approach leveraging a version-dependent bitrate field. New proposals relating to semantic content, applicability, and manageability were introduced, including scone technology impact on strutting policy and implementing scone in mobile networks. The group also planned for interim meetings to continue progress before the next IETF meeting.

Key Discussion Points

Throughput Advice Encoding:
- Discussion around different ways to encode the throughput device including the train proposal and the scone approach.
- Proposed a version-dependent bitrate field leveraging the low six bits of the first octet to express a range.
- Using logarithmically spaced distribution over a range starting from some lower value to some upper value.
- Considered two throne versions with different quick versions mapping to different ranges with different starting points.
Timely Advice Generation:
- Debated the frequency of sending drone packets, considering endpoint-driven vs. network-driven approaches.
- Considered guidance for endpoints to send drone packets once per video burst, upon detecting persistent congestion, or after an address tuple change.
- Discussed risks of leaking information through the timing of drone packet emissions, particularly during network migrations.
Early Trone Support Indication:
- Discussed mechanisms to allow network elements to identify endpoints that might support Trone early in the connection.
- Proposed attaching a "drone indication packet" after the quick initial in the first UDP datagram as an opportunistic signal.
- Considered implications for network elements that currently rely on DPI and client hello parsing.
Applicability and Manageability:
- Discussed a proposal focusing on use cases and requirements, suggesting the UPF (5G) or packet gateway (4G) as the network element for drone signaling.
- Reviewed a presentation outlining throttling policies observed in the wild, including application-based, time-based, user-specific, and network-specific throttling.
- Considered fixed or variable time windows where for which throughput advice is applicable.
Relationship to Congestion Control: Discussed if and how Thorne works in concert with other congestion control mechnisms and guidance to document said interplay.

Decisions and Action Items

Merged Protocol Proposal as Basis: The working group tentatively supported the merged protocol proposal (described by Marcus and Martin) as the basis for a working group protocol specification.
Need for a Draft: Develop the new working group base proposal in a draft format and make available on the mailing list.
Address Security Considerations: There was agreement to further elaborate the draft to discuss and document security considerations, especially the potential for denial-of-service attacks.
Interim Meeting Schedule: A fairly aggressive schedule of virtual interim meetings will be established to drive progress before the Madrid IETF meeting. This will be further discussed on the mailing list.
Hackathon at IETF 123: The working group will investigate the possibility of a hackathon at IETF 123 in Madrid.

Next Steps

Post the minutes and presentation slides to the mailing list.
Draft a call for adoption to the mailing list to request the review of the specification.
Send out proposed schedule for future virtual interim meetings to gather feedback and make adjustments as needed.
The Applicability and Manageability effort should proceed in parallel to the core protocol work.