RFC 6291 BEST CURRENT PRACTICE TERMINOLOGY · OPERATIONS
Guidelines for the Use of the "OAM" Acronym in the IETF
The IETF settles on one meaning for OAM: Operations, Administration, and Maintenance.
RFC EDITOR
Andersson, L., van Helvoort, H., Bonica, R., Romascanu, D., and S. Mansfield, "Guidelines for the Use of the "OAM" Acronym in the IETF", BCP 161, RFC 6291, DOI 10.17487/RFC6291, June 2011, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6291>.
BIBTEX
@misc{rfc6291,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 6291,
howpublished = {RFC 6291},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC6291},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6291},
author = {L. Andersson and H. van Helvoort and R. Bonica and D. Romascanu and S. Mansfield},
title = {{Guidelines for the Use of the "OAM" Acronym in the IETF}},
pagetotal = 9,
year = 2011,
month = jun,
} RFC text
Contents
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) L. Andersson
Request for Comments: 6291 Ericsson
BCP: 161 H. van Helvoort
Category: Best Current Practice Huawei Technologies
ISSN: 2070-1721 R. Bonica
Juniper Networks
D. Romascanu
Avaya
S. Mansfield
Ericsson
June 2011
Guidelines for the Use of the "OAM" Acronym in the IETF
Abstract
At first glance, the acronym "OAM" seems to be well-known and well-
understood. Looking at the acronym a bit more closely reveals a set
of recurring problems that are revisited time and again.
This document provides a definition of the acronym "OAM" (Operations,
Administration, and Maintenance) for use in all future IETF documents
that refer to OAM. There are other definitions and acronyms that
will be discussed while exploring the definition of the constituent
parts of the "OAM" term.
Status of This Memo
This memo documents an Internet Best Current Practice.
This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has
received public review and has been approved for publication by the
Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Further information on
BCPs is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6291.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2011 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
(http://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 extracted from this document must
include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
described in the Simplified BSD License.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Pre-Existing Uses of OAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1. Uses of OAM in Other SDOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1.1. The "O" in OAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1.2. The "A" in OAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1.3. The "M" in OAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2. Uses of OAM in the IETF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. Recommendations on the Use of the "OAM" Acronym . . . . . . . . 5
4. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1. Introduction
The main purpose of this document is to provide a definition of the
acronym "OAM" (Operations, Administration, and Maintenance) for use
in all future IETF documents that refer to OAM.
The acronym "OAM" is frequently used in the data and
telecommunication industry. One would assume that something that is
so widely used is very clearly defined. However, a closer look
reveals some points that need to be clarified.
If such an important piece of our technology is so poorly defined, or
if there are dialects of the technology with different understandings
of such a key concept, this will eventually cause problems.
Trying to understand the use of an acronym that is as "content-rich"
as OAM reveals two levels of complexity. First, each letter in the
acronym represents an integrated piece of functionality. Second, the
acronym, as such, represents something that is more than just the sum
of its parts.
There is also the issue of how each piece of the acronym is defined.
This document provides an analysis of what each initial of the
initialism represents and provides possible interpretations of the
acronym. Finally, a recommendation for the interpretation of the
"OAM" acronym is provided.
Another useful document to make the "OAM" term understandable in a
wider scope is found in "An Overview of Operations, Administration,
and Maintenance (OAM) Mechanisms" [OAM-OVERVIEW].
1.1. Terminology
o "Mgmt" - Management
o O&M - OAM and Management
o OAM - Operations, Administration, and Maintenance
o SDO - Standards Development Organization
2. Pre-Existing Uses of OAM
This section provides information on how OAM is used in other SDOs
(Standards Development Organizations) and provides the background
necessary to understand the how the term is used in the IETF.
2.1. Uses of OAM in Other SDOs
Operations And Maintenance (OAM): A group of network management
functions that provide network fault indication, performance
information, and data and diagnosis functions. ATM OAM ITU-T I.610
[ITU-T-I.610] is an example specification that uses this expansion of
the "OAM" acronym.
Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM): A group of network
management functions that provide network fault indication, fault
localization, performance information, and data and diagnosis
functions. Examples where this acronym is used are Clause 57 of IEEE
802.3-2008 [IEEE.802.3-2008] and ITU-T Y.1731 [ITU-T-Y.1731].
The ITU-T M.3010 [ITU-T-M.3010] Recommendation defines operations
systems function as a function block that processes information
related to the telecommunications management for the purpose of
monitoring/coordinating and/or controlling telecommunication
functions including management functions (i.e., the TMN
(Telecommunications Management Network) itself).
The Metro Ethernet Forum refers to OAM as the tools and utilities to
install, monitor, and troubleshoot a network, helping carriers run
their networks more effectively MEF 17 [MEF-17].
2.1.1. The "O" in OAM
The "O" in OAM invariably stands for "Operations". However, there is
some ambivalence in the definition and scope of the term "Operation".
Examples of tools related to "operations" are performance monitoring
tools used for service level agreement (SLA) measurement, fault
management tools used to monitor the health of nodes and links in the
network, and network provisioning tools.
2.1.2. The "A" in OAM
The "A" in OAM stands for "Administration".
Examples of "administration" tools are network discovery and planning
tools.
2.1.3. The "M" in OAM
The "M" in OAM stands for "Maintenance" or "Management".
Examples of "maintenance" tools are implementations of connectivity
check, loopback, link trace, and other tools that can be used to
monitor and diagnose failures in a network or network element.
The Recommendation ITU-T M.20 [ITU-T-M.20] defines maintenance as the
whole of operations required for setting up and maintaining, within
prescribed limits, any element involved in the setting up of a
connection (see the ITU-T M.60 [ITU-T-M.60] Recommendation). The
purpose is to properly plan and program the maintenance operations
required to establish and maintain a network.
A major aim of the concept of maintenance is to minimize both the
occurrence and the impact of failures and to ensure that in case of a
failure the correct actions are taken.
2.2. Uses of OAM in the IETF
The examples below show a number of different ways that the "OAM"
acronym has been expanded in IETF RFCs. The reference list is not
exhaustive.
o OAM = Operations, Administration, and Maintenance in RFC 5586
[RFC5586]
o OAM = Operations and Maintenance in RFC 3429 [RFC3429]
o OAM = Operations and Management in RFC 4377 [RFC4377]
o O&M = OAM and Maintenance in RFC 1812 [RFC1812]
Sometimes there is a fourth letter added to the acronym:
o OAM&P = Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning
in RFC 4594 [RFC4594]
3. Recommendations on the Use of the "OAM" Acronym
The IETF-recommended expansion of the "OAM" acronym is given below.
In addition to the "OAM" acronym, two other recommendations are made
in this section.
o OAM - Operations, Administration, and Maintenance
o O&M - OAM and Management
o "Mgmt" - Management
The components of the "OAM" acronym (and provisioning) are defined as
follows:
o Operations - Operation activities are undertaken to keep the
network (and the services that the network provides) up and
running. It includes monitoring the network and finding problems.
Ideally these problems should be found before users are affected.
o Administration - Administration activities involve keeping track
of resources in the network and how they are used. It includes
all the bookkeeping that is necessary to track networking
resources and the network under control.
o Maintenance - Maintenance activities are focused on facilitating
repairs and upgrades -- for example, when equipment must be
replaced, when a router needs a patch for an operating system
image, or when a new switch is added to a network. Maintenance
also involves corrective and preventive measures to make the
managed network run more effectively, e.g., adjusting device
configuration and parameters.
"Provisioning" is outside the scope of this document, but the
following definition is provided for completeness.
o Provisioning - Provisioning activities involve configuring
resources in the network to support the offered services. This
might include setting up the network so that a new customer can
receive an Internet access service.
In general, Provisioning is used to configure the network to provide
new services, whereas OAM is used to keep the network in a state that
it can support already existing services.
Sometimes it is necessary to talk about the combination of functions
and tools supplied by OAM and Management, it is preferred that this
is spelled out as "OAM and Management". In cases where an acronym is
needed, O&M should be used.
"Mgmt" will be used if an abbreviation for "Management" is needed.
This document does not define Management.
4. Security Considerations
This document provides guidance for the use of the "OAM" acronym in
other documents. This document does not have direct security
implications.
The misunderstanding of an acronym may lead to incorrect
specification or implementation which may, in turn, open up security
concerns with protocols or deployed networks. Clarifying the meaning
of OAM is, therefore, a benefit for future stability of
specifications.
5. Acknowledgments
The following individuals significantly contributed to this document.
o Malcolm Betts from M. C. Betts Consulting, Ltd.
o Kam Lam from Alcatel Lucent
o Dieter Beller from Alcatel Lucent
o David Harrington from Huawei Technologies
Thanks to the experts of ITU-T SG 15 for their review and comments.
6. Informative References
[IEEE.802.3-2008] IEEE, "Information technology - Telecommunications
and information exchange between systems - Local
and metropolitan area networks - Specific
requirements - Part 3: Carrier sense multiple
access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) access
method and physical layer specifications",
IEEE Standard 802.3, December 2008.
[ITU-T-I.610] International Telecommunication Union, "B-ISDN
operation and maintenance principles and
functions", ITU-T Recommendation I.610,
February 1999.
[ITU-T-M.20] International Telecommunication Union,
"Maintenance philosophy for telecommunication
networks", ITU-T Recommendation M.20,
October 1992.
[ITU-T-M.3010] International Telecommunication Union, "Principles
for a telecommunications management network", ITU-
T Recommendation M.3010, February 2000.
[ITU-T-M.60] International Telecommunication Union,
"Maintenance terminology and definitions", ITU-
T Recommendation M.60, March 1993.
[ITU-T-Y.1731] International Telecommunication Union, "OAM
functions and mechanisms for Ethernet based
networks", ITU-T Recommendation Y.1731,
February 2008.
[MEF-17] Metro Ethernet Forum, "Service OAM Requirements &
Framework - Phase 1", MEF Technical Specification
MEF 17, April 2007.
[OAM-OVERVIEW] Mizrahi, T., Sprecher, N., Bellagamba, E., and Y.
Weingarten, "An Overview of Operations,
Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) Mechanisms",
Work in Progress, March 2011.
[RFC1812] Baker, F., "Requirements for IP Version 4
Routers", RFC 1812, June 1995.
[RFC3429] Ohta, H., "Assignment of the 'OAM Alert Label' for
Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture (MPLS)
Operation and Maintenance (OAM) Functions",
RFC 3429, November 2002.
[RFC4377] Nadeau, T., Morrow, M., Swallow, G., Allan, D.,
and S. Matsushima, "Operations and Management
(OAM) Requirements for Multi-Protocol Label
Switched (MPLS) Networks", RFC 4377,
February 2006.
[RFC4594] Babiarz, J., Chan, K., and F. Baker,
"Configuration Guidelines for DiffServ Service
Classes", RFC 4594, August 2006.
[RFC5586] Bocci, M., Vigoureux, M., and S. Bryant, "MPLS
Generic Associated Channel", RFC 5586, June 2009.
Authors' Addresses
Loa Andersson
Ericsson
EMail: loa.andersson@ericsson.com
Huub van Helvoort
Huawei Technologies
EMail: huub.van.helvoort@huawei.com
Ron Bonica
Juniper Networks
EMail: rbonica@juniper.net
Dan Romascanu
Avaya
EMail: dromasca@avaya.com
Scott Mansfield
Ericsson
EMail: scott.mansfield@ericsson.com
AI ELI5
On this page
PROBLEMThe acronym OAM is used everywhere in networking, but other standards bodies and even IETF documents expand it in different ways, which risks confusion and mistaken specifications.
MECHANISMThe RFC surveys existing uses, explains what each of the three letters covers, and recommends one expansion for all future IETF documents, plus O&M and Mgmt for related terms.
STATUS TODAYOAM is to be read as Operations, Administration, and Maintenance. RFC 10014 later updated this document with guidance on qualifiers such as in-band and out-of-band.
§1Why OAM Needs a Definition
The acronym OAM is used widely in the data and telecommunication industry, so one would expect it to be clearly defined. RFC 6291 points out that a closer look shows recurring problems. Each letter stands for an integrated piece of functionality, and the acronym as a whole means more than the sum of its parts.
The main purpose of the document is to give one definition of OAM (Operations, Administration, and Maintenance) for use in all future IETF documents that refer to it. It also fixes the spelling of two related terms: O&M (OAM and Management) and Mgmt (Management).
If two friends use the same word for different things, they will argue by mistake. This paper makes sure everyone means the same thing.
§2.1How Other Bodies Use OAM
Other standards development organizations (SDOs) already used the term before the IETF wrote this guidance. The RFC lists several meanings:
- Operations And Maintenance: network management functions for fault indication, performance information and diagnosis. ITU-T I.610 for ATM uses this form.
- Operations, Administration, and Maintenance: the same group of functions, with fault localization added. Clause 57 of IEEE 802.3-2008 and ITU-T Y.1731 use this form.
- The Metro Ethernet Forum describes OAM as the tools and utilities to install, monitor and troubleshoot a network (MEF 17).
ITU-T M.3010 also defines an operations systems function as a function block that processes information about telecommunications management.
Different clubs had already used the word in their own ways. The paper first lists what each club meant.
§2.1.1The Three Letters: O, A and M
The "O" invariably stands for Operations, although the scope of the term is somewhat ambivalent. Examples are performance monitoring tools used for service level agreement (SLA) measurement, fault management tools that watch the health of nodes and links, and network provisioning tools.
The "A" stands for Administration. Examples are network discovery and planning tools.
The "M" stands for Maintenance or Management. Examples of maintenance tools are connectivity check, loopback and link trace. ITU-T M.20 defines maintenance as the whole of operations required for setting up and maintaining any element involved in setting up a connection. A major aim of maintenance is to minimize both the occurrence and the impact of failures.
O is for keeping things running, A is for keeping the lists, and M is for fixing and looking after things.
§2.2Uses of OAM in the IETF
The IETF itself was not consistent. The RFC gives examples of how earlier RFCs expand the acronym, and notes the list is not exhaustive:
- RFC 5586: Operations, Administration, and Maintenance.
- RFC 3429: Operations and Maintenance.
- RFC 4377: Operations and Management.
- RFC 1812 writes
O&Mas OAM and Maintenance.
Sometimes a fourth letter is added: RFC 4594 uses OAM&P for Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning.
Even the IETF's own papers did not agree, so the paper shows a few different spellings that were in use.
| Document | Term | Expansion |
|---|---|---|
| RFC 5586 | OAM | Operations, Administration, and Maintenance |
| RFC 3429 | OAM | Operations and Maintenance |
| RFC 4377 | OAM | Operations and Management |
| RFC 1812 | O&M | OAM and Maintenance |
| RFC 4594 | OAM&P | Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning |
§3The Recommended Usage
The IETF-recommended expansions are OAM for Operations, Administration, and Maintenance, O&M for OAM and Management, and Mgmt for Management.
- Operations keeps the network and its services up and running. It includes monitoring and finding problems, ideally before users are affected.
- Administration keeps track of resources in the network and how they are used, including the bookkeeping.
- Maintenance facilitates repairs and upgrades, such as replacing equipment or patching a router, and includes corrective and preventive measures such as adjusting device configuration.
Provisioning, meaning configuring resources to support offered services, is outside the scope but is defined for completeness. In general, provisioning configures the network for new services, while OAM keeps the network able to support existing ones.
To talk about the combination of OAM and Management, spelling it out as "OAM and Management" is preferred. Where an acronym is needed, O&M should be used. Mgmt is used when an abbreviation for Management is needed. The document does not define Management.
The paper says OAM means running things, keeping records, and fixing things. Setting up something brand new is a different job called provisioning.
§4Security Considerations
The document gives guidance on using an acronym and has no direct security implications. It does argue for an indirect benefit: a misunderstood acronym may lead to incorrect specification or implementation, which could open security problems in protocols or deployed networks. Clarifying the meaning of OAM therefore helps the future stability of specifications.
If people misunderstand a word, they can build things wrongly, and wrongly built things can be unsafe. Agreeing on the word helps prevent that.
§7References
[RFC5586]RFC 5586Bocci, M., Vigoureux, M., and S. Bryant, "MPLS Generic Associated Channel", RFC 5586, June 2009.June 2009[RFC3429]RFC 3429Ohta, H., "Assignment of the 'OAM Alert Label' for Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture (MPLS) Operation and Maintenance (OAM) Functions", RFC 3429, November 2002.November 2002[RFC4377]RFC 4377Nadeau, T., et al., "Operations and Management (OAM) Requirements for Multi-Protocol Label Switched (MPLS) Networks", RFC 4377, February 2006.February 2006[RFC1812]RFC 1812Baker, F., "Requirements for IP Version 4 Routers", RFC 1812, June 1995.June 1995[RFC4594]RFC 4594Babiarz, J., Chan, K., and F. Baker, "Configuration Guidelines for DiffServ Service Classes", RFC 4594, August 2006.August 2006