COINRG J. Hong Internet-Draft ETRI Intended status: Informational I. Kunze Expires: 11 January 2024 K. Wehrle RWTH Aachen D. Trossen Huawei M. J. Montpetit Concordia X. de Foy InterDigital Communications, LLC D. Griffin M. Rio UCL 10 July 2023 Terminology for Computing in the Network draft-irtf-coinrg-coin-terminology-01 Abstract The term Computing in the Network (COIN) is used for a diverse set of scenarios. Often associated with leveraging richer computing capabilities within network elements, its clear scope is yet unknown. This document tries to bring clarity to the current understanding of COIN by providing an overview of the terminology and definitions to streamline corresponding discussions. 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/. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." This Internet-Draft will expire on 11 January 2024. Hong, et al. Expires 11 January 2024 [Page 1] Internet-Draft COIN Terminology July 2023 Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2023 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. Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1. Introduction The ongoing development of ever richer computing capabilities within network elements is often captured as Computing in the Network (COIN). However, there are different interpretations of the term, often revolving around the 'place' of execution, captured by the 'in- network' aspect of COIN [TRANSPORT]. The different views range from 'only computations on networking hardware' on the one hand to 'COIN is a subset of edge/cloud computing' on the other hand. These differences in interpretation often lead to difficulties in discussions. The goal of this document is to contribute to the clarity in any discussion on COIN through outlining what is a first understanding of a terminology that ought to be used in such discussion. The first definitions in this context were proposed by [I-D.draft-kutscher-coinrg-dir-02] and later adapted by [I-D.draft-irtf-coinrg-use-cases-04] before being moved to this separate document for broader discussion. With this in mind, this document captures the current state of agreement on a common terminology. It is likely that the document will (need to) see a future revision if this understanding is improved through increased insights and changes in the views of the community. Hong, et al. Expires 11 January 2024 [Page 2] Internet-Draft COIN Terminology July 2023 2. Terminology *Programmable Network Devices (PNDs):* network devices, such as network interface cards and switches, which are programmable, e.g., using P4 or other languages. These devices are designed to provide flexibility and customization options beyond the traditional static configuration models. *(COIN) Execution Environment:* a specific class of target environments where functions or code can be executed, for example, a JVM-based execution environment that can run functions represented in JVM byte code *COIN System:* the PNDs (and end systems) and their execution environments, together with the communication resources interconnecting them, operated by a single provider or through interactions between multiple providers that jointly offer COIN capabilities *COIN Capability:* a feature enabled through the joint processing of computation and communication resources in the network *(COIN) Program:* a monolithic functionality that is provided according to the specification for said program and which may be requested by a user. A composite service can be built by orchestrating a combination of monolithic COIN programs. *(COIN) Program Instance:* a specific running instance of a COIN program, created to fulfill user requests or as part of a composite service. It encapsulates the code, data, and resources necessary for executing the program and delivering the intended functionality. *COIN Experience:* the holistic outcome of adopting and implementing COIN, encompassing the advantages and benefits that arise from distributed computing capabilities within the network infrastructure. *COIN Function:* a specific computation or task that can be invoked as part of a program. It contributes to the overall functionality of the program by providing a modular and reusable unit of computation. 3. Security Considerations TBD 4. IANA Considerations N/A Hong, et al. Expires 11 January 2024 [Page 3] Internet-Draft COIN Terminology July 2023 5. Conclusion This document defines a core terminology for COIN at this point in the work of COIN RG and is thus positioned as a living document which may see revision in due course. 6. Informative References [I-D.draft-irtf-coinrg-use-cases-04] Kunze, I., Wehrle, K., Trossen, D., Montpetit, M., de Foy, X., Griffin, D., and M. Rio, "Use Cases for In-Network Computing", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-irtf- coinrg-use-cases-04, 30 June 2023, . [I-D.draft-kutscher-coinrg-dir-02] Kutscher, D., Karkkainen, T., and J. Ott, "Directions for Computing in the Network", Work in Progress, Internet- Draft, draft-kutscher-coinrg-dir-02, 31 July 2020, . [TRANSPORT] Kunze, I., Trossen, D., and K. Wehrle, "Evolving the End- to-End Transport Layer in Times of Emerging Computing In The Network (COIN)", 2022 IEEE 30th International Conference on Network Protocols (ICNP), DOI 10.1109/icnp55882.2022.9940379, October 2022, . Authors' Addresses Jungha Hong ETRI 218 Gajeong-ro, Yuseung-Gu Daejeon 34129 Republic of Korea Email: jhong@etri.re.kr Ike Kunze RWTH Aachen University Ahornstr. 55 D-52074 Aachen Germany Email: kunze@comsys.rwth-aachen.de Hong, et al. Expires 11 January 2024 [Page 4] Internet-Draft COIN Terminology July 2023 Klaus Wehrle RWTH Aachen University Ahornstr. 55 D-52074 Aachen Germany Email: wehrle@comsys.rwth-aachen.de Dirk Trossen Huawei Technologies Duesseldorf GmbH Riesstr. 25C D-80992 Munich Germany Email: Dirk.Trossen@Huawei.com Marie-Jose Montpetit Concordia University Montreal Canada Email: marie@mjmontpetit.com Xavier de Foy InterDigital Communications, LLC 1000 Sherbrooke West Montreal H3A 3G4 Canada Email: xavier.defoy@interdigital.com David Griffin University College London Gower St London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom Email: d.griffin@ucl.ac.uk Miguel Rio University College London Gower St London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom Email: miguel.rio@ucl.ac.uk Hong, et al. 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