Cisco IOS Quality of Service Solutions Configuration Guide, Release 12.4 - Configuring Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression [Cisco IOS Software Releases 12.4 Mainline]

Table Of Contents

Configuring Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Contents

Prerequisites for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Restrictions for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Information About Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Class-Based Header Compression and the MQC

Benefits of Class-Based Header Compression

Header Compression on Local and Remote Routers

About Header-Compression Connections

How to Configure Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Enabling RTP or TCP Header Compression for a Class in a Policy Map

Attaching the Policy Map to an Interface

Restrictions

Verifying the Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression Configuration

Configuration Examples for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Enabling RTP or TCP Header Compression for a Class in a Policy Map: Example

Attaching the Policy Map to an Interface: Example

Verifying the Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression Configuration: Example

Command Reference

Additional References

Related Documents

Standards

MIBs

RFCs

Technical Assistance

Glossary

Feature Information for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Configuring Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

First Published: January 30, 2006

Last Updated: June 19, 2006

Header compression is a mechanism that compresses the IP header in a packet before the packet is transmitted. Header compression reduces network overhead and speeds up the transmission of either Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets.

Cisco provides two types of header compression: RTP header compression and TCP header compression.

RTP and TCP header compression are typically configured on a per-interface (or subinterface) basis. Class-based RTP and TCP header compression allows you to configure either type of header compression on a per-class basis. This module describes the concepts and tasks related to configuring class-based RTP and TCP header compression.

Note If you want to configure RTP or TCP header compression on a per-interface (or subinterface) basis, see the "Configuring RTP Header Compression" module or the "Configuring TCP Header Compression" module, respectively.

Finding Feature Information in This Module

Your Cisco IOS software release may not support all of the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To reach links to specific feature documentation in this module and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, use the "Feature Information for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression" section.

Finding Support Information for Platforms and Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS Software Images

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Contents

•Prerequisites for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

•Restrictions for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

•Information About Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

•How to Configure Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

•Configuration Examples for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

•Additional References

•Command Reference

•Glossary

•Feature Information for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Prerequisites for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Before configuring class-based RTP and TCP header compression, read the information in the "Header Compression" module.

Restrictions for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Class-based RTP and TCP header compression can be enabled on PPP interfaces, High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) interfaces, and interfaces that use Frame Relay encapsulation. However, note the following points about the header-compression formats supported on these interfaces:

•For PPP and HDLC interfaces, the only supported format for header compression is the IPHC (IP Header Compression) format.

•For interfaces that use Frame Relay encapsulation, the IPHC format is not available. The only supported format for header compression is the Cisco proprietary format.

Information About Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Before configuring class-based RTP and TCP header compression, you should understand the following concepts:

•Class-Based Header Compression and the MQC

•Benefits of Class-Based Header Compression

•Header Compression on Local and Remote Routers

•About Header-Compression Connections

Class-Based Header Compression and the MQC

Class-based RTP and TCP header compression allows you to configure either RTP or TCP header compression for a specific class within a policy map (sometimes referred to as a traffic policy). You configure the class and the policy map by using the Modular Quality of Service (QoS) Command-Line Interface (CLI) (MQC). The MQC is a CLI that allows you to create classes within policy maps (traffic policies) and then attach the policy maps to interfaces (or subinterfaces). The policy maps are used to configure and apply specific QoS features (such as RTP or TCP header compression) to your network. For more information about the MQC, see the "Applying QoS Features Using the MQC" module.

Benefits of Class-Based Header Compression

Class-based header compression allows you to compress (and then decompress) a subset of the packets on your network. Class-based header compression acts as a filter; it allows you to specify at a much finer level the packets that you want to compress. For example, instead of compressing all RTP (or TCP) packets that traverse your network, you can configure RTP header compression to compress only those packets that meet certain criteria (for example, protocol type "ip" in a class called "voice)."

Header Compression on Local and Remote Routers

In a typical network topology, header compression is configured at both a local router and a remote router. If you configure class-based RTP header compression (or class-based TCP header compression) on the local router, you must also configure RTP header compression (or TCP header compression) on the remote router.

However, when you configure either RTP or TCP header compression on the remote router, you can choose one of the following:

•You can configure class-based RTP or TCP header compression on the remote router (by using the instructions in this module)

or

•You can configure RTP or TCP header compression directly on the interface of the remote router (by using the instructions in the "Configuring RTP Header Compression" module or the "Configuring TCP Header Compression" module, respectively).

Note If you configure RTP or TCP header compression directly on the interface of the remote router, you must specify the iphc-format keyword for PPP and HDLC interfaces. For Frame Relay interfaces, the iphc-format keyword is not supported; only the Cisco proprietary format (that is, the cisco keyword) is supported.

For more information about the iphc-format keyword, see either the "Configuring RTP Header Compression" module or the "Configuring TCP Header Compression" module.

About Header-Compression Connections

Number of Connections Calculated on the Basis of Bandwidth

In class-based RTP and TCP header compression, the number of header-compression connections is calculated on the basis of the amount of available bandwidth.

Note the following points about how bandwidth is used:

•The setting of the bandwidth command determines the amount of bandwidth available on the interface.

•The number of header-compression connections is calculated by dividing the available bandwidth by 4 (that is, 4 kilobits per connection).

Header-Compression Connections on HDLC and Frame Relay Interfaces

For HDLC interfaces and Frame Relay interfaces (that is, interfaces that use Frame Relay encapsulation), the number of header-compression connections on both sides of the network must match. That is, the number calculated (from the bandwidth setting) for use on the local router must match the number configured (or calculated from the bandwidth setting) for use on the remote router.

Header-Compression Connections on PPP Interfaces

For PPP interfaces, if the header-compression connection numbers on both sides of the network do not match, the number used is "autonegotiated." That is, any mismatch in the number of header-compression connections between the local router and the remote router will be automatically negotiated to the lower of the two numbers. For example, if the local router is configured to use 128 header-compression connections, and the remote router is configured to use 64 header-compression connections, the negotiated number will be 64.

Note This autonegotiation function applies to PPP interfaces only. For HDLC interfaces and interfaces that use Frame Relay encapsulation, no autonegotiation occurs.

How to Configure Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

This section contains the following tasks:

•Enabling RTP or TCP Header Compression for a Class in a Policy Map (required)

•Attaching the Policy Map to an Interface (required)

•Verifying the Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression Configuration (optional)

Enabling RTP or TCP Header Compression for a Class in a Policy Map

With class-based header compression, you can configure either RTP or TCP header compression for a specific class inside a policy map. To specify the class, to create a policy map, and to configure either RTP or TCP header compression for the class inside the policy map, perform the following steps.

Note In the following task, the match protocol command is shown in step 4. The match protocol command matches traffic on the basis on the protocol type and is only an example of a match command you can use. You may want to use a different match command to specify another criterion. The match commands vary by Cisco IOS release. See the command documentation for the Cisco IOS release that you are using for a complete list of match commands.

SUMMARY STEPS

1. enable

2. configure terminal

3. class-map [match-all | match-any] class-map-name

4. match protocol protocol-name

5. exit

6. policy-map policy-map-name

7. class {class-name | class-default}

8. compression header ip {rtp | tcp}

9. end

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

enable
Example:

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

•Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2

configure terminal
Example:

Router# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 3

class-map [match-all | match-any] class-map-name
Example:

Router(config)# class-map class1

Creates a class map to be used for matching packets to a specified class and enters class-map configuration mode.

•Enter the class map name.

Step 4

match protocol protocol-name
Example:

Router(config-cmap)# match protocol ip

(Optional) Matches traffic on the basis of the specified protocol.

•Enter the protocol name.

Note The match protocol command matches traffic on the basis of the protocol type. The match protocol command is just an example of one of the match commands that can be used. The match commands vary by Cisco IOS release. See the command documentation for the Cisco IOS release that you are using for a complete list of match commands.

Step 5

exit
Example:

Router(config-cmap)# exit

(Optional) Exits class-map configuration mode.

Step 6

policy-map policy-map-name
Example:

Router(config)# policy-map policy1

Creates or modifies a policy map that can be attached to one or more interfaces to specify a service policy and enters policy-map configuration mode.

•Enter the policy map name.

Step 7

class {class-name | class-default}
Example:

Router(config-pmap)# class class1

Specifies the name of the class whose policy you want to create or change and enters policy-map class configuration mode.

•Enter the class name or the class-default keyword.

Step 8

compression header ip {rtp | tcp}
Example:

Router(config-pmap-c)# compression header ip rtp

Configures either RTP or TCP header compression for a specific class.

•Enter either the rtp keyword (for RTP header compression) or the tcp keyword (for TCP header compression).

Step 9

end
Example:

Router(config-pmap-c)# end

(Optional) Exits policy-map class configuration mode.

Attaching the Policy Map to an Interface

After a policy map is created, the next step is to attach the policy map to an interface (or subinterface). To attach the policy map to an interface or subinterface, perform the following steps.

Restrictions

You configure class-based RTP and TCP header compression in policy maps. Then you attach those policy maps to an interface by using the service-policy command. The service-policy command gives you the option of specifying either an input service policy (for input interfaces) or an output service policy (for output interfaces). For class-based RTP and TCP header compression, you can specify output service policies only.

SUMMARY STEPS

1. enable

2. configure terminal

3. interface type number [name-tag]

4. service-policy output policy-map-name

5. end

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

enable
Example:

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

•Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2

configure terminal
Example:

Router# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 3

interface type number [name-tag]
Example:

Router(config)# interface serial0

Configures an interface type and enters interface configuration mode.

•Enter the interface type and the interface number.

Step 4

service-policy output policy-map-name
Example:

Router(config-if)# service-policy output policy1

Specifies the name of the policy map to be attached to the interface in the output direction.

•Enter the policy map name.

Note Policy maps can be attached in the input or output direction of an interface. For class-based RTP and TCP header compression, always use the output keyword.

Step 5

end
Example:

Router(config-if)# end

(Optional) Exits interface configuration mode.

Verifying the Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression Configuration

This task allows you to verify that you created the intended configuration and that the feature is functioning correctly. To verify the configuration, perform the following steps.

SUMMARY STEPS

1. enable

2. show policy-map interface type number

or

show policy-map policy-map class class-name

3. end

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

enable
Example:

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

•Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2

show policy-map interface type number output
Example:

Router# show policy-map interface serial0 output

Displays the packet statistics of all classes that are configured for all service policies on the specified interface.

•Enter the interface type and the interface number.

or

show policy-map policy-map class class-name
Example:

Router# show policy-map policy1 class class1

Displays the configuration for the specified class of the specified policy map.

•Enter the policy map name and the class name.

Step 3

end
Example:

Router# end

(Optional) Exits privileged EXEC mode.

Configuration Examples for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

This section provides the following configuration examples:

•Enabling RTP or TCP Header Compression for a Class in a Policy Map: Example

•Attaching the Policy Map to an Interface: Example

•Verifying the Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression Configuration: Example

Enabling RTP or TCP Header Compression for a Class in a Policy Map: Example

In the following example, a class map called class1 and a policy map called policy1 have been configured. Policy1 contains the class called class1, within which RTP header compression has been enabled by using the compression header ip rtp command.

Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# class-map class1
Router(config-cmap)# match protocol ip
Router(config-cmap)# exit
Router(config)# policy-map policy1
Router(config-pmap)# class class1
Router(config-pmap-c)# compression header ip rtp
Router(config-pmap-c)# end
Attaching the Policy Map to an Interface: Example

In the following example, the policy map called policy1 has been attached to serial interface 0.

Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# interface serial0
Router(config-if)# service-policy output policy1
Router(config-if)# end
Verifying the Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression Configuration: Example

This section provides sample output from a typical show policy-map interface command.

Note Depending upon the interface in use and the QoS feature enabled (such as Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing [CBWFQ]), the output you see may vary from that shown below.

The following sample displays the statistics for serial interface 0. In this sample configuration, three classes, called gold, silver, and voice, have been configured. Traffic is classified and grouped into classes on the basis of the IP precedence value and RTP port protocol number.
class-map match-all gold
 match ip precedence 2 
class-map match-all silver
 match ip precedence 1 
class-map match-all voice
 match ip precedence 5 
 match ip rtp 16384 1000
This sample configuration also contains a policy map called mypolicy, configured as shown below. QoS features such as RTP header compression and CBWFQ are enabled for specific classes within the policy map.
policy-map mypolicy
  class voice
    priority 128              ! A priority queue and bandwidth amount are specified.
    compress header ip rtp    ! RTP header compression is enabled for class voice.
  class gold
    bandwidth 100             ! CBWFQ is enabled for class gold.
  class silver
    bandwidth 80              ! CBWFQ is enabled for class silver.
    random-detect             ! WRED is enabled for class silver.
Given the classes and policy map configured as shown above, the following content is displayed for serial interface 0:
Router# show policy-map interface serial0 output
 Serial0
  Service-policy output: mypolicy
    Class-map: voice (match-all)
      880 packets, 58080 bytes
      30 second offered rate 1000 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: ip precedence 5 
      Match: ip rtp 16384 1000
      Queueing
        Strict Priority
        Output Queue: Conversation 136 
        Bandwidth 128 (kbps) Burst 3200 (Bytes)
        (pkts matched/bytes matched) 880/26510
        (total drops/bytes drops) 0/0
      compress:
          header ip rtp
          UDP/RTP (compression on, IPHC, RTP)
            Sent:    880 total, 877 compressed, 
                     31570 bytes saved, 24750 bytes sent
                     2.27 efficiency improvement factor
                     99% hit ratio, five minute miss rate 0 misses/sec, 0 max
                     rate 0 bps
    Class-map: gold (match-all)
      100 packets, 53000 bytes
      30 second offered rate 0 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: ip precedence 2 
      Queueing
        Output Queue: Conversation 137 
        Bandwidth 100 (kbps) Max Threshold 64 (packets)
        (pkts matched/bytes matched) 100/53000
        (depth/total drops/no-buffer drops) 0/0/0
    Class-map: silver (match-all)
      878 packets, 1255540 bytes
      30 second offered rate 56000 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: ip precedence 1 
      Queueing
        Output Queue: Conversation 138 
        Bandwidth 64 (kbps)
        (pkts matched/bytes matched) 878/1255540
        (depth/total drops/no-buffer drops) 0/0/0
         exponential weight: 9
         mean queue depth: 0
  class    Transmitted      Random drop      Tail drop    Minimum Maximum  Mark
           pkts/bytes       pkts/bytes       pkts/bytes    thresh  thresh prob
      0       0/0               0/0              0/0           20      40  1/10
      1     878/1255540         0/0              0/0           22      40  1/10
      2       0/0               0/0              0/0           24      40  1/10
      3       0/0               0/0              0/0           26      40  1/10
      4       0/0               0/0              0/0           28      40  1/10
      5       0/0               0/0              0/0           30      40  1/10
      6       0/0               0/0              0/0           32      40  1/10
      7       0/0               0/0              0/0           34      40  1/10
   rsvp       0/0               0/0              0/0           36      40  1/10
    Class-map: class-default (match-any)
      3 packets, 84 bytes
      30 second offered rate 0 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: any 
Command Reference

This feature uses no new or modified commands.

Additional References

The following sections provide references related to configuring class-based RTP and TCP header compression.

Related Documents

Related Topic

Document Title

QoS commands: complete command syntax, command modes, command history, defaults, usage guidelines, and examples

Cisco IOS Quality of Service Solutions Command Reference

MQC

"Applying QoS Features Using the MQC" module

Header compression overview

"Header Compression" module

RTP header compression

"Configuring RTP Header Compression" module

TCP header compression

"Configuring TCP Header Compression" module

IPHC profiles and header compression

"Configuring Header Compression Using IPHC Profiles" module

Standards

Standard

Title

No new or modified standards are supported, and support for existing standards has not been modified.

—

MIBs

MIB

MIBs Link

No new or modified MIBs are supported, and support for existing MIBs has not been modified.

To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/mibs

RFCs

RFC

Title

RFC 1144

Compressing TCP/IP Headers for Low-Speed Serial Links

RFC 2507

IP Header Compression

RFC 2508

Compressing IP/UDP/RTP Headers for Low-Speed Serial Links

RFC 3544

IP Header Compression over PPP

RFC 3545

Enhanced Compressed RTP (CRTP) for Links with High Delay, Packet Loss and Reordering

RFC 3550

A Transport Protocol for Real-Time Applications

Technical Assistance

Description

Link

The Cisco Technical Support website contains thousands of pages of searchable technical content, including links to products, technologies, solutions, technical tips, and tools. Registered Cisco.com users can log in from this page to access even more content.

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport

Glossary

bandwidth—The rated throughput capacity of a given network medium.

compression—The running of a data set through an algorithm that reduces the space required to store the data set or the bandwidth required to transmit the data set.

full header (header refresh)—An uncompressed header that updates or refreshes the context for a packet stream. It carries a context identifier (CID) that will be used to identify the context. Full headers for non-TCP packet streams also carry the generation of the context that they update or refresh.

HDLC—High-Level Data Link Control. A bit-oriented synchronous data link layer protocol developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Derived from Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC), HDLC specifies a data encapsulation method on synchronous serial links using frame characters and checksums.

header—A chain of subheaders.

MQC—Modular Quality of Service Command-Line Interface. The MQC is a CLI that allows you to create traffic classes and policy maps and then attach the policy maps to interfaces. The policy maps apply QoS features to your network.

PPP—Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol that provides router-to-router and host-to-network connections over synchronous and asynchronous circuits.

regular header—A normal, uncompressed header. A regular header does not carry a context identifier (CID) or generation association.

RTP—Real-Time Transport Protocol. A protocol that is designed to provide end-to-end network transport functions for applications that transmit real-time data, such as audio, video, or simulation data, over unicast or multicast network services. RTP provides such services as payload type identification, sequence numbering, timestamping, and delivery monitoring to real-time applications.

subheader—An IPv6 base header, an IPv6 extension header, an IPv4 header, a UDP header, an RTP header, or a TCP header.

TCP—Transmission Control Protocol. A connection-oriented transport layer protocol that provides reliable full-duplex data transmission. TCP is part of the TCP/IP protocol stack.

Feature Information for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Table 1 lists the release history for this feature.

For information on a feature in this technology that is not documented here, see the "Header-Compression Features Roadmap."

Not all commands may be available in your Cisco IOS software release. For release information about a specific command, see the command reference documentation.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and software image support. Cisco Feature Navigator enables you to determine which Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS software images support a specific software release, feature set, or platform. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Note Table 1 lists only the Cisco IOS software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given Cisco IOS software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that Cisco IOS software release train also support that feature.

Table 1

Feature Name

Releases

Feature Information

Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

12.2(13)T

This feature allows you to configure Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) IP header compression on a per-class basis, when a class is configured within a policy map. Policy maps are created using the Modular Quality of Service (QoS) Command-Line Interface (CLI) (MQC).

The following sections provide information about this feature:

•Information About Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

•How to Configure Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

Feature Information for Class-Based RTP and TCP Header Compression

CCDE, CCENT, Cisco Eos, Cisco Lumin, Cisco StadiumVision, the Cisco logo, DCE, and Welcome to the Human Network are trademarks; Changing the Way We Work, Live, Play, and Learn is a service mark; and Access Registrar, Aironet, AsyncOS, Bringing the Meeting To You, Catalyst, CCDA, CCDP, CCIE, CCIP, CCNA, CCNP, CCSP, CCVP, Cisco, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert logo, Cisco IOS, Cisco Press, Cisco Systems, Cisco Systems Capital, the Cisco Systems logo, Cisco Unity, Collaboration Without Limitation, EtherFast, EtherSwitch, Event Center, Fast Step, Follow Me Browsing, FormShare, GigaDrive, HomeLink, Internet Quotient, IOS, iPhone, iQ Expertise, the iQ logo, iQ Net Readiness Scorecard, iQuick Study, IronPort, the IronPort logo, LightStream, Linksys, MediaTone, MeetingPlace, MGX, Networkers, Networking Academy, Network Registrar, PCNow, PIX, PowerPanels, ProConnect, ScriptShare, SenderBase, SMARTnet, Spectrum Expert, StackWise, The Fastest Way to Increase Your Internet Quotient, TransPath, WebEx, and the WebEx logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries.

All other trademarks mentioned in this document or Website are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (0804R)

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses. Any examples, command display output, and figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

© 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.