Session Date/Time: 20 Mar 2025 08:00

tiptop

Summary

The first meeting of the Tip Top Working Group covered the group's charter, use cases, IP network architecture, QUIC protocol considerations, and potential deployment strategies. The group also discussed adopting a GitHub-based collaborative drafting approach. Presentations focused on defining use cases, architectural considerations for deep space IP networking, and profiling QUIC for long-delay environments. Key points of discussion revolved around security, key management, and the suitability of existing protocols.

Key Discussion Points

Use Cases and Requirements: The initial presentation focused on identifying relevant use cases (Lunar, Mars, asteroids), defining key characteristics, and outlining requirements for IP networking in deep space environments. Key areas included store-and-forward mechanisms, time signaling, support for low bandwidth and asymmetric links.
IP Network Architecture: Presentation covered challenges of deploying IP in environments with long delays (4-20 minutes), planned link outages, and the need for deep packet buffering and rerouting capabilities. Strong advocacy for hierarchical addressing using planetary prefixes. Discussion on transport protocols, DNS caching, and management plane considerations.
QUIC Profiling: Presentation explored profiling QUIC for space environments, emphasizing minimization of handshakes, reliable data delivery, and end-to-end security. Addressed challenges related to congestion control, timer values and Path MTU discovery. Highlighted the need for simulation work and further research.
Security and Key Management: Discussion on key management and re-establishment challenges in long-duration missions, particularly related to TLS in QUIC. The presentation by Benjamin Dowling presented a proposal to utilize MLS within Quick to enhance security. The potential issues with TLS were identified to be security drawbacks when using long live secrets and synchronous communication requirements.
Collaborative Drafting: The chair put a poll to the working group proposing the use of a common GitHub repository for document collaboration, with concerns raised about individual document control and access issues for some participants. Concerns were also raised about chair supervision.

Decisions and Action Items

Action Item: Wes Eddy to incorporate feedback on packet loss and bit rate characterization into the use cases document.
Action Item: Wes Eddy to consider the inclusion of traffic classification into the use cases document.
Action Item: Presenters from security and key management (Benjamin Dowling) were asked to further investigate extended key updates from TLS to improve key management for long durations and report back to the group.
Decision: The working group generally agrees that changes to base protocols like QUIC should be addressed in their respective working groups (e.g., QUIC WG) first.
Action Item: The chair should engage the QUIC working group chairs to coordinate on potential QUIC extensions for space environments.
Action Item: The chairs to work on defining a collaborative GitHub workflow for document development that addresses raised concerns regarding individual contribution, chair supervision and accessibility.

Next Steps

Participants are encouraged to review the drafts and provide feedback on the mailing list.
Presenters will revise drafts based on the discussion.
The chairs will work on implementing a GitHub workflow in accordance with the poll and feedback.
The presenter from the security and key management proposal will report back on investigations.