RFC4028

Session Timer in the

Session Initiation Protocol
Speaker Ying Shun Lin
Adviser Quincy Wu

Outline

Introduction
Session-Expires Header field Definition
Min-SE Header field Definition
422-Response Code Definition
UAC / Proxy / UAS Behavior
Security Considerations
Example call Flow

Introduction (1/3)

SIP does not define a keepalive

mechanism for the sessions it establishes
INVITE
100 Trying

UAC
BYE

call stateful proxy will retain state for the ca

3

Introduction (2/3)

This extension defines a keepalive mechanism for SIP

sessions. UAs send periodic (re-INVITE or UPDATE)
requests (referred to as session refresh requests) to
keep the session alive .

If a session refresh request is not received before the

interval passes the session is considered
terminated.
Both UAs are supposed to send a BYE and call
stateful proxies can remove any state for the call.

Introduction (3/3)

Two new header fields (Session-Expires and

Min-SE) and a new response code (422) are
defined
- Session-Expires conveys the duration of the session
- Min-SE
conveys the minimum allowed value
for the
session expiration.
- 422 response indicates that the session timer
duration
was too small.
5

Define some terms

Session Interval
Session Expiration
Session Refresh Request
Initial Session Refresh Request
Subsequent Session Refresh Request
Refresh

Session-Expires Header Field

Definition

placed only in requests (INVITE or UPDATE), as well as

in any 2xx response to request.

MUST be prepared to handle Session-Expires

header field values of any duration greater than
90
1800 seconds (30 minutes) is RECOMMENDED.

insert the Session-Expires header field SHOULD

NOT choose values of less than 30 minutes.
SessionExpires:1800;refresher=uac

Min-SE Header Field Definition

used in an request (INVITE or UPDATE) it

indicates the smallest value of the session
interval that can be used for that session .

MUST NOT be less than 90 seconds

- When the header field is not present, its default
value for is 90 seconds.

MUST NOT be used in responses except for

those with a 422 response code .
Min-SE:90

422 Response Code Definition

Session Interval Too Small

- generated by a UAS or proxy when a request
contains a Session-Expires header field with a
duration below the minimum timer for the
server .

MUST contain a Min-SE header field with the

minimum timer for that server.
9

Session-Expire & Min-SE Header

Fields

10

UAC Behavior

Generating an Initial Session

Refresh Request
Processing a 2xx Response
Processing a 422 Response
Generating Subsequent Session
Refresh Requests

11

UAC /Proxy Behavior

INVITE

Supported :timer
Session Expires: XX ; refresher =uac`
Min-SE: XX

Require: timer
200 Supported: timer

UAC

Session-Expires : ; refresher=

proxy
422

Min-SE :

Session Interval Too

Small

12

UAC Behavior
422

UAC

Min-SE
:xx

proxy

Supported :timer
Expires: XX ; refresher =
INVITE Session
uac/uas
Min-SE: XX

If a UAC knows that its peer supports the UPDATE method

RECOMMENDED that UPDATE be used instead of a re-INVITE

13

Proxy Behavior

The proxy processing rules require the

proxy
to remember information between the
request and response, ruling out stateless
proxies.
- Processing of Requests
- Processing of Responses
- Session Expiration
14

Proxy Behavior (Request)

Supported :timer

Proxy 2

Session Expires:
(small)
call failure
Session Expires: XX
INVITE Min-SE: XX

INVITE

Session Expires: XX
Min-SE: XX

Proxy 1

15

Proxy Behavior (Response)

(proxy remembers UAC did not

)
There is no session expiration for this
session
support

Session-Expires (from the forwarded request

refresher :`uac`

UAS did not

support the
session timer
) Session Expires

UAS
(proxy remembers that the UAC did support the session
timer )

16

UAS Behavior
INVITE

422

Supported
:timer

Session Expires:
Min-SE:

Min-SE:
Min-SE:

UAS

proxy

200 ok
Expires:

Session

17

UAS Behavior
UAC supports?

Refresher
parameter

refresher
parameter

in request

in response

none

uas

uac

NA

uas

NA

none

uas or uac

uac

uac

uas

uas
18

Security
Considerations(1/3)

Inside Attacks
Case 1:
a rogue UAC that wishes to force a UAS to generate
refreshes at a rapid rate
- The UAS or any proxy that objects to this low
timer
will reject the request with a 422, thereby
preventing the attack.
19

Security
Considerations(2/3)
Case2:
rogue UAS that wishes to force a UAC to generate
refreshes at a rapid rate .
- UAC copy the current session interval into the
Session-Expires header field in the request.
The proxies will reject this request and provide a
Min-SE with a higher minimum, which the UAC will
then use.

20

Security
Considerations(3/3)

Outside Attacks
- An element that can observe and modify a request
or response in transit can force rapid session
refreshes .
- proxies that record-route and request session timer
SHOULD record-route with a SIPS URI .
A UA that inserts a Session-Expires header into a
request or response SHOULD include a Contact URI
that is a SIPS URI.

21

(1)
INVITE sips:bob@biloxi.example.com SIP/2.0
Via: SIP/2.0/TLS pc33.atlanta.example.com;branch=z9hG4bKna
Supported: timer
Session-Expires: 90
Max-Forwards: 70
To: Bob <sips:bob@biloxi.example.com>
Proxy P2
Proxy P1
From: Alice <sips:alice@atlanta.example.com>;tag=19283017
Alice
Bob
Call-ID: a84b4c76e66710
(1)INVITE
CSeq: 314159 INVITE
SE:90
Contact: <sips:alice@pc33.atlanta.example.com>
(2)
(4)
Content-Type: application/sdp
(2)422
SIP/2.0
422 Session Interval Too SmallSIP/2.0
INVITE
sips:bob@biloxi.example.com
Content-Length:
142
MSE:3600
Via: SIP/2.0/TLS
SIP/2.0/TLS pc33.atlanta.example.com;branch=z9hG4bKn
Via:
pc33.atlanta.example.com;branch=z9hG4bKnashds8
Supported: timer
(3)ACK
;received=192.0.2.1
Session-Expires:
3600
Min-SE: 3600
3600
Min-SE:
To: Bob <sips:bob@biloxi.example.com>;tag=9a8kz
Max-Forwards:
70
(4)INVITE
From:
To:
BobAlice
<sips:bob@biloxi.example.com>
SE:3600
<sips:alice@atlanta.example.com>;tag=1928301774
From: Alice <sips:alice@atlanta.example.com>;tag=19283017
MSE:3600
Call-ID: a84b4c76e66710
a84b4c76e66710
Call-ID:
CSeq: 314160
314159 INVITE
INVITE
CSeq:
Contact: <sips:alice@pc33.atlanta.example.com>
Content-Type: application/sdp
22
Content-Length: 142

Example Call Flow

Example
Call Flow
(10)

INVITE sips:bob@biloxi.example.com
SIP/2.0
Proxy
P2
Proxy P1
Via: SIP/2.0/TLS pc33.atlanta.example.com;branch=z9hG4bKnashd
Alice
Bob
(5)INVITE
Supported: timer
Session-Expires: 4000SE:3600
MSE:3600
Min-SE: 4000
Max-Forwards: 70 (6)422
To: Bob <sips:bob@biloxi.example.com>
MSE:4000
From: Alice <sips:alice@atlanta.example.com>;tag=1928301774
(7)ACK
Call-ID: a84b4c76e66710
(8)422
CSeq:
314161 INVITE
MSE:4000
Contact:
<sips:alice@pc33.atlanta.example.com>
Content-Type: application/sdp
(9)ACK
Content-Length:
142
(10)INVITE
SE:4000
MSE:4000
23

(15)
SIP/2.0 200 OK
Via: SIP/2.0/TLS pc33.atlanta.example.com;branch=z9hG4bKna
;received=192.0.2.1
Require: timer
Supported: timer
Record-Route:
Proxy P2
Proxysips:p1.atlanta.example.com
P1
Session-Expires: 4000;refresher=uac
Alice
Bob
(11)INVITE
To: Bob <sips:bob@biloxi.example.com>;tag=9as888nd
SE:4000
(12)INVITE
From: Alice <sips:alice@atlanta.example.com>;tag=192830177
MSE:4000
SE:4000
Call-ID: a84b4c76e66710
MSE:4000
CSeq: 314161 INVITE
Contact: <sips:bob@192.0.2.4>
(13)200OK
Content-Type: application/sdp
(14)200OK
Content-Length: 142
SE:4000
SE:4000
(15)200OK
SE:4000

Example Call Flow

(16)ACK
(17)ACK

24

Example Call Flow

Proxy P1

Proxy P2

Alice
(18)UPDAT
ESE:4000

Bob
(19)UPDAT
ESE:4000

(18)
UPDATE sips:bob@192.0.2.4 SIP/2.0 (20)200OK
SE:4000
Via: SIP/2.0/TLS
pc33.atlanta.example.com;branch=z9hG4bKnashds12
(21)200OK
Route: sips:p1.atlanta.example.com
SE:4000
Supported: timer
Session-Expires: 4000;refresher=uac (22)BYE
Max-Forwards: 70
To: Bob <sips:bob@biloxi.example.com>;tag=9as888nd
(23)BYE
From: Alice <sips:alice@atlanta.example.com>;tag=1928301774
(24)408 (Request
Call-ID: a84b4c76e66710
Timeout)
CSeq: 314162 UPDATE
25
Contact: <sips:alice@pc33.atlanta.example.com>