Live Program Overview

Xbox

Live

Logo Compatible

Program Overview

WinHEC 2004 - April 9, 2004

Abstract

This paper provides information about the Microsoft ® Xbox® Live Logo Compatible program. It provides an overview for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), router and home gateway vendors of the program and some details of the Xbox Live logo compatible requirements.

This information applies for the following operating systems:

Xbox Live

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3

ISP Logo Program .................................................................................................................. 3

Documents and Tools ........................................................................................................ 3

ISP Testing Criteria ............................................................................................................ 4

Router Logo Program ............................................................................................................. 5

Documents and Tools ........................................................................................................ 5

Router Testing Criteria ....................................................................................................... 6

Network Address Translation ........................................................................................ 7

Additional Testing .......................................................................................................... 9

Wireless Logo Program (Bridges) ......................................................................................... 10

Documents and Tools ...................................................................................................... 11

Wireless Bridge Testing Criteria ....................................................................................... 11

References............................................................................................................................ 12

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Disclaimer

This is a preliminary document and may be changed substantially prior to final commercial release of the software described herein.

The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.

This White Paper is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES,

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Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, place or event is intended or should be inferred.

© 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.




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Introduction

This paper provides information about the Xbox Live Logo Compatible program for hardware vendors and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Given the audience for this paper, the majority of the content will be focused on hardware vendors.

However, since the two parts of the program are related closely to one another, the

ISP portion of the program deserves some attention.

ISP Logo Program

As with the Router Logo Program, the goal of the ISP Logo Program is to ensure the ultimate connectivity solution (functionality and messaging) for the ultimate gaming service. This goal is achieved by first establishing a partnership with premier, business critical (high market share) Internet service providers. There is no fee for becoming a logo partner. The only requirements are the completion/signing of the standard Microsoft Non-

Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and the signing of the logo contract.

With this partnership in place, providers agree to deploy and maintain service levels that meet Xbox Live logo testing criteria. The logo testing criteria ensure that all functions/features of the Live service operate properly when a console is placed on the provider’s network. Once all phases of testing have been passed and verified, a green Xbox compatible logo is awarded to the provider.

Documents and Tools

At the time of inclusion into the program, ISPs are provided the following documents and tools. These are all provided under NDA. Included in this list of documents/test tools are the following:



Xbox Live ISP Logo Agreement



Xbox Live for Broadband Providers documentation



ISP Testing for Xbox Live Compatibility documentation



2NIC software test tool (client version)



NAT Type test tool



Web templates for Xbox Live Connectivity- Cable and DSL

Each document clearly articulates its particular role in the overall router logo program. However, a summary is provided below:



Xbox Live ISP Logo Agreement (includes the program checklist)

- This is the contractual document that establishes procedure, levelsets expectation and sets legal precedent for Microsoft and the ISP to interact.



Xbox Live for Broadband Providers - This paper describes the overall Xbox Live service. It provides insight into the Xbox dashboard, service requirements, Network Address Transversal and account creation.




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

ISP Testing for Xbox Live Compatibility - This paper describes in detail the testing process for Xbox Live ISP certification. It articulates how to setup the test bed, the tools required and what each test is analyzing.



2NIC software test tool (client version) - This is the client module of the primary router test tool. The server module runs on a server in the Redmond lab. This is the primary test tool to test integrated modem/routers (home gateways). These devices are becoming increasingly popular in all regions. This test requires the integrated device to be connected to the public internet.



NAT Type test tool - This stand alone tool can evaluate the presence of NAT that is occurring within the provider’s network. It is becoming obsolete as the latest version of the 2NIC tool contains this functionality.



Web page templates - These templates are Word documents that allow providers to quickly develop a web page. The web page describes how to connect to Xbox Live and highlights any unique issues the provider’s network configuration presents to the customer.

ISP Testing Criteria

During the ISP testing phase, several items are evaluated. Each Customer

Premise Equipment (CPE) make/model that the provider would like to logo certified is analyzed. Further, if a provider offers levels of service, only those levels which meet minimum speed requirements for Xbox Live are tested. With Xbox consoles attached behind the provider’s CPE, the following items also are measured/verified:



Ability to connect to the service.



Ability to conduct proper voice communications with friends.



Packet Loss



Latency

Note:

Some providers are offering their customers integrated devices. These devices perform both a modem and routing function. Providers who offer these integrated devices must fully test and stand behind all of the functionality of these devices as being compatible with the Xbox Live™ service. The tests required to ensure that the routing functions of the integrated device are compatible with the

Live™ service are contained in the documentation for the Home Router Logo Compatibility Program.

Integrated devices (modem/router combinations) cannot , however, be submitted for logo certification in the Home Router Logo Compatibility program by themselves. Integrated devices, if they pass all of the tests in the

Home Router Logo Compatibility Program can be a part of a service provider’s logo certified service level. Microsoft maintains this position to




- 5 ensure there is always a tie between the integrated device and a given provider’s network.

We make this policy because we want to avoid the following scenario:



A user selects an integrated device that was tested on Provider A’s network and is listed as part of that providers logo’d CPE.



The user plugs the integrated device into a different logo certified provider’s network (Provider B) and then experiences some difficulty. This is highly possible given network differences amongst

ISPs.

The problem in the above scenario is that the user receives a mixed message.

They have a logo certified integrated device, on a logo certified service provider, but the device is (potentially) not working with Live because it is not the same network .

With NONintegrated devices, we don’t have this problem because non-integrated devices are provider-agnostic.

Router Logo Program

As with the ISP Logo Program, the goal of the Router Logo Program is to ensure the ultimate connectivity solution (functionality and messaging) for the ultimate gaming service. This goal is achieved by first establishing a partnership with premier, business critical (high market share) home networking hardware vendors. There is no fee for becoming a logo partner.

The only requirements are the completion/signing of the standard Microsoft

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and the signing of the logo contract.

With this partnership in place (as defined by the logo contract), vendors agree to deploy hardware and software that meets Xbox Live logo testing criteria. The logo testing criteria ensure that all functions/features of the

Live service operate properly when a console is placed behind the vendor’s device. Once all phases of testing have been passed and verified, a green

Xbox compatible logo is awarded to the vendor.

Note:

Devices are certified for BOTH model AND firmware. As such, a particular model of device is not “always” certified. Specific firmware revisions for particular models which have been adequately tested are considered logo certified.


At the time of inclusion into the program, hardware vendors are provided the following documents and tools. These are all provided under NDA.

Included in this list of documents/test tools are the following:



Xbox Live Router Logo Agreement






Home Router Testing for Xbox Live documentation




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

Home Router Testing for Xbox Live specification



2NIC software test tool (single machine mode)



2NIC software test tool (client version)



NAT Type test tool




Xbox Live Router Logo Agreement (includes the program checklist) - This is the contractual document that establishes procedure, level-sets expectation and sets legal precedent for

Microsoft and the hardware vendor to interact.






Home Router Testing for Xbox Live - This paper describes in detail the testing process for Xbox Live router certification. It articulates how to setup the test bed, the tools required and what each test is analyzing.



Home Router Testing for Xbox Live specification - This specification articulates the passing requirements for a piece of logo certified routing equipment.



2NIC software test tool (single machine mode) - This is the primary test tool for determining non-integrated router certification. This piece of software contains both a client and server module and can be run on one PC with 2 network cards (hence the name). It does not require any internet connectivity.



2NIC software test tool (client version) - This is the client module of the primary test tool. The server module runs on a server in the

Redmond lab. This is the primary test tool to test integrated modem/routers. These devices are becoming increasingly popular in all regions. This test requires the integrated device to be connected to the public internet.

Router Testing Criteria

This paper is not intended to replace the documentation associated with the logo program. However, it does provide a high-level overview of the kinds of characteristics the Xbox testing team is evaluating to determine if a device will receive the logo and provide an excellent gaming experience for the customer.

One of the most significant router characteristics that is evaluated by the

Xbox testing team is Network Address Translation (NAT) type. As such, this topic will be dealt with in detail.




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Network Address Translation

We expect that many of our users will set up some form of home network to connect their Xbox console to their broadband connection. Most home networks involve the use of a PC or cable/DSL router to “share” the broadband connection. These devices generally perform this sharing function through Network Address Translation (NAT).

Note:

NAT is sometimes called Network Address and Port Translation (NAPT).

It is important to understand the influence of NAT on Xbox Live . NAT makes it difficult to establish peer-to-peer sessions between devices attached to routers using this translation protocol. It is critically important to us that users not need to configure their NAT device in order to access all of the features of the Xbox Live service. As a result, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that all Xbox Live service features work through the majority of

NAT devices.

Note :

This information is primarily intended for use by networking professionals who provide broadband service, or who create home routers and want to know how to ensure that their products and services work well with Xbox

Live . End users who want to select a home router that works well with Xbox

Live should consult the Xbox Live Routers page. End users who already have a router and want to know if it works properly with Xbox Live should also visit the Xbox Live Routers page for any information regarding their particular router model.

How NAT Works

A NAT allows multiple devices to share a single IP address. To perform this function, the NAT must remap the UDP or TCP ports in the packets that flow through the NAT.

Example :



The NAT is assigned a public, routable IP address of 24.1.1.1 by the

Internet Service Provider (ISP).



Device 1 is assigned a private, non-routable IP address of

192.168.0.2 by the NAT.



Device 1 sends a UDP packet to 60.1.1.1:10000 (IP address 60.1.1.1,

UDP port 10000) from UDP source port 20000

 The NAT receives this packet. It must change the “source” IP address from 192.168.0.2 to the NAT’s source IP address 24.1.1.1 or the computer receiving the UDP packet will not know where to reply to.

The NAT also changes the source UDP port to 35000 and remembers




- 8 that UDP port 35000 on the public IP address of 24.1.1.1 equals UDP port 20000 on 192.168.0.2.



When the program listening at UDP 60.1.1.1:10000 replies, it replies to UDP 24.1.1.1:35000. This of course relays the packet to the NAT.

The NAT remembers that UDP port 35000 equals UDP 192.168.0.1:

20000 modifies the IP and UDP headers appropriately, and forwards the packet.



This NAT technique allows Device 1 to have a UDP conversation with the program listening at UDP 60.1.1.1:10000, even though

Device 1 does not have a public IP address.



Furthermore, if Device 2 is assigned private IP address 192.168.0.3 by the NAT, it too can send a UDP packet from UDP port 20000 to

UDP 60.1.1.1:10000. The NAT will assign a different public port, for example 35001, to Device 2, and remember that UDP port 35001 on the public IP address of 24.1.1.1 equals UDP port 20000 on

192.168.0.3.

 This is what allows multiple devices to “share” the public IP address, although neither has a public IP address, and both are using UDP port

20000.

Port Assignment Policy

When a NAT receives a UDP packet from a client device, it must decide what UDP port to assign to that UDP source port on that client device. There are two techniques the NAT can use to do this.

1) The NAT can assign one UDP port to each UDP source port used by a client device, regardless of the destination of the UDP packet. We call this “minimal port assignment policy” because it results in the minimum number of UDP ports being assigned by the NAT. This is also sometimes called a “cone” NAT.

2) The NAT can assign a different UDP port for each UDP destination.

We call this an “aggressive port assignment policy” because it results in the NAT assigning many ports. This is also sometimes called a

“symmetric” NAT.

Symmetric NATs make it very difficult to establish peer-to-peer connectivity between two devices behind NATs. Symmetric NATs are not supported by

Xbox Live . A user behind a symmetric NAT will be able to connect to the

Xbox Live service and will be able to join some games, but will sometimes encounter problems related to the difficultly of establishing peer-to-peer connectivity, such as problems with in-game voice communication, or the inability to join some game sessions.

Port Filtering Policy

Some NATs apply filters on incoming traffic. There are three possible filtering policies:




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

No Filtering : Any packet that is addressed to a port the NAT has assigned to client devices is forwarded. When combined with a minimal port assignment policy, this is sometimes referred to as a

“full cone” NAT.



Address Sensitive Filtering : A packet addressed to a port the NAT has assigned is forwarded only if it originated from an IP address the client device has previously communicated to.



Address and Port Sensitive Filtering : A packet addressed to a port the NAT has assigned is forwarded only if it originated from an IP address and port that the client device has previously communicated to.

Xbox Live works best with “cone” NATs (those with a minimal port assignment policy) that implement No Filtering or Address Sensitive

Filtering. Users behind these types of NATs will be able to connect to any other user behind any type of NAT, even incompatible “symmetric” NATs.

Xbox Live will also work with “cone” NATs that implement Address and

Port Sensitive filtering, but users behind these NATs may find they are unable to communicate with users behind an incompatible “symmetric”

NAT.

Microsoft highly recommends that NAT vendors choose to implement No

Filtering or Address Sensitive filtering policies with minimal port assignment policies. Users behind these NATs will have a true plug-and-play experience where no configuration of the NAT is required for the user to communicate with any other Xbox Live subscriber.

UPnP

As above, part of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Compatible logo program is to test for and certify those devices (routers/home gateways) that implement a form of NAT that will allow all of the functions of Xbox Live to operate properly.

As such, all Xbox Live logo compatible routers implement a minimal port assignment policy. However, there is one exception to this rule.

Routers/gateways which properly implement UPnP (and have it enabled by default) can function on the Live service even if they have an aggressive port assignment policy. (The Xbox implementation of UPnP follows the

InternetGatewayDevice:1 specification- more information is available at http://www.upnp.org

). A list of devices that are logo certified can be found on the Xbox Live Routers page.

Additional Testing

While extremely significant, NAT type is only one aspect of Xbox Live

Logo Compatibility. When certifying routers or home gateways, Microsoft testers evaluate many characteristics of the devices submitted for certification. An overview of the evaluation is provided below.




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

A physical inspection is conducted. We identify and document specific physical characteristics.



A user interface inspection is conducted. We document how the user modifies the device settings.



The ability to connect to the Xbox Live service is verified and documented.



NAT type is determined and documented.



Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) capabilities are verified and documented.



Verification that UDP packets from multiple IP addresses can traverse through NAT is conducted.



Response to ICMP port-unreachable packets is documented.



MTU size is documented. (Xbox Live requires a maximum MTU of

1365).



The ability to download packets on ports 80 and 3074 is documented.



DHCP Lease characteristics are recorded. We determine if a client behind the routing device can receive the same IP address with a lease duration of longer than 5 minutes when an IP address is renewed repeatedly.



Session policy is evaluated. We determine if the routing device will keep a port association open when the only traffic it is receiving is the “keep alive” traffic generated by the Xbox

Live network stack.



TCP FIN response is evaluated and documented. We determine if a router will keep a socket association open until a download is complete even after an internal client sends a TCP FIN command.

Wireless Logo Program (Bridges)

The Xbox Live Wireless logo program mirrors closely the router program.

However, this program focuses on wireless bridges versus wireless routers.

(Routers that offer wireless functionality are covered under the router program.)

The wireless bridge program is the same as the router program in that devices are pre-tested by the device manufacturer using an automated test tool. Microsoft then verifies this result in its lab.

However, there are two significant differences between the wireless bridge logo program and the router program. First, the wireless bridge program requires signing the Microsoft XDK Agreement. Second, the reason the XDK agreement is required is because developing a logo compatible wireless bridge requires the writing of code.

The Xbox dashboard has the ability to communicate directly to Xbox Live Logo

Compatible wireless bridges. This allows a user to configure his bridge’s wireless settings without using a PC. This functionality is enabled by a protocol based upon




- 11 a specification we provide to our logo partners. Wireless bridges that do not have this protocol enabled on the device cannot be configured from the Xbox dashboard.


At the time of inclusion into the program, wireless hardware vendors are provided the following documents and tools. These are all provided under

NDA. Included in this list of documents/test tools are the following:



Xbox Live Router Logo Agreement






Wireless Bridge Testing for Xbox Live documentation



Wireless Bridge Protocol for Xbox Live specification



Wireless Protocol Parser



3NIC software test tool




Xbox Live Router Logo Agreement (includes the program checklist) - This is the contractual document that establishes procedure, level-sets expectation and sets legal precedent for

Microsoft and the hardware vendor to interact.






Wireless Bridge Testing for Xbox Live - This paper describes in detail the testing process for Xbox Live wireless bridge certification.

It articulates how to setup the test bed, the tools required and what each test is analyzing.



Wireless Bridge Protocol for Xbox Live specification - This specification defines the Xbox wireless bridge protocol.



Wireless Protocol Parser - This parser is a plug-in for Microsoft

Network Monitor that parses the contents of network packets which conform to the Xbox Wireless Bridge Configuration Protocol. This is the protocol used by the Xbox Dashboard to configure compliant wireless-to-Ethernet bridge devices.



3NIC software test tool - This is the primary test tool for determining wireless bridge certification.

Wireless Bridge Testing Criteria

Wireless bridges are evaluated for several characteristics. Specific tests are identified in the Wireless Bridge Testing documentation. At a high level, these include the following:



Ability to configure/save settings via the Xbox wireless bridge protocol.



Support for WEP at 64 and 128bit key lengths.




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

Support for System-Link game play.



Connectivity to Xbox Live in Infrastructure/Ad-Hoc mode.



Ad-Hoc connectivity to other bridges/wireless devices.



Network performance.



Detection of network changes.

References

Call to Action



If you have questions about becoming a logo certified partner, send e-mail to jbarber@microsoft.com.

Resources

Microsoft Hardware and Driver Central

(includes Windows Driver Development Kits [DDK], Windows Hardware

Compatibility Test [HCT] Kits, and Windows Logo Program requirements) http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/default.mspx



Live Program Overview

Xbox

Logo Compatible

Program Overview

Introduction

ISP Logo Program

Router Logo Program

Wireless Logo Program (Bridges)

References

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Products

Support

Live Program Overview

Xbox

Logo Compatible

Program Overview

Introduction

ISP Logo Program

Router Logo Program

Wireless Logo Program (Bridges)

References

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