Similarities and Differences between the IEEE and ANSI ... · translation between ANSI C12.21-2006 / IEEE Std 1702-2011 ... difference in interpretation, the IEEE ... Similarities

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Similarities and Differences between the IEEE and ANSI Standards for Metering

By

Avygdor Moise, Ph.D.

Future DOS Research and Development Inc.

Written: August 17, 2012

Revised March 13, 2012

Contents 1 The metering standards suite ............................................................................................................... 3

2 ANSI C12.18-2006 vs. IEEE Std 1701-2011 ............................................................................................ 4

3 ANSI C12.21-2006 vs. IEEE Std 1702-2011 ............................................................................................ 4

4 ANSI C12.22-2008 vs. IEEE Std 1703-2012 ............................................................................................ 5

5 ANSI C12.19-2008 vs. IEEE Std 1377-2012 and ANSI C12.19-2012 ....................................................... 7

6 AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010 vs. AEIC Guidelines V2.1-2012 ................................................................. 10

7 IETF RFC 6142-2011 ............................................................................................................................ 12

8 Registrar Certification Testing Requirements for IEEE Std 1377and ANSI C12.19 .............................. 12

9 References .......................................................................................................................................... 12


List of tables Table 1 – The metering standards suite ........................................................................................................ 3

Table 2 – Differences between ANSI C12.22-2008 and IEEE Std 1703-2012 ................................................ 5

Table 3 – Differences between ANSI C12.19-2008 and IEEE Std 1377-2012 (ANSI C12.19-2012)................ 8

Table 4 – Differences between AEIC Guidelines Version 2.0 and 2.1 ......................................................... 10


1 The metering standards suite The contemporary metering standards suite is a collection of seven core standards and specifications.

The individual standards1 in the suite were published by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers), ANSI (American National Standards Institute), IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), AEIC

(Association of Edison Illuminating Companies) and NAEDRA (North American End Device Registration

Authority)2 as listed in Table 1 below.

Table 1 – The metering standards suite

Standard or Specification Title Comment

ANSI C12.18-2006 / IEEE Std 1701™-2011

Optical Port Communication Protocol

Also implemented by ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703™-2012.

ANSI C12.21-2006 / IEEE Std 1702™-2011

Telephone Modem Communication Legacy telephony protocols. Uses deprecated DES3

3 for security. ANSI

C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703™-2012 provide tunneling capabilities for ANSI C12.21-2006 / IEEE Std 1702™-2011 payloads.

ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703™-2012 / Draft ANSI C12.22-2012

Local Area Network/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) Node Communication

Use IEEE Std 1703™-2012 in AMI testing and certification.

ANSI C12.19-2008 / IEEE Std 1377™-2012 / ANSI C12.19-2012

Utility Industry End Device Data Tables

Use IEEE Std 1377™-2012 or ANSI C12.19-2012 in AMI testing and certification.

AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010 / AEIC Guidelines V2.1-2012

SmartGrid/AEIC AMI Interoperability Standard Guidelines for ANSI C12.19 / IEEE 1377 / MC12.19 End Device Communications and Supporting Enterprise Devices, Networks and Related Accessories

Use for testing and certification of conformance and interoperability of End Devices. MC12.19 is a Canadian part number reference to IEEE Std 1377™-2012.

IETF RFC 6142-2011 ANSI C12.22, IEEE 1703 Transport Over IP

Defines communication over TCP/IP and UDP/IP. Supports IPv4 and IPv6.

1 Traditionally “standards” are published by SDOs (Standard Development Organizations). However, some “standards” are also

published by SSOs (Standards Setting Organizations), while SDOs delegate their work to ANSI ASDs (Accredited Standards Developers). Examples of SDOs include ANSI, IEC. Examples of SSO include AEIC, IETF. Examples of ASD include IEEE, NEMA, and ASHRAE. 2 http://www.naedra.org

3 Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDEA or Triple DEA) block cipher, which applies the Data Encryption Standard (DES) cipher

algorithm three times to each data block.


Standard or Specification Title Comment

NAEDRA Standard TDL Testing-2012

Registrar Certification Testing Requirements for IEEE 1377/ANSI C12.19/MC12.19 TDL

Defines requirements for testing a submission End Device data model.

2 ANSI C12.18-2006 vs. IEEE Std 1701-2011 The two standards are technically identical.

Recommendation: Use IEEE Std 1701-2011 (for optical port use by non-networking applications).

Recommendation: Use IEEE Std 1703-2012 (for optical port use by networking AMI applications).

These standards define the point-to-point ANSI Type 2 optical communication interface between an

ANSI C12.19-2008 / IEEE Std 1377-2012 (or ANSI C12.19-2012) End Device (e.g. meter) and a reader (e.g.

hand held device). This local interface is not qualified (from a security standpoint) for network use.

ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703-2012 provide interface definitions that are compatible (hardware- and

protocol-wise) with ANSI C12.18-2006 / IEEE Std 17014.

3 ANSI C12.21-2006 vs. IEEE Std 1702-2011 The two standards are technically identical.

Recommendation: Use IEEE Std 1702-2011 (for telephony use by non-networking applications).

Recommendation: Use IEEE Std 1703-2012 (for telephony port use by networking applications).

These standards define the telephone / MODEM communication interface between an

ANSI C12.19-2008 / IEEE Std 1377-2012 (or ANSI C12.19-2012) End Device (e.g. meter) and a head-end

system. This interface does not support and it is not qualified (from a security standpoint) for network

use. Some vendors use this interface “under the glass” to bridge between ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std

1703-2012 and legacy meters that implement ANSI C12.19-1997 / IEEE Std 1377-1998 and ANSI C12.21-

1999.

ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703-2012 provides a pass through mode definition that enables

translation between ANSI C12.21-2006 / IEEE Std 1702-2011 and is compatible (hardware- and protocol-

wise) with ANSI C12.18-2006 / IEEE Std 1701-20115.

4 See Either ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703-2012 Clause 7, “Local port communication protocol details”.


4 ANSI C12.22-2008 vs. IEEE Std 1703-2012 The two standards should be technically identical. They are nearly identical where IEEE Std 1703-2012

provides editorial corrections and corrections to descriptions on testability and proper use of the

protocol. The reader is advised to review IEEE Std 1703-2012 Annex L – Listing of editorial errors and

errors of omission in ANSI C12.22-2008. Also the Forward of Draft ANSI C12.22-2012 contains the list of

differences cited below.

Recommendation: Use IEEE Std 1703-2012 (for detailed differences refer to IEEE Std 1703-20126).

Recommendation: Use ANSI C12.22-2008 in conjunction with AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010 or AEIC

Guidelines V2.1-2012.

ANSI C12.22-2008 was developed under the auspices of NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers

Association). IEEE Std 1703-2012 was supposed to be an identical technical publication of the ANSI

C12.22-2008 standard, but thanks to vendor-independent testing and implementation of the protocol

and thanks to the Editorial excellence of IEEE many errors were detected in the source ANSI C12.22-

2008 published document. These are listed in Table 2 below.

Table 2 – Differences between ANSI C12.22-2008 and IEEE Std 1703-2012

Category Change in IEEE Std 1703-2012 Impact

Document structure Document style and structure was revised to meet IEEE publication style requirements, while preserving section numbers.

None

Document structure Moved clause “2.2 Other” to “Annex K, Bibliography” and adopted IEEE style citations and references.

None

Document Structure

Added reference to the “IEEE-SA Standards Definitions Database” in clause “3.1 Definitions”

None. Impacts only interpretation of undefined terms.

Editorial Updated references where appropriate.

None. Now all references are properly cited and they are contemporary.

Technical Corrected definitions in 5.2.4 “Universal Identifiers Canonical Encoding” (source and target were swapped)

None. The ANSI C12.22-2008 error is so obvious that it is unlikely for it to have been implemented as written

5 See Either ANSI C12.22-2008 / IEEE Std 1703-2012 Clause 5.3.4.8.2 and Annex D, mechanism name compatibility with ANSI

C12.21-2006 / IEEE Std 1702-2011 Authentication Service algorithm. 6 See IEEE Std 1703-2012 Annex L, “Listing of editorial errors and errors of omission in ANSI C12.22-2008”.



in ANSI C12.22-2008. Use IEEE Std 1703-2012.

Technical Added new response error codes clause “5.3.2.2 Response Codes”; and added missing network error response codes to EPSEM services where missing (e.g. identification, security, disconnect)

ANSI C12.22-2008 strictly conforming applications may be limited in their ability to report errors clearly. IEEE Std 1703-2012 version corrected this situation. It primarily impacts on End Devices other than meters (i.e. network infrastructure equipment such as C12.22 Relay.

Technical Corrected <octet-count> in clause “5.3.2.4.2 Read Service”. Now it accounts for the pending operations header correctly. Corrected <data> documentation in clause 5.3.2.4.3, “Write Service”.

Impacts on meter programming and firmware upgrades. The ANSI C12.22-2008 version is wrong. Should use Std 1703-2012 corrections. Although this is a significant difference in interpretation, the IEEE Std 1703-2012 is actually aligned with the use of the PSEM services defined by ANSI C12.18-2006 and ANSI C12.21-2006. Therefore, is likely that legacy meter manufacturers actually implemented the services as defined by ANSI C12.18, ANSI C12.21 and IEEE Std 1703-2012, while claiming “conformance” to ANSI C12.22-2008.

Technical Corrected request description in clause “5.3.2.4.5 Security Service”. Passwords are usable in both session and session-less operations.

Should use IEEE Std 1703-2012 correction.

Editorial Documented description of domain pattern in clause “5.3.2.4.10 “Registration Service”.

No change in functionality. Service description was accidentally deleted in ANSI C12.18-2008 and re-inserted by the editor in IEEE Std 1703-2012.

Technical Clarified the description of clause “5.3.2.4.12 “Resolve Service”, Clause “5.3.3 EPSEM Envelope Structure”, clause “5.3.4.12 Use of Sub-branches of a Registered ApTitle”, clause “A.6 C12.22 Master

None. The ANSI C12.22-2008 description was unclear. The IEEE Std 1703-2012 is much clearer and eliminates ambiguities.



Relay ApTitle Auto-assignment”.

Editorial Inserted “C.1 Overview” into Annex C, and renumbered all sub-clauses in C.

None.

Technical Field sizes (number of characters) of domain patterns and electronic serial number patterns were increased to accommodate realistic sizes of patterns.

ANSI C12.22-2008 supports very short recognizers for domain patterns (domain name recognizers and asset number recognizer), IEEE Std 1703-2012 is backward compatible with ANSI C12.22-2008, but can handle longer patterns. It mostly impacts Master Relay (name servers) and some Notification Hosts (e.g. enterprise applications servers such as head-end systems)

Editorial / Technical

Corrected the examples (sample test vectors) and explanation on use of the EAX’ security protocol.

None. There is no difference in implementation, but IEEE Std 1703-2012 example test vectors are the correct ones to use.

5 ANSI C12.19-2008 vs. IEEE Std 1377-2012 and ANSI C12.19-2012 The standards are nearly technically identical. IEEE Std 1377-2012 provides editorial corrections and

corrections to descriptions on semantics (meta-data syntax) and clarifies proper use of certain table

elements of ANSI C12.19-2008. The one major difference is that both IEEE Std 1377-2012 and

ANSI C12.19-2012 recognize the existence of the AEIC Guidelines V2, by providing a publishable data

model for it. It is possible to also implement a C12.19-2008 based solution that is conforming to the

AEIC Guidelines V2, but that fact may not be readily apparent as is the case when using

IEEE Std 1377-2012. The reader is advised to review IEEE Std 1377-2012 Annex N – Listing of editorial

errors and errors of omission in ANSI C12.19-2008. Also the Forward of ANSI C12.19-2012 contains the

list of differences cited below. Otherwise ANSI C12.19-2012 and IEEE Std 1377-2012 are technically

identical.


Recommendation: Use IEEE Std 1377-2012 or ANSI C12.19-2012 (for detailed differences refer to

IEEE Std 1377-20127).

Recommendation: Use ANSI C12.19-2008 in conjunction with AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010 or

AEIC Guidelines V2.1-2012.

ANSI C12.19-2008 was developed under the auspices of NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers

Association). IEEE Std 1377-2012 was supposed to be an identical technical publication of the ANSI

C12.19-2008 standard, but thanks to NAEDRA’s testing program, vendor-independent testing and

implementation of the data model and together with the Editorial excellence of IEEE’s editor many

errors were detected in the source of ANSI C12.19-2008 and corrected in the published IEEE Std 1377-

20128. These are listed in Table 3 below.

Table 3 – Differences between ANSI C12.19-2008 and IEEE Std 1377-2012 (ANSI C12.19-2012)


Document structure Document style and structure was revised to meet IEEE publication style requirements, while preserving section numbers.

None

Document structure Moved clause “2.2 Other” to “Annex M, Bibliography” and adopted IEEE style citations and references.

None

Document Structure

Added reference to the “IEEE-SA Standards Definitions Database” in clause “3.1 Definitions”

None. Impacts only interpretation of undefined terms.


None. Now all references are properly cited and they are contemporary. Also IEEE Std 1377-2012 includes a reference to the AEIC Guidelines V2.0.

Editorial Corrected use of English for consistency

None. e.g. All references to “byte” were replaced with “Octet”.

7 See IEEE Std 1377-2012 Annex N, “Listing of editorial errors and errors of omission in ANSI C12.19-2008”.

8 Also see Draft ANSI C12.19-201x.



Editorial / Technical Resolved all unresolved / undefined referenced element names.

None – Communication Fixes – Data model. Element names that were misspelled or improperly defined were spelled correctly and properly defined; while maintaining compatibility in naming with ANSI C12.19-2008.

Technical Introduced new model identifier (Device Class) for AEIC Guidelines V2. This manifests itself in MODEL_SELECT in clauses 6.4.4 and 9.1.1 “Table 00 General Configuration Table”.

IEEE Std 1377-2012 has an explicit awareness of the AEIC Guidelines V2, when model select is 1, otherwise it is 0 (thus matching that of ANSI C12.19-2008). Although it is possible to implement the AEIC Guidelines V2 based on ANSI C12.19-2008, there is no explicit standard device class assigned to it because the ANSI Standard was published before the AEIC Guidelines V2 was written.

Editorial / Technical Corrected descriptions of read and write services and the use of Pending Tables in clauses 8, “Table transportation issues”.

None. These corrections now document these services as currently implemented by ANSI C12.18-2006, ANSI C12.21-2006 and IEEE Std 1703-2012.

Editorial / Technical Recast and updated descriptions of GPS COORDINATE_1, COORDINATE_2 and COORDINATE_3 in terms of definitely structured STRINGs in clause 9.1.7 “Table 06 Utility Information Table”.

None. The new standard provides definitive encoding instructions for GPS coordinates. The encoding rules can be used by any existing system that implements ANSI C12.19-2008 (or even ANSI C12.19-1997).

Technical/Editorial Corrected number descriptors in clause 9.2.3 “Table 12 Units of Measure Entry Table”.

None – Communication Fixes – Data annotations

Editorial Added security best practice recommendation to note in clauses 9.5.3, “Table 42 Security Table” and 9.5.6 “Table 45 Key Table”.

None. Provides better guidance on security



Technical Introduced new hashing function for signing event logs and metrology data based on FIPS PUB 180-2.

The existing MD5 hashing method has been deprecated by NIST. Both ANSI C12.19-2008 and IEEE Std 1377-2012 implement MD5. However, only IEEE Std 1377-2012 implements SHA-256.

Editorial / Technical Added missing descriptions of TDL/XML meta model elements such as clause I.2.1.15, “<object> Attributes”, I.2.1.16 “<table> Attributes”, I.2.1.17 “<caption>, <col>, <thead>, <tfoot> and <tbody> sub-element usage of <table>” etc.

None – Communication Fixes – TDL meta-data XML model for automated machine use. It impacts on Registrars.

6 AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010 vs. AEIC Guidelines V2.1-2012 The two specifications are technically identical. Version 2.0 was published in 2010, and subsequently a

number of meter manufacturers requested certain changes. The changes that were made to version 2.0

(that is referenced in IEEE Std 1377-2012) do not adversely impact on ANSI C12.19-2008 and on

IEEE Std 1377-2012, or the corresponding communication standards.

Table 4 – Differences between AEIC Guidelines Version 2.0 and 2.1

Category Change in AEIC Guidelines V2.1 Impact

Editorial Corrected use of English and use of references-names to standard for consistency.

None.


None.

Requirements Clause 5.1.1 “Disclosure of Data Model”. In V2.1 disclosure should be “timely” and provided in a manner that “any party may independently read, write, program and interpret the metering data using the C12.19 Semantics and Syntax”.

Improves on interoperability and operations.

Requirements Clause 5.1.6, deleted V2.0 requirements for Manufacturer Operating Manual in V2.1

Documentation.


Category Change in AEIC Guidelines V2.1 Impact

Requirements Clause 5.1.6.6. Strengthened requirements for hidden tables. Version 2.1, “Hidden Tables or Procedures shall only be accessible when the device is in Factory Mode”.

Hidden tables are not allowed post meter production.

Editorial Re-written minimal security interoperability requirements, “C12.22 provides native end-to-end security mechanisms within the APDU. C12.22 provides support for multiple standards-based security mechanisms. In order to ensure interoperability, all devices shall be able to support native C12.22 and C12.19 security mechanisms. While additional standards-based Transport or Network Layer security protocols are not required, they may be provided, or even necessary, in order to further improve security. Layered Transport or Network Layer standards-based security protocols shall be transparent to the C12.22 application protocol”.

All end-devices must implement the ANSI C12.22-2008 (as corrected by IEEE Std 1703-2012) security mechanism, in addition to any other.

Requirements Clause 7.2.21[14]. Added requirement “Provide mechanisms to ensure the integrity of logging and audit data”.

All devices must implement an event logger (e.g. for use in meter upgradability and programming).

Editorial Clause 7.3, added footnote documenting the use of UTF-8 in meta data and text stating that “Implementers and users should note that not all systems are capable of visually rendering the entire UTF-8 character set. These systems include meter and other device displays, head-end systems, meter data management systems, customer information systems, billing systems, printed customer bills, etc.”

None.


7 IETF RFC 6142-2011 This RFC provides a framework for transporting ANSI C12.22/IEEE Std 1703 Advanced Metering

Infrastructure (AMI) Application Layer Messages on an IPv4 and IPv6 networks.

AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010 and AEIC Guidelines V2.1-2012 reference RFC 6142 for use on IP networks.

8 Registrar Certification Testing Requirements for IEEE Std 1377and

ANSI C12.19 NAEDRA Registrar Certification Testing Requirements for IEEE 1377/ANSI C12.19/MC12.19 TDL

Version 1.0 defines requirements for testing a submission of a TDL (Table Definition Language) / XML

(Extended Markup Language) Form representation of ANSI C12.19-2008, as corrected by IEEE Std 1377-

2012 or equivalently ANSI C12.19-2012.

9 References [1] ANSI Accredited Standards Developer (ASD) Listing9, 8/17/2012.

[2] ANS X9.52-1998 Triple Data Encryption Algorithm Modes of Operation (withdrawn)

[3] FIPS PUB 46-3 Data Encryption Standard (DES), 1999 (withdrawn).

[4] AEIC Guidelines V2.0-2010, SmartGrid/AEIC AMI Interoperability Standard Guidelines for ANSI

C12.19 / IEEE 1377 / MC12.19 End Device Communications and Supporting Enterprise Devices,

Networks and Related Accessories

[5] AEIC Guidelines V2.1-2012, SmartGrid/AEIC AMI Interoperability Standard Guidelines for ANSI

C12.19 / IEEE 1377 / MC12.19 End Device Communications and Supporting Enterprise Devices,

Networks and Related Accessories

[6] ANSI C12.18-2006, Protocol Specification for ANSI Type 2 Optical Port

[7] ANSI C12.19-2008, Utility Industry End Device Data Tables

[8] ANSI C12.19-2012, Utility Industry End Device Data Tables

[9] ANSI C12.21-2006, Protocol Specification for Telephone Modem Communication

[10] ANSI C12.22-2008, Protocol Specification for Interfacing to Data Communication Networks

[11] IEEE Std 1377-2012, Standard for Utility Industry Metering Communication Protocol Application

Layer (End Device Data Tables)

9 http://publicaa.ansi.org/sites/apdl/Documents/Standards Activities/American National Standards/ANSI Accredited Standards

Developers/AUG12ASD.pdf

http://publicaa.ansi.org/sites/apdl/Documents/Standards%20Activities/American%20National%20Standards/ANSI%20Accredited%20Standards%20Developers/AUG12ASD.pdf

http://publicaa.ansi.org/sites/apdl/Documents/Standards%20Activities/American%20National%20Standards/ANSI%20Accredited%20Standards%20Developers/AUG12ASD.pdf


[12] IEEE Std 1701-2011, Standard for Optical Port Communication Protocol to Complement the

Utility Industry End Device Data Tables

[13] IEEE Std 1702-2011, Standard for Telephone Modem Communication Protocol to Complement

the Utility Industry End Device Data Tables

[14] IEEE Std 1703-2012, Standard for Local Area Network/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) Node

Communication Protocol to Complement the Utility Industry End Device Data Tables

[15] IETF RFC 6142-2011, ANSI C12.22, IEEE 1703, and MC12.22 Transport Over IP, A. Moise and J.

Brodkin, March 2011

[16] NAEDRA Registrar Certification Testing Requirements for IEEE 1377/ANSI C12.19/MC12.19 TDL

Version 1.0 – 2012.