never keep track of more than 500 ACK ranges

This is achieved by deleting the oldest ACK ranges when receiving a
packet that creates a new ACK range such that this limit is exceeded.

internal/ackhandler/received_packet_history.go

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package ackhandler
 
 import (
 	"github.com/lucas-clemente/quic-go/internal/protocol"
-	"github.com/lucas-clemente/quic-go/internal/qerr"
 	"github.com/lucas-clemente/quic-go/internal/utils"
 	"github.com/lucas-clemente/quic-go/internal/wire"
 )
@@ -16,9 +15,6 @@ type receivedPacketHistory struct {
 	deletedBelow protocol.PacketNumber
 }
 
-var errTooManyOutstandingReceivedAckRanges = qerr.Error(qerr.InternalError, "Too many outstanding received ACK ranges")
-
-// newReceivedPacketHistory creates a new received packet history
 func newReceivedPacketHistory() *receivedPacketHistory {
 	return &receivedPacketHistory{
 		ranges: utils.NewPacketIntervalList(),
@@ -31,10 +27,14 @@ func (h *receivedPacketHistory) ReceivedPacket(p protocol.PacketNumber) error {
 	if p < h.deletedBelow {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if h.ranges.Len() >= protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges {
+	if err := h.addToRanges(p); err != nil {
-		return errTooManyOutstandingReceivedAckRanges
+		return err
 	}
+	h.maybeDeleteOldRanges()
+	return nil
+}
 
+func (h *receivedPacketHistory) addToRanges(p protocol.PacketNumber) error {
 	if h.ranges.Len() == 0 {
 		h.ranges.PushBack(utils.PacketInterval{Start: p, End: p})
 		return nil
@@ -75,10 +75,17 @@ func (h *receivedPacketHistory) ReceivedPacket(p protocol.PacketNumber) error {
 
 	// create a new range at the beginning
 	h.ranges.InsertBefore(utils.PacketInterval{Start: p, End: p}, h.ranges.Front())
-
 	return nil
 }
 
+// Delete old ranges, if we're tracking more than 500 of them.
+// This is a DoS defense against a peer that sends us too many gaps.
+func (h *receivedPacketHistory) maybeDeleteOldRanges() {
+	for h.ranges.Len() > protocol.MaxNumAckRanges {
+		h.ranges.Remove(h.ranges.Front())
+	}
+}
+
 // DeleteBelow deletes all entries below (but not including) p
 func (h *receivedPacketHistory) DeleteBelow(p protocol.PacketNumber) {
 	if p < h.deletedBelow {

internal/ackhandler/received_packet_history_test.go

@@ -186,27 +186,18 @@ var _ = Describe("receivedPacketHistory", func() {
 			Expect(hist.ranges.Front().Value).To(Equal(utils.PacketInterval{Start: 5, End: 6}))
 		})
 
-		Context("DoS protection", func() {
+		It("doesn't create more than MaxNumAckRanges ranges", func() {
-			It("doesn't create more than MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges ranges", func() {
+			for i := protocol.PacketNumber(0); i < protocol.MaxNumAckRanges; i++ {
-				for i := protocol.PacketNumber(1); i <= protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges; i++ {
+				err := hist.ReceivedPacket(2 * i)
-					err := hist.ReceivedPacket(2 * i)
-					Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-				}
-				err := hist.ReceivedPacket(2*protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges + 2)
-				Expect(err).To(MatchError(errTooManyOutstandingReceivedAckRanges))
-			})
-
-			It("doesn't consider already deleted ranges for MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges", func() {
-				for i := protocol.PacketNumber(1); i <= protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges; i++ {
-					err := hist.ReceivedPacket(2 * i)
-					Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-				}
-				err := hist.ReceivedPacket(2*protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges + 2)
-				Expect(err).To(MatchError(errTooManyOutstandingReceivedAckRanges))
-				hist.DeleteBelow(protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges) // deletes about half of the ranges
-				err = hist.ReceivedPacket(2*protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges + 4)
 				Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-			})
+			}
+			Expect(hist.ranges.Len()).To(Equal(protocol.MaxNumAckRanges))
+			Expect(hist.ranges.Front().Value).To(Equal(utils.PacketInterval{Start: 0, End: 0}))
+			err := hist.ReceivedPacket(2*protocol.MaxNumAckRanges + 1000)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			// check that the oldest ACK range was deleted
+			Expect(hist.ranges.Len()).To(Equal(protocol.MaxNumAckRanges))
+			Expect(hist.ranges.Front().Value).To(Equal(utils.PacketInterval{Start: 2, End: 2}))
 		})
 	})
 

internal/ackhandler/received_packet_tracker_test.go

@@ -59,19 +59,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Received Packet Tracker", func() {
 			Expect(tracker.largestObserved).To(Equal(protocol.PacketNumber(5)))
 			Expect(tracker.largestObservedReceivedTime).To(Equal(timestamp))
 		})
-
-		It("passes on errors from receivedPacketHistory", func() {
-			var err error
-			for i := protocol.PacketNumber(0); i < 5*protocol.MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges; i++ {
-				err = tracker.ReceivedPacket(2*i+1, time.Time{}, true)
-				// this will eventually return an error
-				// details about when exactly the receivedPacketHistory errors are tested there
-				if err != nil {
-					break
-				}
-			}
-			Expect(err).To(MatchError(errTooManyOutstandingReceivedAckRanges))
-		})
 	})
 
 	Context("ACKs", func() {

internal/protocol/params.go

@@ -73,9 +73,6 @@ const MaxOutstandingSentPackets = 2 * defaultMaxCongestionWindowPackets
 // This value *must* be larger than MaxOutstandingSentPackets.
 const MaxTrackedSentPackets = MaxOutstandingSentPackets * 5 / 4
 
-// MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges is the maximum number of ACK ranges tracked
-const MaxTrackedReceivedAckRanges = defaultMaxCongestionWindowPackets
-
 // MaxNonAckElicitingAcks is the maximum number of packets containing an ACK,
 // but no ack-eliciting frames, that we send in a row
 const MaxNonAckElicitingAcks = 19
@@ -117,6 +114,11 @@ const MaxPostHandshakeCryptoFrameSize ByteCount = 1000
 // but must ensure that a maximum size ACK frame fits into one packet.
 const MaxAckFrameSize ByteCount = 1000
 
+// MaxNumAckRanges is the maximum number of ACK ranges that we send in an ACK frame.
+// It also serves as a limit for the packet history.
+// If at any point we keep track of more ranges, old ranges are discarded.
+const MaxNumAckRanges = 500
+
 // MinPacingDelay is the minimum duration that is used for packet pacing
 // If the packet packing frequency is higher, multiple packets might be sent at once.
 // Example: For a packet pacing delay of 20 microseconds, we would send 5 packets at once, wait for 100 microseconds, and so forth.