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Modification to Default Value of SOL_MAX_RT
draft-ietf-dhc-dhcpv6-solmaxrt-update-00

The information below is for an old version of the document.
Document Type
This is an older version of an Internet-Draft that was ultimately published as RFC 7083.
Author Ralph Droms
Last updated 2012-12-13
Replaces draft-droms-dhc-dhcpv6-solmaxrt-update
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draft-ietf-dhc-dhcpv6-solmaxrt-update-00
Network Working Group                                           R. Droms
Internet-Draft                                             Cisco Systems
Updates: 3315 (if approved)                            December 13, 2012
Intended status: Standards Track
Expires: June 16, 2013

              Modification to Default Value of SOL_MAX_RT
                draft-ietf-dhc-dhcpv6-solmaxrt-update-00

Abstract

   This document updates RFC 3315 by redefining the default value for
   SOL_MAX_RT and defining an option through which a DHCPv6 server can
   override the client's default value for SOL_MAX_RT with a new value.

Status of this Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF).  Note that other groups may also distribute
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   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on June 16, 2013.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
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   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
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   described in the Simplified BSD License.

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1.  Introduction

   Section 5.5 of the DHCPv6 specification [RFC3315] defines the default
   value of SOL_MAX_RT to be 120 seconds.  In some circumstances, this
   default will lead to an unacceptably high volume of aggregated
   traffic at a DHCPv6 server.

   The change to SOL_MAX_RT is in response to DHCPv6 message rates
   observed at a DHCPv6 server in a deployment in which many DHCPv6
   clients are sending Solicit messages but the DHCPv6 server has been
   configured not to respond to those Solicit messages.

1.1.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

2.  Update to RFC 3315

   This document changes section 5.5 of RFC 3315 [RFC3315] as follows:

   OLD:
      SOL_MAX_RT      120 secs  Max Solicit timeout value

   NEW:
      SOL_MAX_RT     3600 secs  Max Solicit timeout value

   With this change, a DHCPv6 client that does not receive a
   satisfactory response will send Solicit messages with the same
   initial frequency and exponential backoff as specified in section
   17.1.2 of RFC 3315 [RFC3315].  However, the long term behavior of
   these DHCPv6 clients will be to send a Solicit message every 3600
   seconds rather than every 120 seconds, significantly reducing the
   aggregated traffic at the DHCPv6 server.

3.  SOL_MAX_RT option

   A DHCPv6 server sends the SOL_MAX_RT option to a client to override
   the default value of SOL_MAX_RT.  The value of SOL_MAX_RT in the
   option replaces the default value defined in RFC 3315 [RFC3315].  One
   use for the SOL_MAX_RT option is to set a longer value for
   SOL_MAX_RT, which reduces the Solicit traffic from a client that has
   not received a response to its Solicit messages.

   The format of the SOL_MAX_RT option is:

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       0                   1                   2                   3
       0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
      |          option-code          |         option-len            |
      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
      |                       SOL_MAX_RT value                        |
      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

        option-code          OPTION_SOL_MAX_RT (TBD).

        option-len           4.

        SOL_MAX_RT value     Overriding value for SOL_MAX_RT in seconds.

                                 Figure 1

   A DHCPv6 client MUST include the SOL_MAX_RT option code in an Option
   Request option [RFC3315] in any message it sends.

   The DHCPv6 server MAY include the SOL_MAX_RT option in any response
   it sends to a client that has included the SOL_MAX_RT option code in
   an Option Request option.  The SOL_MAX_RT option is sent in the main
   body of the message to client, not as a sub-option in, e.g., an
   IA_NA, IA_TA [RFC3315] or IA_PD [RFC3633] option.

   If a DHCPv6 client receives a message containing a SOL_MAX_RT option,
   the client MUST set its internal SOL_MAX_RT parameter to the value
   contained in the SOL_MAX_RT option.  As a result of receiving this
   option, the DHCPv6 client MUST NOT send any Solicit messages more
   frequently than allowed by the retransmission mechanism defined in
   sections 17.1.2 and 14 of RFC 3315 [RFC3315].

4.  Updates to RFC 3315

   RFC 3315 [RFC3315], section 17.1.3:

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Internet-Draft          DHCPv6 SOL_MAX_RT Option           December 2012

     OLD:

     The client MUST ignore any Advertise message that includes a Status
     Code option containing the value NoAddrsAvail, with the exception
     that the client MAY display the associated status message to the
     user.

     NEW:

     The client MUST ignore any Advertise message that includes a Status
     Code option containing the value NoAddrsAvail, with the exception
     that the client MUST process an included SOL_MAX_RT option and MAY
     display the associated status message to the user.

                                 Figure 2

   RFC 3315 [RFC3315], section 17.2.2:

      OLD:

      If the server will not assign any addresses to any IAs in a
      subsequent Request from the client, the server MUST send an
      Advertise message to the client that includes only a Status Code
      option with code NoAddrsAvail and a status message for the user, a
      Server Identifier option with the server's DUID, and a Client
      Identifier option with the client's DUID.

      NEW:

      If the server will not assign any addresses to any IAs in a
      subsequent Request from the client, the server MUST send an
      Advertise message to the client that includes only a Status Code
      option with code NoAddrsAvail and a status message for the user, a
      Server Identifier option with the server's DUID, a Client
      Identifier option with the client's DUID and (optionally) a
      SOL_MAX_RT option.

                                 Figure 3

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5.  Security Considerations

   This document introduces one security consideration beyond those
   described in RFC 3315 [RFC3315].  A malicious DHCPv6 server might
   cause a client to set its SOL_MAX_RT parameter to an arbitrarily high
   value with the SOL_MAX_RT option.  Assuming the client also receives
   a response from a valid DHCPv6 server, the large value for SOL_MAX_RT
   will not have any effect.

6.  IANA Considerations

   IANA is requested to assign an option code from the "DHCP Option
   Codes" Registry for OPTION_SOL_MAX_RT.

7.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC3315]  Droms, R., Bound, J., Volz, B., Lemon, T., Perkins, C.,
              and M. Carney, "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for
              IPv6 (DHCPv6)", RFC 3315, July 2003.

   [RFC3633]  Troan, O. and R. Droms, "IPv6 Prefix Options for Dynamic
              Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) version 6", RFC 3633,
              December 2003.

   [RFC4861]  Narten, T., Nordmark, E., Simpson, W., and H. Soliman,
              "Neighbor Discovery for IP version 6 (IPv6)", RFC 4861,
              September 2007.

Author's Address

   Ralph Droms
   Cisco Systems
   1414 Massachusetts Avenue
   Boxborough, MA  01719
   USA

   Phone: +1 978 936 1674
   Email: rdroms@cisco.com

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