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NFS version 4.0 Trunking Update
draft-ietf-nfsv4-mv0-trunking-update-03

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 8587.
Authors Chuck Lever , David Noveck
Last updated 2019-01-10 (Latest revision 2018-12-27)
RFC stream Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
Formats
Reviews
Additional resources Mailing list discussion
Stream WG state Submitted to IESG for Publication
Document shepherd Spencer Shepler
Shepherd write-up Show Last changed 2018-10-21
IESG IESG state Became RFC 8587 (Proposed Standard)
Consensus boilerplate Yes
Telechat date (None)
Needs a YES. Needs 9 more YES or NO OBJECTION positions to pass.
Responsible AD Spencer Dawkins
Send notices to Spencer Shepler <spencer.shepler@gmail.com>
IANA IANA review state IANA OK - No Actions Needed
draft-ietf-nfsv4-mv0-trunking-update-03
Network File System Version 4                              C. Lever, Ed.
Internet-Draft                                                    Oracle
Updates: 7530 (if approved)                                    D. Noveck
Intended status: Standards Track                                  NetApp
Expires: June 30, 2019                                 December 27, 2018

                    NFS version 4.0 Trunking Update
                draft-ietf-nfsv4-mv0-trunking-update-03

Abstract

   The file system location-related attribute in NFS version 4.0,
   fs_locations, informs clients about alternate locations of file
   systems.  An NFS version 4.0 client can use this information to
   handle migration and replication of server filesystems.  This
   document describes how an NFS version 4.0 client can additionally use
   this information to discover an NFS version 4.0 server's trunking
   capabilities.  This document updates RFC 7530.

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
   working documents as Internet-Drafts.  The list of current Internet-
   Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

   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 30, 2019.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2018 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
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must

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   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   3.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  Document Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   5.  Changes Within Section 8 of [RFC7530] . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     5.1.  Updated Section 8.1 of [RFC7530],         entitled
           "Location Attributes" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     5.2.  Updates to Section 8.4 of [RFC7530],         entitled
           "Uses of Location Information"  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
       5.2.1.  Updated Introduction to Section 8.4 of [RFC7530],
               entitled "Uses of Location Information" . . . . . . .   9
       5.2.2.  New Sub-section of Section 8.4 of [RFC7530],
               to be entitled "Trunking Discovery and Detection" . .  10
       5.2.3.  New Sub-section of Section 8.4 of [RFC7530],
               to be entitled "Location Attributes and Connection
               Type Selection" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
       5.2.4.  Updated Section 8.4.1 of [RFC7530],         entitled
               "File System Replication and Trunking"  . . . . . . .  11
       5.2.5.  Updated Section 8.4.2 of [RFC7530],         entitled
               "File System Migration" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
       5.2.6.  New Sub-section of Section 8.4 of [RFC7530],
               to be entitled "Interaction of Trunking, Migration,
               and Replication"  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     5.3.  Updated Section 8.5 of [RFC7530],         entitled
           "Location Entries and Server Identity Update" . . . . . .  14
   6.  Updates to [RFC7530] Outside Section Eight  . . . . . . . . .  14
   7.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
   8.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
   9.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
     9.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
     9.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
   Appendix A.  Section Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
   Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  19

1.  Introduction

   The NFS version 4.0 specification [RFC7530] defines a migration
   feature which enables the transfer of a file system from one server
   to another without disruption of client activity.  There were a
   number of issues with the original definition of this feature, now
   resolved with the publication of [RFC7931].

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   After a migration event, a client must determine whether state
   recovery is necessary.  To do this, it needs to determine whether the
   source and destination server addresses represent the same server
   instance, if the client has already established a lease on the
   destination server for other file systems, and if the destination
   server instance has lock state for the migrated file system.

   As part of addressing this need, [RFC7931] introduces trunking into
   NFS version 4.0 along with a trunking detection mechanism.  This
   enables a client to determine whether two distinct network addresses
   are connected to the same NFS version 4.0 server instance.
   Nevertheless, the use of the concept of server-trunkability is the
   same in both protocol versions.

   File system migration, replication, and referrals are distinct
   protocol features.  However, it is not appropriate to treat each of
   these features in isolation.  For example, client migration recovery
   processing needs to deal with the possibility of multiple server
   addresses in a returned fs_locations attribute.  In addition, the
   contents of the fs_locations attribute, which provides both trunking-
   related and replication information, may change over repeated
   retrievals, requiring an integrated description of how clients are to
   deal with such changes.  The issues discussed in the current document
   relate to the interpretation of the fs_locations attribute and to the
   proper client and server handling of changes in fs_locations
   attribute values.

   Therefore the goals of this document are:

   o  To provide NFS version 4.0 with a means of trunking discovery,
      compatible with the means of trunking detection introduced by
      [RFC7931].

   o  To describe how NFS version 4.0 clients are to handle the presence
      of multiple network addresses associated to the same server, when
      recovering from a replication and migration event.

   o  To describe how NFS version 4.0 clients are to handle changes in
      the contents of returned fs_locations attributes, including those
      that indicate changes in the responding NFS version 4.0 server's
      trunking configuration.

   The current document pursues these goals by presenting a set of
   updates to [RFC7530] as summarized in Sections 5 and 6 below.

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2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

3.  Terminology

   Most of the terms related to handling the fs_locations attribute are
   appropriately defined in Section 5.1 below.  However, there are a few
   terms used outside that context that are explained in this section.

   Trunking refers to a situation in which a client uses multiple
   network addresses communicate with the same server.  Trunking was
   first introduced to NFSv4.0 by [RFC7931].  Regarding network
   addresses and the handling of trunking we use the following
   terminology:

   o  Each NFSv4 server is assumed to have a set of IP addresses to
      which NFSv4 requests may be sent by clients.  These are referred
      to as the server's network addresses.  Access to a specific server
      network address might involve the use of multiple network ports,
      since the ports to be used for particular types of connections
      might be required to be different.

   o  Clients may establish connections to NFSv4 servers via one of
      several connection types, supporting the NFSv4 protocol layered on
      top of an RPC stream transport, as described in [RFC5531], or on
      top of RPC-over-RDMA, as described in [RFC8166].  The combination
      of a server network address and a particular connection type is
      referred to as a "server endpoint".

   o  Each network address, when combined with a pathname providing the
      location of a file system root directory relative to the
      associated server root file handle, defines a file system network
      access path.

   o  Two network addresses connected to the same server are said to be
      server-trunkable.  Unlike subsequent NFSv4 minor versions, NFSv4.0
      recognizes only a single type of trunking relationship between
      addresses.

   Particularly important is the distinction between trunking detection
   and trunking discovery.  The definitions we present are applicable to
   all minor versions of NFSv4, but we put particular emphasis on how
   these terms apply to NFS version 4.0.

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   o  Trunking detection refers to ways of confirming that two unique
      network addresses are associated with the same NFSv4 server
      instance.  The means available to make this determination depends
      on the protocol version and, in some cases, on the client
      implementation.

      In the case of NFS version 4.0, the means to be used are described
      in [RFC7931] and require use of the Uniform Client String approach
      to be effective.  This is in contrast to later minor versions for
      which the means of trunking detection are described by [RFC5661].

   o  Trunking discovery is a process by which an NFSv4 client,
      accessing one server network address, can obtain other addresses
      that might be associated with the same server instance.  Typically
      a client builds on a trunking detection facility by providing one
      or more methods by which candidate addresses are made available to
      the client, who then uses trunking detection to appropriately
      filter them.

      Trunking discovery is not discussed in [RFC7530] and no
      description of it is provided in [RFC7931].

   Discussion of the term "replica" is complicated for a number of
   reasons.  Even though the term is used in explaining the issues in
   [RFC7530] that need to be addressed in this document, a full
   explanation of this term requires explanation of related terms
   connected to the fs_locations attribute, which is provided in
   Section 5.1 of the current document.

   The term is also used in previous documents about NFSv4.0 (i.e.,
   [RFC7530] and [RFC7931]) with a meaning different from that in the
   current document.  In these documents each replica is identified by a
   single network access path.  However, in the current document a set
   of network access paths which have server-trunkable network addresses
   and the same root-relative file system pathname are considered to be
   a single replica with multiple network access paths.  Although
   [RFC7931] enables an NFSv4.0 client to determine whether two network
   addresses were server-trunkable, it never described these as
   connected to a single replica, leaving in effect the approach
   established in [RFC7530].

4.  Document Organization

   The sections of the current document are divided into four types
   based on how they relate to the eventual updating of the NFS verion
   4.0 specification.  Once this update is published, NFS version 4.0
   will be specified by multiple documents that need to be read

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   together, until such time as a consolidated replacement specification
   is produced.

   o  The base specification [RFC7530].

   o  The migration-related update [RFC7931].

   o  This document [RFC-TBD].

   The section types are as follows.  See Appendix A for a
   classification of each section of the current document.

   o  An explanatory section does not contain any material that is meant
      to update the specification of NFS version 4.0.  Such sections may
      contain explanation about why and how changes are to be done, but
      do not include any text that is to update [RFC7530] or appear in
      an eventual consolidated document.

   o  A replacement section contains text that is to replace and thus
      supersede text within [RFC7530] and then appear in an eventual
      consolidated document.  The titles of replacement sections
      indicate what section of [RFC7530] is to be replaced.

   o  An additional section contains text which, although not replacing
      anything in [RFC7530], will be part of the specification of NFS
      version 4.0 and will be expected to be part of an eventual
      consolidated document.  The titles of additional sections provide
      an indication of where in an updated [RFC7530], the new section
      would appear.

   o  An editing section contains some text that replaces text within
      [RFC7530], although the entire section will not consist of such
      text and will include other text as well.  Such sections make
      relatively minor adjustments in the existing NFS version 4.0
      specification which are expected to be reflected in an eventual
      consolidated document.  Generally such replacement text appears as
      a quotation, possibly taking the form of an indented set of
      paragraphs.

5.  Changes Within Section 8 of [RFC7530]

   Most of the updates to [RFC7530] to provide support for trunking
   using the fs_locations attribute apply to Section 8 of that document,
   entitled "Multi-Server Namespace".

   o  Section 5.1 replaces Section 8.1 of [RFC7530], entitled "Location
      Attributes".  This section has been reorganized and extended to
      explicitly allow the use of fs_locations to provide trunking-

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      related information that appropriately interacts with the
      migration, replication and referral features of fs_locations.
      Terminology used to describe the interactions is added.

   o  Section 5.2 updates Section 8.4 of [RFC7530], entitled "Uses of
      Location Information".  This section comprises the bulk of the
      updates.  Each paragraph of Section 8.4 and its sub-sections has
      been reviewed to clarify the provision of trunking-related
      information using the fs_locations attribute.

      *  Section 5.2.1 replaces the introductory material within
         Section 8.4 of [RFC7530].

      *  Section 5.2.2 is to be added as a new sub-section of
         Section 8.4 before the updated Section 8.4.1 of [RFC7530].

      *  Section 5.2.3 is to be added as a new sub-section of
         Section 8.4 before the updated Section 8.4.1 of [RFC7530].

      *  Section 5.2.4 replaces Section 8.4.1 of [RFC7530], entitled
         "File System Replication".

      *  Section 5.2.5 replaces Section 8.4.2 of [RFC7530], entitled
         "File System Migration".

      *  Section 5.2.6 is to be added as a new sub-section of
         Section 8.4 before Section 8.4.3 of [RFC7530].

   o  Section 5.3 replaces Section 8.5 of [RFC7530], entitled "Location
      Entries and Server Identity".  The last paragraph of the existing
      section has been removed.

5.1.  Updated Section 8.1 of [RFC7530], entitled "Location Attributes"

   The fs_locations attribute (described as "RECOMMENDED" in [RFC7530])
   allows specification of file system locations where the data
   corresponding to a given file system may be accessed.  This attribute
   represents such file system instances as a server address target (as
   either a DNS host name representing one or more network addresses, or
   a single literal network address) together with the path of that file
   system within the associated single-server namespace.  Individual
   fs_locations entries can express trunkable addresses, locations of
   file system replicas on other servers, migration targets, or pure
   referrals.

   We introduce the following terminology:

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   o  Trunking is a situation in which multiple network addresses are
      connected to the same NFS server.  Network addresses connected to
      the same NFS server instance are said to be server-trunkable.

   o  Trunking detection refers to ways of confirming that two distinct
      network addresses are connected to the same NFSv4 server instance.

   o  Trunking discovery is a process by which a client using one
      network address can obtain other candidate addresses that are
      server-trunkable with it.

   Regarding terminology relating to GETATTR attributes used in trunking
   discovery and other multi-server namespace features:

   o  Location attributes include only the fs_locations GETATTR
      attribute.

   o  Location entries (fs_location4, defined in [RFC7530]
      Section 2.2.6) are the individual file system locations in the
      fs_locations attribute (defined in [RFC7530] Section 2.2.7).  A
      file system location entry designates a set of network addresses
      to which clients may establish connections.  The entry may
      designate multiple such addresses because the server host name may
      map to multiple network addresses, and because multiple connection
      types may be used to communicate with each specified network
      address.  Such addresses provide multiple ways of connecting to a
      single server.

      Clients use the existing means for NFSv4.0 trunking detection,
      defined in [RFC7931], to confirm that such addresses are connected
      to the same server.  The client can ignore addresses found not to
      be so connected.

   o  File system location elements are derived from file system
      location entries.  If a file system location entry specifies a
      network address, there is only a single corresponding location
      element.  When a file system location entry contains a host name,
      the client resolves the hostname, producing one file system
      location element for each of the resulting network addresses.
      Issues regarding the trustworthiness of hostname resolutions are
      further discussed in Section 7.

   o  All file system location elements consist of a file system
      location address, which is the network address of an interface to
      a server, and an fs_name, which is the location of the file system
      within the server's pseudo-fs.

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   o  If the server has no pseudo-fs and only a single exported file
      system at the root filehandle, the fs_name may be empty.

5.2.  Updates to Section 8.4 of [RFC7530], entitled "Uses of Location
      Information"

   The subsections below provide replacement sections for existing
   sections within Section 8.4 of [RFC7530] or new sub-sections to be
   added to that section.

5.2.1.  Updated Introduction to Section 8.4 of [RFC7530], entitled "Uses
        of Location Information"

   Together with the possibility of absent file systems, the file system
   location-bearing attribute fs_locations provides a number of
   important facilities that enable reliable, manageable, and scalable
   data access.

   When a file system is present on the queried server, this attribute
   can provide a set of locations that clients may use to access the
   file system.  In the event that server failure, communications
   problems, or other difficulties make continued access to the file
   system impossible or otherwise impractical, the returned information
   provides alternate locations that enable continued access to the file
   system.  Provision of such alternative file system locations is
   referred to as "replication".

   When alternative file system locations are provided, they may
   represent distinct physical copies of the same file system data or
   separate NFS server instances that provide access to the same
   physical file system.  Another possible use of the provision of
   multiple file system location entries is trunking, wherein the file
   system location entries do not in fact represent different servers
   but rather are distinct network paths to the same server.

   A client may use file system location elements simultaneously to
   provide higher-performance access to the target file system.  The
   client utilizes trunking detection and/or discovery, further
   described in Section 5.2.2 of the current document, to determine a
   set of network paths that are server-trunkable with the one currently
   being used to access the file system.

   When a file system is present and subsequently becomes absent,
   clients can be given the opportunity to have continued access to
   their data at an alternative file system location.  Transfer of the
   file system contents to the new file system location is referred to
   as "migration".  The client's responsibilities in dealing with this
   transition depend on the specific nature of the new access path as

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   well as how and whether data was in fact migrated.  See Sections
   5.2.5 and 5.2.6 of the current document for details.

   The fs_locations attribute can designate one or more remote file
   system locations in place of an absent file system.  This is known as
   a "referral".  A particularly important case is that of a "pure
   referral", in which the absent file system has never been present on
   the NFS server.  Such a referral is a means by which a file system
   located on one server can redirect clients to file systems located on
   other servers, thus enabling the creation of a multi-server
   namespace.

   Because client support for the fs_locations attribute is OPTIONAL, a
   server may (but is not required to) take action to hide migration and
   referral events from such clients by acting as a proxy, for example.

5.2.2.  New Sub-section of Section 8.4 of [RFC7530], to be entitled
        "Trunking Discovery and Detection"

   Trunking is a situation in which multiple distinct network addresses
   are associated with the same NFS server instance.  As a matter of
   convenience, we say that two network addresses connected to the same
   NFS server instance are server-trunkable.  Section 5.4 of [RFC7931]
   explains why NFSv4 clients need to be aware of NFS server identity to
   manage lease and lock state effectively when multiple connections to
   the same server exist.

   Trunking detection refers to a way for an NFSv4 client to confirm
   that two independently acquired network addresses are connected to
   the same NFSv4 server.  Section 5.8 of [RFC7931] describes an
   OPTIONAL means by which it can be determined if two network addresses
   correspond to the same NFSv4.0 server instance.  Without trunking
   detection, an NFSv4.0 client has no other way to confirm that two
   network addresses are server-trunkable.

   In the particular context of NFS version 4.0, trunking detection
   requires that the client support the Uniform Client ID String
   approach (UCS), described in Section 5.6 of [RFC7931].  Any NFSv4.0
   client that supports migration or trunking detection needs to present
   a Uniform Client ID String to all NFSv4.0 servers.  If it does not do
   so, it will be unable to perform trunking detection.

   Trunking discovery is the process by which an NFSv4 client using a
   host name or one of an NFSv4 server's network addresses can obtain
   other candidate network addresses that are trunkable with it; i.e., a
   set of addresses that might be connected to the same NFSv4 server
   instance.  An NFSv4.0 client can discover server-trunkable network
   addresses in a number of ways:

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   o  An NFS server's host name is provided either at mount time or in a
      returned file system location entry.  A DNS query of this host
      name can return more than one network address.  The returned
      network addresses are candidates for trunking.

   o  Location entries returned in an fs_locations attribute can specify
      network addresses.  These network addresses are candidates for
      trunking.

   When there is a means of trunking detection available, an NFSv4.0
   client can confirm that a set of network addresses correspond to the
   same NFSv4.0 server instance and thus any of them can be used to
   access that server.

5.2.3.  New Sub-section of Section 8.4 of [RFC7530], to be entitled
        "Location Attributes and Connection Type Selection"

   Because of the need to support multiple connections, clients face the
   issue of determining the proper connection type to use when
   establishing a connection to a server network address.  The
   fs_locations attribute provides no information to support connection
   type selection.  As a result, clients supporting multiple connection
   types need to attempt to establish a connection on various connection
   types allowing it to determine which connection types are supported.

   If a client strongly prefers one connection type, it can perform
   these attempts serially in order of declining preference.  Once there
   is a successful attempt, the established connection can be used.
   Note that with this approach, network partitions can result in a
   sequence of long waits for a successful connection.

   To avoid waiting when there is at least one viable network path
   available, simultaneous attempts to establish multiple connection
   types are possible.  Once a viable connection is established, the
   client discards less-preferred connections.

5.2.4.  Updated Section 8.4.1 of [RFC7530], entitled "File System
        Replication and Trunking"

   On first access to a file system, the client should obtain the value
   of the set of alternative file system locations by interrogating the
   fs_locations attribute.  Trunking discovery and/or detection can then
   be applied to the file system location entries to separate the
   candidate server-trunkable addresses from the replica addresses that
   provide alternative locations of the file system.  Server-trunkable
   addresses may be used simultaneously to provide higher performance
   through the exploitation of multiple paths between client and target
   file system.

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   In the event that server failures, communications problems, or other
   difficulties make continued access to the current file system
   impossible or otherwise impractical, the client can use the
   alternative file system locations as a way to maintain continued
   access to the file system.  See Section 5.2.6 of the current document
   for more detail.

5.2.5.  Updated Section 8.4.2 of [RFC7530], entitled "File System
        Migration"

   When a file system is present and becomes absent, clients can be
   given the opportunity to have continued access to their data at an
   alternative file system location specified by the fs_locations
   attribute.  Typically, a client will be accessing the file system in
   question, get an NFS4ERR_MOVED error, and then use the fs_locations
   attribute to determine the new location of the data.  See
   Section 5.2.6 of the current document for more detail.

   Such migration can help provide load balancing or general resource
   reallocation.  The protocol does not specify how the file system will
   be moved between servers.  It is anticipated that a number of
   different server-to-server transfer mechanisms might be used, with
   the choice left to the server implementer.  The NFSv4 protocol
   specifies the method used to communicate the migration event between
   client and server.

   When the client receives indication of a migration event via an
   NFS4ERR_MOVED error, data propagation to the destination server must
   have already occurred.  Once the client proceeds to access the
   alternate file system location, it must see the same data.  Where
   file systems are writable, a change made on the original file system
   must be visible on all migration targets.  Where a file system is not
   writable but represents a read-only copy (possibly periodically
   updated) of a writable file system, similar requirements apply to the
   propagation of updates.  Any change visible in the original file
   system must already be effected on all migration targets, to avoid
   any possibility that a client, in effecting a transition to the
   migration target, will see any reversion in file system state.

5.2.6.  New Sub-section of Section 8.4 of [RFC7530], to be entitled
        "Interaction of Trunking, Migration, and Replication"

   When the set of network addresses designated by a file system
   location attribute changes, NFS4ERR_MOVED might or might not result.
   In some of the cases in which NFS4ERR_MOVED is returned migration has
   occurred, while in others there is a shift in the network addresses
   used to access a particular file system with no migration.

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   1.  When the list of network addresses is a superset of that
       previously in effect, there is no need for migration or any other
       sort of client adjustment.  Nevertheless, the client is free to
       use an additional address in the replacement list if that address
       provides another path to the same server.  Or, the client may
       treat that address as it does a replica, to be used if current
       server addresses become unavailable.

   2.  When the list of network addresses is a subset of that previously
       in effect, immediate action is not needed if an address missing
       in the replacement list is not currently in use by the client.
       The client should avoid using that address in the future, whether
       the address is for a replica or an additional path to the server
       being used.

   3.  When an address being removed is one of a number of paths to the
       current server, the client may continue to use it until
       NFS4ERR_MOVED is received.  This is not considered a migration
       event unless the last available path to the server has become
       unusable.

   When migration does occur, multiple addresses may be in use on the
   server previous to migration and multiple addresses may be available
   for use on the destination server.

   With regard to the server in use, it may be that return of
   NFS4ERR_MOVED indicates that a particular network address is no
   longer to be used, without implying that migration of the file system
   to a different server is needed.  Clients should not conclude that
   migration has occurred until confirming that all network addresses
   known to be associated with that server are not usable.

   It should be noted that the need to defer this determination is not
   absolute.  If a client is not aware of all network addresses for any
   reason, it may conclude that migration has occurred when it has not
   and treat a switch to a different server address as if it were a
   migration event.  This is harmless since the use of the same server
   via a new address will appear as a successful instance of Transparent
   State Migration.

   Although significant harm cannot arise from this misapprehension, it
   can give rise to disconcerting situations.  For example, if a lock
   has been revoked during the address shift, it will appear to the
   client as if the lock has been lost during migration, normally
   calling for it to be recoverable via an fs-specific grace period
   associated with the migration event.

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   With regard to the destination server, it is desirable for the client
   to be aware of all valid network addresses that can be used to access
   the destination server.  However, there is no need for this to be
   done immediately.  Implementations can process the additional file
   system location elements in parallel with normal use of the first
   valid file system location entry found to access the destination.

   Because a file system location attribute may include entries relating
   to the current server, the migration destination, and possible
   replicas to use, scanning for available network addresses could
   potentially be a long process.  To keep this process as short as
   possible, Servers are REQUIRED to place file system location entries
   that represent addresses usable with the current server or a
   migration target before those associated with replicas.  A client can
   then cease scanning for trunkable file system location entries once
   it encounters a file system location element whose fs_name differs
   from the current fs_name, or whose address is not server-trunkable
   with the one it is currently using.

5.3.  Updated Section 8.5 of [RFC7530], entitled "Location Entries and
      Server Identity Update"

   As mentioned above, a single file system location entry may have a
   server address target in the form of a DNS host name that resolves to
   multiple network addresses, while multiple file system location
   entries may have their own server address targets that reference the
   same server.

   When server-trunkable addresses for a server exist, the client may
   assume that for each file system in the namespace of a given server
   network address, there exist file systems at corresponding namespace
   locations for each of the other server network addresses.  It may do
   this even in the absence of explicit listing in fs_locations.  Such
   corresponding file system locations can be used as alternative
   locations, just as those explicitly specified via the fs_locations
   attribute.

6.  Updates to [RFC7530] Outside Section Eight

   Since the existing description of NFS4ERR_MOVED in Section 13.1.2.4
   of [RFC7530] does not take proper account of trunking, it needs to be
   modified by replacing the first two sentences of the description with
   the following material:

      The file system that contains the current filehandle object cannot
      be accessed using the current network address.  It may be
      accessible using other network addresses connected to the same

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      server, it may have been relocated to another server, or it may
      never have been present.

7.  Security Considerations

   The Security Considerations section of [RFC7530] needs the additions
   below to properly address some aspects of trunking discovery,
   referral, migration, and replication.

      The possibility that requests to determine the set of network
      addresses corresponding to a given server might be interfered with
      or have their responses corrupted needs to be taken into account.

      o  When DNS is used to convert NFS server host names to network
         addresses and DNSSEC [RFC4033] is not available, the validity
         of the network addresses returned cannot be relied upon.
         However, when the client uses RPCSEC_GSS [RFC7861] to access
         NFS servers, it is possible for mutual authentication to detect
         invalid server addresses.  Other forms of transport layer
         security (e.g., [RFC8446]) can also offer strong authentication
         of NFS servers.

      o  Fetching file system location information SHOULD be performed
         using RPCSEC_GSS with integrity protection, as previously
         explained in the Security Considerations section of [RFC7530].
         Making a request of this sort without using strong integrity
         protection permits corruption during transit of returned file
         system location information.  The client implementer needs to
         recognize that using such information to access an NFS server
         without use of RPCSEC_GSS (e.g., by using AUTH_SYS as defined
         in [RFC5531]) can result in the client interacting with an
         unverified network address that is posing as an NFSv4 server.

      o  Despite the fact that it is a REQUIREMENT of [RFC7530] that
         "implementations" provide "support" for the use of RPCSEC_GSS,
         it cannot be assumed that use of RPCSEC_GSS is always possible
         between any particular client-server pair.

      o  Returning only network addresses to a client that has no
         trusted DNS resolution service can hamper its ability to use
         RPCSEC_GSS.

      Therefore an NFSv4 server SHOULD present file system location
      entries that correspond to file systems on other servers using
      only host names.  This enables the client to interrogate the
      fs_locations on the destination server to obtain trunking
      information (as well as replica information) using RPCSEC_GSS with

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      integrity, validating the host name provided while assuring that
      the response has not been corrupted.

      When RPCSEC_GSS is not available on an NFS server, returned file
      system location information is subject to corruption during
      transit and cannot be relied upon.  In the case of a client being
      directed to another server after NFS4ERR_MOVED, this could vitiate
      the authentication provided by the use of RPCSEC_GSS on the
      destination.  Even when RPCSEC_GSS authentication is available on
      the destination, this server might validly represent itself as the
      server to which the client was erroneously directed.  Without a
      way to decide wether the server is a valid one, the client can
      only determine, using RPCSEC_GSS, that the server corresponds to
      the host name provided, with no basis for trusting that server.
      The client should not use such unverified file system location
      entries as a basis for migration, even though RPCSEC_GSS might be
      available on the destination server.

      When a file system location attribute is fetched upon connecting
      with an NFSv4 server, it SHOULD, as stated above, be done using
      RPCSEC_GSS with integrity protection.

      When file system location information cannot be protected in
      transit, the client can subject it to additional filtering to
      prevent the client from being inappropriately directed.  For
      example, if a range of network addresses can be determined that
      assure that the servers and clients using AUTH_SYS are subject to
      appropriate constraints (such as physical network isolation and
      the use of administrative controls within the operating systems),
      then network adresses in this range can be used with others
      discarded or restricted in their use of AUTH_SYS.

      When neither integrity protection nor filtering is possible, it is
      best for the client to ignore trunking and replica information or
      simply not fetch the file system location information for these
      purposes.

      To summarize considerations regarding the use of RPCSEC_GSS in
      fetching file system location information, consider the following
      possibilities for requests to interrogate location information,
      with interrogation approaches on the referring and destination
      servers arrived at separately:

      o  The use of RPCSEC_GSS with integrity protection is RECOMMENDED
         in all cases, since the absence of integrity protection exposes
         the client to the possibility of the results being modified in
         transit.

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      o  The use of requests issued without RPCSEC_GSS (e.g., using
         AUTH_SYS), while undesirable, might be unavoidable in some
         cases.  Where the use of returned file system location
         information cannot be avoided, it should be subject to
         filtering to eliminate untrusted network addresses.  The
         specifics will vary depending on the degree of network
         isolation and whether the request is to the referring or
         destination servers.

8.  IANA Considerations

   This document does not require actions by IANA.

9.  References

9.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC5531]  Thurlow, R., "RPC: Remote Procedure Call Protocol
              Specification Version 2", RFC 5531, DOI 10.17487/RFC5531,
              May 2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5531>.

   [RFC7530]  Haynes, T., Ed. and D. Noveck, Ed., "Network File System
              (NFS) Version 4 Protocol", RFC 7530, DOI 10.17487/RFC7530,
              March 2015, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7530>.

   [RFC7931]  Noveck, D., Ed., Shivam, P., Lever, C., and B. Baker,
              "NFSv4.0 Migration: Specification Update", RFC 7931,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC7931, July 2016,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7931>.

   [RFC8166]  Lever, C., Ed., Simpson, W., and T. Talpey, "Remote Direct
              Memory Access Transport for Remote Procedure Call Version
              1", RFC 8166, DOI 10.17487/RFC8166, June 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8166>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

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9.2.  Informative References

   [RFC4033]  Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S.
              Rose, "DNS Security Introduction and Requirements",
              RFC 4033, DOI 10.17487/RFC4033, March 2005,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4033>.

   [RFC5661]  Shepler, S., Ed., Eisler, M., Ed., and D. Noveck, Ed.,
              "Network File System (NFS) Version 4 Minor Version 1
              Protocol", RFC 5661, DOI 10.17487/RFC5661, January 2010,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5661>.

   [RFC7861]  Adamson, A. and N. Williams, "Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
              Security Version 3", RFC 7861, DOI 10.17487/RFC7861,
              November 2016, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7861>.

   [RFC8446]  Rescorla, E., "The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol
              Version 1.3", RFC 8446, DOI 10.17487/RFC8446, August 2018,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8446>.

Appendix A.  Section Classification

   All sections of this document are considered explanatory with the
   following exceptions.

   o  Sections 5.1 and 5.2.1 are replacement sections.

   o  Section 5.2.2 is an additional section.

   o  Sections 5.2.4 and 5.2.5 are replacement sections.

   o  Section 5.2.6 is an additional section.

   o  Section 5.3 is a replacement section.

   o  Section 6 is an editing section.

   o  Section 7 is an additional section.

Acknowledgments

   The authors wish to thank Andy Adamson, who wrote the original
   version of this document.  All the innovation in this document is the
   result of Andy's work, while mistakes are best ascribed to the
   current authors.

   The editor wishes to thank Greg Marsden for his support of this work,
   and Robert Thurlow for review and suggestions.

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   Special thanks go to Transport Area Director Spencer Dawkins, NFSV4
   Working Group Chairs Spencer Shepler and Brian Pawlowski, and NFSV4
   Working Group Secretary Thomas Haynes for their ongoing support.

Authors' Addresses

   Charles Lever (editor)
   Oracle Corporation
   United States of America

   Email: chuck.lever@oracle.com

   David Noveck
   NetApp
   United States of America

   Email: davenoveck@gmail.com

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