Ipsilon Flow Management Protocol Specification for IPv4 Version 1.0
RFC 1953
Document | Type |
RFC - Informational
(May 1996; No errata)
Was draft-rfced-info-flowman (individual)
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Authors | Fong-Ching Liaw , Tom Lyon , Greg Minshall | ||
Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
Stream | Legacy | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
Stream | Legacy state | (None) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
RFC Editor Note | (None) | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 1953 (Informational) | |
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group P. Newman, Ipsilon Request for Comments: 1953 W. L. Edwards, Sprint Category: Informational R. Hinden, Ipsilon E. Hoffman, Ipsilon F. Ching Liaw, Ipsilon T. Lyon, Ipsilon G. Minshall, Ipsilon May 1996 Ipsilon Flow Management Protocol Specification for IPv4 Version 1.0 Status of this Memo This document provides information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. IESG Note: This memo documents a private protocol for IPv4-based flows. This protocol is NOT the product of an IETF working group nor is it a standards track document. It has not necessarily benefited from the widespread and in depth community review that standards track documents receive. Abstract The Ipsilon Flow Management Protocol (IFMP), is a protocol for allowing a node to instruct an adjacent node to attach a layer 2 label to a specified IP flow. The label allows more efficient access to cached routing information for that flow. The label can also enable a node to switch further packets belonging to the specified flow at layer 2 rather than forwarding them at layer 3. Table of Contents 1. Introduction....................................................2 2. Flow Types......................................................2 3. IFMP Adjacency Protocol.........................................4 3.1 Packet Format.............................................4 3.2 Procedure.................................................7 4. IFMP Redirection Protocol......................................10 4.1 Redirect Message.........................................12 4.2 Reclaim Message..........................................13 4.3 Reclaim Ack Message......................................15 4.4 Label Range Message......................................16 Newman, et. al. Informational [Page 1] RFC 1953 IFMP Specification May 1996 4.5 Error Message............................................17 References........................................................19 Security Considerations...........................................19 Authors' Addresses................................................19 1. Introduction The Ipsilon Flow Management Protocol (IFMP), is a protocol for instructing an adjacent node to attach a layer 2 label to a specified IP flow. The label allows more efficient access to cached routing information for that flow and it allows the flow to be switched rather than routed in certain cases. If a network node's upstream and downstream links both redirect a flow at the node, then the node can switch the flow at the data link layer rather than forwarding it at the network layer. The label space is managed at the downstream end of each link and redirection messages are sent upstream to associate a particular flow with a given label. Each direction of transmission on a link is treated separately. If the flow is not refreshed by the time the lifetime field in the redirect message expires, then the association between the flow and the label is discarded. A flow is refreshed by sending a redirect message, identical to the original, before the lifetime expires. Several flow types may be specified. Each flow type specifies the set of fields from the packet header that are used to identify a flow. There must be an ordering amongst the different flow types such that a most specific match operation may be performed. A particular flow is specified by a flow identifier. The flow identifier for that flow gives the contents of the set of fields from the packet header as defined for the flow type to which it belongs. This document specifies the IFMP protocol for IPv4 on a point-to- point link. The definition of labels, and the encapsulation of flows, are specified in a separate document for each specific data link technology. The specification for ATM data links is given in [ENCAP]. 2. Flow Types A flow is a sequence of packets that are sent from a particular source to a particular (unicast or multicast) destination and that are related in terms of their routing and any logical handling policy they may require. Newman, et. al. Informational [Page 2] RFC 1953 IFMP Specification May 1996Show full document text