Subject: [mpls] RFC 6178 on Label Edge Router Forwarding of IPv4 Option Packets

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:35:25 -0700 (PDT)

A new Request for Comments is now available in online RFC libraries.

        RFC 6178

        Title:      Label Edge Router Forwarding of 
                    IPv4 Option Packets 
        Author:     D. Smith, J. Mullooly,
                    W. Jaeger, T. Scholl
        Status:     Standards Track
        Stream:     IETF
        Date:       March 2011
        Mailbox:    [email-masked], 
                    [email-masked], 
                    [email-masked],  [email-masked]
        Pages:      
        Characters: 21645
        Updates:    RFC3031

        I-D Tag:    draft-ietf-mpls-ip-options-07.txt

        URL:        http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6178.txt

This document specifies how Label Edge Routers (LERs) should behave
when determining whether to MPLS encapsulate an IPv4 packet with
header options.  Lack of a formal standard has resulted in different
LER forwarding behaviors for IPv4 packets with header options despite
being associated with a prefix-based Forwarding Equivalence Class
(FEC).  IPv4 option packets that belong to a prefix-based FEC, yet
are forwarded into an IPv4/MPLS network without being MPLS-
encapsulated, present a security risk against the MPLS
infrastructure.  Further, LERs that are unable to MPLS encapsulate
IPv4 packets with header options cannot operate in certain MPLS
environments.  While this newly defined LER behavior is mandatory to
implement, it is optional to invoke.  [STANDARDS-TRACK]

This document is a product of the Multiprotocol Label Switching Working Group of the IETF.

This is now a Proposed Standard Protocol.

STANDARDS TRACK: This document specifies an Internet standards track
protocol for the Internet community,and requests discussion and suggestions
for improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the Internet
Official Protocol Standards (STD 1) for the standardization state and
status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

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