Subject: [Int-area] Optimization of RFC 4861 for Energy-aware networks

From: Samita Chakrabarti <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:38:09 -0400

Hello all:

In 6lowpan workgroup, we developed  draft-ietf-6lowpan-nd which provides optimization of IPv6 ND for IEEE802.15.4 devices by avoiding all-node and solicited-node multicast messages for the most part and providing a method for device registration with a IPv6 Border router in a route-over topology  and as well as single-hop topology.

In the last IOT workshop at IETF, it has been brought up that the 6lowpan-nd like document may be useful in many other cases where devices are not IEEE 802.15.4 devices but the nodes are basically energy-aware and like to save energy as much as possible.  'Hello' or periodic advertisement/solicitation messages generally work well for line-powered devices, yet reducing the periodic messages may be useful for less power consumption for each connected device and therefore reducing overall energy consumption of the network. Needless to say that the reduced number of messages and avoidance of periodic all-node or solicited-node multicast messages are critical for some low-powered device operations. With EUI-64 IID, a DAD is not necessary if the deployment may choose to do so.

Here is an attempt to put together the first draft for generic optimization for energy-aware IPv6 networks:

http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-chakrabarti-nordmark-energy-aware-nd-00

Comments are welcome. Would like the help from the community to shape this document up for generic energy optimization for IPv6 ND  in applicable cases. This document also discusses a way of prefix dissemination for address auto-configuration which may be useful in future home network in a single prefix scenario. With the proliferation of internet-of-things, it might be helpful to do address auto-configuration in some isolated situations.
More work is needed in this document - it is the initial effort to begin with.

Regards,
-Samita