One document matched: draft-ietf-mpls-return-path-specified-lsp-ping-02.txt

Differences from draft-ietf-mpls-return-path-specified-lsp-ping-01.txt


Network working group                                     M. Chen(Ed.) 
Internet Draft                             Huawei Technologies Co.,Ltd 
Category: Standards Track                                   N. So(Ed.) 
                                                               Verizon 
Expires: July 27, 2011                                January 27, 2011 
 
                                      
                      Return Path Specified LSP Ping 
                                      
           draft-ietf-mpls-return-path-specified-lsp-ping-02.txt 


Abstract 

   This document defines extensions to the failure-detection protocol 
   for Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) 
   known as "LSP Ping" that allow selection of the LSP to use for the 
   echo reply return path. Enforcing a specific return path can be used 
   to verify bidirectional connectivity and also increase LSP ping 
   robustness. It may also be used by Bidirectional Forwarding 
   Detection (BFD) for MPLS bootstrap signaling thereby making BFD for 
   MPLS more robust. 

Status of This Memo 

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

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering 
   Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups.  Note that 
   other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-
   Drafts. 

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six 
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   at any time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as 
   reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." 

   The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at 
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   The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at 
   http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html. 

   This Internet-Draft will expire on July 27, 2011. 




 
 
 
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Copyright Notice 

   Copyright (c) 2011 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 
   (http://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 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. 

Conventions used in this document 

   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]. 

Table of Contents 

    
   1. Introduction ................................................. 3 
   2. Problem Statements and Solution Overview ..................... 3 
      2.1. Limitations of Existing Mechanisms for Bidirectional LSPs 4 
      2.2. Limitations of Existing Mechanisms for Handling Unreliable 
      Return Paths ................................................. 4 
   3. Extensions ................................................... 5 
      3.1. Reply Via Specified Path mode ........................... 6 
      3.2. Reply Path (RP) TLV ..................................... 6 
      3.3. RP TLV sub-TLVs.......................................... 9 
         3.3.1. IPv4 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV .......................... 10 
         3.3.2. IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV .......................... 11 
         3.3.3. RP TC sub-TLV ..................................... 12 
   4. Theory of Operation ......................................... 13 
      4.1. Sending an Echo Request ................................ 14 
      4.2. Receiving an Echo Request .............................. 14 
      4.3. Sending an Echo Reply .................................. 15 
      4.4. Receiving an Echo Reply ................................ 16 
   5. Security Considerations ..................................... 17 
   6. IANA Considerations ......................................... 17 
      6.1. New TLV ................................................ 17 
      6.2. Sub-TLVs ............................................... 17 
         6.2.1. Sub-TLVs from RFC3479 ............................. 17 

 
 
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         6.2.2. New Sub-TLVs ...................................... 18 
         6.2.3. New Reply Mode .................................... 18 
   7. Contributors ................................................ 19 
   8. Acknowledgments ............................................. 19 
   9. References .................................................. 19 
      9.1. Normative References ................................... 19 
      9.2. Informative References ................................. 20 
   Authors' Addresses ............................................. 21 
    
1. Introduction 

   This document defines extensions to the failure-detection protocol 
   for Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) 
   known as "LSP Ping" [RFC4379] that can be used to specify the return 
   paths for the echo reply message, increasing the robustness of LSP 
   Ping, reducing the opportunity for error, and improving the 
   reliability of the echo reply message. A new reply mode, which is 
   referred to as "Reply via specified path", is added and a new Type-
   Length-Value (TLV), which is referred to as Reply Path (RP) TLV, is 
   defined in this memo. 

   With the extensions described in this document, a bidirectional LSP 
   and a pair of unidirectional LSPs (one for each direction) could 
   both be tested with a single operational action, hence providing 
   better control plane scalability. The defined extensions can also be 
   utilized for creating a single Bidirectional Forwarding Detection 
   (BFD) [BFD], [BFD-MPLS] session for a bidirectional LSP or for a 
   pair of unidirectional LSPs (one for each direction). 

   In this document, term bidirectional LSP includes the co-routed 
   bidirectional LSP defined in [RFC3945] and the associated 
   bidirectional LSP that is constructed from a pair of unidirectional 
   LSPs (one for each direction), and which are associated with one 
   another at the LSP's ingress/egress points [RFC5654]. 

2. Problem Statements and Solution Overview 

   MPLS LSP Ping is defined in [RFC4379]. It can be used to detect data 
   path failures in all MPLS LSPs, and was originally designed for 
   unidirectional LSPs. 

   LSP are increasingly being deployed to provide bidirectional 
   services. The co-routed bidirectional LSP is defined in [RFC3471] 
   and [RFC3473], and the associated bidirectional LSP is defined in 
   [RFC5654]. With the deployment of such services, operators have a 


 
 
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   desire to test both directions of a bidirectional LSP in a single 
   operation. 

   Additionally, when testing a single direction of an LSP (either a 
   unidirectional LSP, or a single direction of a bidirectional LSP) 
   using LSP Ping, the validity of the result may be affected by the 
   success of delivering the echo reply message. Failure to exchange 
   these messages between the egress Label Switching Router (LSR) and 
   the ingress LSR can lead to false negatives where the LSP under test 
   is reported as "down" even though it is functioning correctly. 

2.1. Limitations of Existing Mechanisms for Bidirectional LSPs 

   With the existing LSP Ping mechanisms as defined in [RFC4379], 
   operators have to enable LSP detection on each of the two ends of a 
   bidirectional LSP independently. This not only doubles the workload 
   for the operators, but may also bring additional difficulties when 
   checking the backward direction of the LSP under the following 
   conditions: 

     1. The LSR that the operator logged on to perform the checking 
     operations might not have out-of-band connectivity to the LSR at 
     the far end of the LSP.  That can mean it is not possible to check 
     the return direction of a bidirectional LSP in a single operation 
     - the operator must log on to the LSR at the other end of the LSP 
     to test the return direction.  

     2. The LSP being tested might be an inter-domain/inter-AS LSP 
     where the operator of one domain/AS may have no right to log on to 
     the LSR at the other end of the LSP since this LSR resides in 
     another domain/AS. That can make it completely impossible for the 
     operator to check the return direction of a bidirectional LSP. 

   Associated bidirectional LSPs have the same issues as those listed 
   for co-routed bidirectional LSPs. 

   This document defines a mechanism to allow the operator to request 
   that both directions of a bidirectional LSP be tested by a single 
   LSP Ping message exchange. 

2.2. Limitations of Existing Mechanisms for Handling Unreliable Return 
      Paths 

   [RFC4379] defines 4 reply modes: 



 
 
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         1. Do not reply 
         2. Reply via an IPv4/IPv6 UDP packet 
         3. Reply via an IPv4/IPv6 UDP packet with Router Alert 
         4. Reply via application level control channel. 
          
   Obviously, the issue of the reliability of the return path for an 
   echo reply message does not apply in the first of these cases. 

   [RFC4379] states that the third mode may be used when the IP return 
   path is deemed unreliable. This mode of operation requires that all 
   intermediate nodes must support the Router Alert option and must 
   understand and know how to forward MPLS echo replies. 

   This is a rigorous requirement in deployed IP/MPLS networks 
   especially since the return path may be through legacy IP-only 
   routers. Furthermore, for inter-domain LSPs, the use of the Router 
   Alert option may encounter significant issues at domain boundaries 
   where the option is usually stripped from all packets. Thus, the use 
   of this mode may itself introduce issues that lead to the echo reply 
   messages not being delivered. 

   And in any case, the use modes 2 or 3 cannot guarantee the delivery 
   of echo responses through an IP network that is fundamentally 
   unreliable. The failure to deliver echo response messages can lead 
   to false negatives making it appear that the LSP has failed. 

   Allowing the ingress LSR to control the path used for echo reply 
   messages, and in particular forcing those messages to use an LSP 
   rather than being sent through the IP network, enables an operator 
   to apply an extra level of deterministic process to the LSP Ping 
   test. 

   This document defines extensions to LSP Ping that can be used to 
   specify the return paths of the echo reply message in an LSP echo 
   request message. 

3. Extensions  

   LSP Ping defined in [RFC4379] is carried out by sending an echo 
   request message. It carries the Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC) 
   information of the tested LSP which indicates which MPLS path is 
   being verified, along the same data path as other normal data 
   packets belonging to the FEC. 

   LSP Ping [RFC4379] defines four reply modes that are used to direct 
   the egress LSR in how to send back an echo reply. This document 
 
 
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   defines a new reply mode, the Reply Via Specified Path mode. This 
   new mode is used to direct the egress LSR of the tested LSP to send 
   the echo reply message back along the path specified in the echo 
   request message. 

   In addition, a new TLV, the Reply Path (RP) TLV, is defined in this 
   document. The RP TLV consists of one or more sub-TLVs that can be 
   used to carry the specified return path information to be used by 
   the echo reply message. 

3.1. Reply Via Specified Path mode 

   A new reply mode is defined to be carried in the Reply Mode field of 
   the LSP Ping echo request message. 

   The recommended value of the Reply Via Specified Path mode is 5 
   (This is to be confirmed by the IANA). 

         Value    Meaning 
         -----    ------- 
             5     Reply via specified path 
            
   The Reply Via Specified Path mode is used to notify the remote LSR 
   receiving the LSP Ping echo request message to send back the echo 
   reply message along the specified paths carried in the Reply Path 
   TLV. 

3.2. Reply Path (RP) TLV 

   The Reply Path (RP) TLV is optionally included in an echo request 
   message. It carries the specified return paths that the echo reply 
   message is required to follow. The format of RP TLV is as follows: 














 
 
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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 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   RP (reply path) TLV Type    |          Length               |  
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
   |      RP return code           |              Flag             |  
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
   |                       Reply Paths                             |  
   ~                                                               ~ 
   |                                                               |  
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   RP TLV Type field is 2 octets in length, and the type value is TBD 
   by IANA. 

   The Length field is 2 octets in length. It defines the length in 
   octets of the RP return code, Flag and Reply Paths fields.  

   RP return code is 2 octets in length. It is defined for the egress 
   LSR of the forward LSP to report the results of RP TLV processing 
   and return path selection. When sending echo request, these codes 
   MUST be set to zero. RP return code only used when sending echo 
   reply, and it MUST be ignored when processing echo request message. 
   This document defines the following RP return codes: 





















 
 
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   Value      Meaning 
   -----      ---------------------- 
   0          No return code 
    
   1          Malformed RP TLV was received 
    
   2          One or more of the sub-TLVs in RP TLV 
              was not understood 
                
   3          The echo reply was sent successfully 
              using the specified RP  
    
   4          The specified RP was not found, the echo 
              reply was sent via other LSP 
                
   5          The specified RP was not found, the echo 
              reply was sent via IP path 
    
   6          The Reply mode in echo request was not set to 5 
              (replay via specified path) although RP TLV exists 
    
   7          RP TLV was missing in echo request 
    
   Flag field is also 2 octets in length, it is used to notify the 
   egress how to process the Reply Paths field when performing return 
   path selection. The Flag field is a bit vector and has following 
   format: 

   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |      MUST be zero       |A|B|E| 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   A (Alternative path): the egress LSR MUST select a non-default path 
   as the return path. This is very useful when reverse default path 
   problems are suspected which can be confirmed when the echo reply is 
   forced to follow a non-default return path. If A bit is set, there 
   is no need to carry any specific reply path sub-TLVs.  

   B (Bidirectional): the return path is required to follow the reverse 
   direction of the tested bidirectional LSP. 

   E (Exclude): the return path is required to exclude the paths that 
   are identified by the reply path sub-TLVs carried in the Reply Paths 
 
 
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   field. This is very useful when one or more previous LSP Ping 
   attempts failed. By setting this E bit and carrying the previous 
   failed reply path sub-TLVs, a new LSP Ping echo request could be 
   used to help the egress LSR to select another candidate path when 
   sending echo reply message. 

   A bit MUST NOT be set when any one of other two bits (B bit and E 
   bit) set. 

   The Reply Paths field is variable in length. It has several nested 
   sub-TLVs that describe the specified paths the echo reply message is 
   required to follow. When the Reply Mode field is set to "Reply via 
   specified path" in an LSP echo request message, the RP TLV MUST be 
   present. 

3.3. RP TLV sub-TLVs 

   Each of the FEC sub-TLVs defined in [RFC4379] is applicable to be a 
   sub-TLV for inclusion in the RP TLV for expressing a specific return 
   path.  

   In addition, three more new sub-TLVs are defined: IPv4 RSVP Tunnel 
   sub-TLV, IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV, and RP TC (Traffic Class) sub-TLV. 
   Detailed definition is in the following sections. 

   With the Return Path TLV flags and the sub-TLVs defined in [RFC4379] 
   and in this document, it could provide following options for return 
   paths specifying: 


















 
 
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   1. Specify a particular LSP as return path 
         - use those sub-TLVs defined in [RFC4379], 
            
   2. Specify a more generic tunnel FEC as return path 
         - use the IPv4/IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLVs defined in Section 
             3.3.1 and Section 3.3.2 of this document 
            
   3. Specify the reverse path of the bidirectional LSP as return path 
         - use B bit defined in Section 3.2 of this document.  
    
   4. Force return path to non-default path 
         - use A bit defined in Section 3.2 of this document. 
            
   5. Allow any LSPs except specific or general ones as return path 
         - use E bit (Section 3.2 of this document) and combine with 
             the specific paths identified by the sub-TLVs carried in 
             Reply Path field. 
    

3.3.1. IPv4 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV 

   The IPv4 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV is used in the RP TLV to allow the 
   operator to specify a more generic tunnel FEC other than a 
   particular LSP as the return path. The egress LSR chooses any LSP 
   from the LSPs that have the same Tunnel attributes and satisfy the 
   conditions carried in the Flag field. The format of IPv4 RSVP Tunnel 
   sub-TLV is as follows: 

    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 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | IPv4 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV Type |        Length                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                 IPv4 tunnel end point address                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |              Flag             |     Tunnel ID                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                       Extended Tunnel ID                      | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                   IPv4 tunnel sender address                  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    

 
 
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   The IPv4 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV is derived from the RSVP IPv4 FEC TLV 
   that is defined in Section 3.2.3 [RFC4379]. All fields have the same 
   semantics as defined in [RFC4379] except that the LSP-ID field is 
   omitted and a new Flag field is defined. 

   The IPv4 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV Type field is 2 octets in length, and 
   the recommended type value is 18 (to be confirmed by IANA). 

   The Flag field is 2 octets in length, it is used to notify the 
   egress LSR how to choose the return path. The Flag field is a bit 
   vector and has following format: 

   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |      MUST be zero         |S|P| 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    

   P (Primary): the return path MUST be chosen from the LSPs that have 
   the same Tunnel attributes and the LSP MUST be the primary LSP.  

   S (Secondary): the return path MUST be chosen from the LSPs that 
   have the same Tunnel attributes and the LSP MUST be the secondary 
   LSP. 

   P bit and S bit MUST NOT both be set. If P bit and S bit are both 
   not set, the return path could be any one of the LSPs that have the 
   same Tunnel attributes. 

3.3.2. IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV 

   The IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV is used in the RP TLV to allow the 
   operator to specify a more generic tunnel FEC other than a 
   particular LSP as the return path. The egress LSR chooses an LSP 
   from the LSPs that have the same Tunnel attributes and satisfy the 
   conditions carried in the Flag field. The format of IPv6 RSVP Tunnel 
   sub-TLV is as follows: 










 
 
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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 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV Type |        Length                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                 IPv6 tunnel end point address                 | 
   |                                                               | 
   |                                                               | 
   |                                                               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |              Flag             |     Tunnel ID                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                       Extended Tunnel ID                      | 
   |                                                               | 
   |                                                               | 
   |                                                               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                   IPv6 tunnel sender address                  | 
   |                                                               | 
   |                                                               | 
   |                                                               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   The IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV is derived from RSVP IPv6  FEC TLV that 
   is defined in Section 3.2.4 of [RFC4379].All fields have the same 
   semantics as defined in [RFC4379] except that the LSP-ID field is 
   omitted and a new Flag field is defined..  

   The IPv6 RSVP Tunnel sub-TLV Type field is 2 octets in length, and 
   the recommended type value is 19 (to be confirmed by IANA). 

   The Flag field is 2 octets in length and is identical to that 
   described in Section 3.3. 

3.3.3. RP TC sub-TLV 

   Reply TOS Byte TLV [RFC4379] is used by the originator of the echo 
   request to request that an echo reply be sent with the IP header TOS 
   byte set to the value specified in the TLV. Similarly, in this 
   document, a new sub-TLV: RP TC sub-TLV is defined and MAY be used by 
   the originator of the echo request to request that an echo reply be 
   sent with the TC bits of the specified return LSP set to the value 
   specified in this sub-TLV. Since there may be more than one FEC sub-

 
 
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   TLVs (return paths) specified in the RP TLV, the relevant RP TC sub-
   TLV MUST directly follow the FEC sub-TLV that identifies the 
   corresponding specified return LSP. The format of RP TC sub-TLV is 
   as follows: 

   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 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |  RP TC sub-TLV type           |          Length               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | TC  |                    MUST be zero                         | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   The RP TC sub-TLV Type field is 2 octets in length, and the 
   recommended type value is 17 (to be confirmed by IANA). 

   The Length field is 2 octets in length, the value of length field is 
   fixed 4. 

4. Theory of Operation 

   The procedures defined in this document currently only apply to 
   "ping" mode. The "traceroute" mode is out of scope for this document. 

   In [RFC4379], the echo reply is used to report the LSP checking 
   result to the LSP Ping initiator. This document defines a new reply 
   mode and a new TLV (RP TLV) which enable the LSP ping initiator to 
   specify or constrain the return path of the echo reply. Similarly 
   the behavior of echo reply is extended to detect the requested 
   return path by looking at a specified path FEC TLV. This enables LSP 
   Ping to detect failures in both directions of a path with a single 
   operation, this of course cuts in half the operational steps 
   required to verify the end to end bidirectional connectivity and 
   integrity of an LSP.  

   When the echo reply message is intended to test the return MPLS LSP 
   path(the A bit and E bit is not set in the previous received echo 
   request message), the destination IP address of the echo reply 
   message MUST never be used in a forwarding decision. To avoid this 
   possibility the destination IP address of the echo reply message 
   that is transmitted along the specified return path MUST be set to 
   numbers from the range 127/8 for IPv4 or 0:0:0:0:0:FFFF:127/104 for 
   IPv6, and the IP TTL MUST be set 1. Of course when the echo reply 
   message is not intended for testing the specified return path, the 


 
 
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   procedures defined in [RFC4379] (the destination IP address is 
   copied from the source IP address) apply unchanged.  

4.1. Sending an Echo Request 

   When sending an echo request, in addition to the rules and 
   procedures defined in Section 4.3 of [RFC4379], the reply mode of 
   the echo request MUST be set to "Reply via specified path", and a RP 
   TLV MUST be carried in the echo request message correspondingly. The 
   RP TLV includes one or several reply path sub-TLV(s) to identify the 
   return path(s) the egress LSR should use for its reply. 

   For a bidirectional LSP, since the ingress LSR and egress LSR of a 
   bidirectional LSP are aware of the relationship between the forward 
   and backward direction LSPs, only the B bit SHOULD be set in the RP 
   TLV. If the operator wants the echo reply to be sent along a 
   different path other than the reverse direction of the bidirectional 
   LSP, "A" bit SHOULD be set or another FEC sub-TLV SHOULD be carried 
   in the RP TLV instead, and the B bit MUST be clear. 

   In some cases, operators may want to treat two unidirectional LSPs 
   (one for each direction) as a pair. There may not be any binding 
   relationship between the two LSPs. Using the mechanism defined in 
   this document, operators can run LSP Ping one time from one end to 
   complete the failure detection on both unidirectional LSPs. To 
   accomplish this, the echo request message MUST carry (in the RP TLV) 
   a FEC sub-TLV that belongs to the backward LSP. 

4.2. Receiving an Echo Request 

   "Ping" mode processing as defined in Section 4.4 of [RFC4379] 
   applies in this document. In addition, when an echo request is 
   received, if the egress LSR does not know the reply mode defined in 
   this document, an echo reply with the return code set to "Malformed 
   echo request" and the Subcode set to zero will be send back to the 
   ingress LSR according to the rules of [RFC4379]. If the egress LSR 
   knows the reply mode, according to the RP TLV, it SHOULD find and 
   select the desired return path. If there is a matched path, an echo 
   reply with RP TLV that identify the return path SHOULD be sent back 
   to the ingress LSR, the RP return code SHOULD be set to "The echo 
   reply was sent successfully using the specified RP". If there is no 
   such path, an echo reply with RP TLV SHOULD be sent back to the 
   ingress LSR, the RP return code SHOULD be set to relevant code 
   (defined Section 3.2) for the real situation to reflect the result 
   of RP TLV processing and return path selection. For example, if the 
   specified LSP is not found, the egress then chooses another LSP as 

 
 
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   the return path to send the echo reply, the RP return code SHOULD be 
   set to "The specified RP was not found, the echo reply was sent via 
   other LSP", and if the egress chooses an IP path to send the echo 
   reply, the RP return code SHOULD be set to "The specified RP was not 
   found, the echo reply was sent via IP path". If there is unknown 
   sub-TLV in the received RP TLV, the RP return code SHOULD be set to 
   "One or more of the sub-TLVs in RP TLV was not understood". 

   If the A bit of the RP TLV in a received echo request message is set, 
   the egress LSR SHOULD send the echo reply along an non-default 
   return path. 

   IF the B bit of the RP TLV in a received echo request message is set, 
   the egress LSR SHOULD send the echo reply along the reverse 
   direction of the bidirectional LSP. 

   If the E bit of the RP TLV in a received echo request message is set, 
   the egress LSR MUST exclude the paths identified by those FEC sub-
   TLVs carried in the RP TLV and select other path to send the echo 
   reply.  

   If the A and E bit of the RP TLV in a received echo request message 
   is not set, the echo reply is REQUIRED not only to send along the 
   specified path, but to test the selected return path as well (by 
   carrying the FEC stack information of the return path).  

   In addition, the FEC validate results of the forward path LSP SHOULD 
   NOT affect the egress LSR continue to test return path LSP. 

4.3. Sending an Echo Reply 

   As described in [RFC4379], the echo reply message is a UDP packet, 
   and it MUST be sent only in response to an MPLS echo request. The 
   source IP address is a routable IP address of the replier, the 
   source UDP port is the well-know UDP port for LSP ping. 

   When the echo reply is intended to test the return path (both A and 
   E bit are not set in the previous received echo request), the 
   destination IP address of the echo reply message MUST never be used 
   in a forwarding decision. To avoid this problem, the IP destination 
   address of the echo reply message that is transmitted along the 
   specified return path MUST be set to numbers from the range 127/8 
   for IPv4 or 0:0:0:0:0:FFFF:127/104 for IPv6, and the IP TTL MUST be 
   set to 1. Otherwise, the same as defined in [RFC4379], the 
   destination IP address and UDP port are copied from the source IP 
   address and source UDP port of the echo request.  

 
 
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   When sending the echo reply, a RP TLV that identifies the return 
   path MUST be carried, the RP return code SHOULD be set to relevant 
   code that reflects results about how the egress processes the RP TLV 
   in a previous received echo request message and return path 
   selection. By carrying the RP TLV in an echo reply, it gives the 
   Ingress LSR enough information about the reverse direction of the 
   tested path to verify the consistency of the data plane against 
   control plane. Thus a single LSP Ping could achieve both directions 
   of a path test. 

4.4. Receiving an Echo Reply 

   The rules and process defined in Section 4.6 of [RFC4379] apply here. 
   When an echo reply is received, if the reply mode is "Reply via 
   specified path" and the RP return code is "The echo reply was sent 
   successfully using the specified RP", and if both the A bit and E 
   bit are not set. The ingress LSR MUST do FEC validation (based on 
   the FEC stack information of the return path carried in the RP TLV) 
   as an egress LSR does when receiving an echo request, the FEC 
   validation process (relevant to "ping" mode) defined in Section 
   4.4.1 of [RFC4379] applies here.  

   When an echo reply is received with return code set to "Malformed 
   echo request received" and the Subcode set to zero. It is possible 
   that the egress LSR may not know the "Reply via specified path" 
   reply mode, the operator may choose to re-perform another LSP Ping 
   by using one of the four reply modes defined [RFC4379]. 

   On receipt of an echo reply with RP return code in the RP TLV set to 
   "The specified RP was not found, ...", it means that the egress LSR 
   could not find a matched return path as specified. Operators may 
   choose to specify another LSP as the return path or use other 
   methods to detect the path further. 

   When the LSP Ping initiator fails after some time to receive the 
   echo reply message, the operator MAY initiate another LSP Ping by 
   resending a new echo request carrying a RP TLV with E bit set, the 
   sub-TLVs and/or B bit (when the tested LSP is a bidirectional LSP) 
   identify the previous tried reply paths that are used to notify the 
   egress LSR to send echo reply message along any other workable path 
   other than these failed return paths. Hence it could improve the 
   reliability of the echo reply message.  





 
 
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5. Security Considerations 

   Security considerations discussed in [RFC4379] apply to this 
   document. In addition to that, in order to prevent using the 
   extension defined in this document for "proxying" any possible 
   attacks, the return path LSP MUST have destination to the same node 
   where the forward path is from.  

6. IANA Considerations 

   IANA is requested to assign one new TLV from the "Multiprotocol 
   Label Switching Architecture (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) 
   Parameters - TLVs" registry, "TLVs and sub-TLVs" sub- registry; and 
   a set of sub-TLVs under this new TLV; one new Reply Mode from the 
   "Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) 
   Parameters" registry, the "Reply Mode" subregistry. 

6.1. New TLV 

   The IANA is requested to as assign a new TLV from the "Multiprotocol 
   Label Switching Architecture (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) 
   Parameters - TLVs" registry, "TLVs and sub-TLVs" sub- registry.  

     Value   Meaning                           Reference 
     -----   -------                           --------- 
     21      Reply Path TLV                    this document (sect 3.2) 
      
6.2. Sub-TLVs 

6.2.1. Sub-TLVs from RFC3479 

   The following sub-TLVs to the Target FEC Stack specified in Section 
   3.2 of RFC4379 and fournd in the "Multiprotocol Label Switching 
   Architecture (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) Parameters - TLVs" 
   registry, "TLVs and sub-TLVs" sub- registry are also valid for the 
   Reply Path TLV.  










 
 
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     Sub-Type       Value Field                            Reference 
     --------       -----------                            --------- 
            1       LDP IPv4 prefix                        RFC4379 
            2       LDP IPv6 prefix                        RFC4379 
            3       RSVP IPv4 LSP                          RFC4379 
            4       RSVP IPv6 LSP                          RFC4379 
            5       Not Assigned                           RFC4379 
            6       VPN IPv4 prefix                        RFC4379 
            7       VPN IPv6 prefix                        RFC4379 
            8       L2 VPN endpoint                        RFC4379 
            9       "FEC 128" Pseudowire (deprecated)      RFC4379 
           10       "FEC 128" Pseudowire                   RFC4379 
           11       "FEC 129" Pseudowire                   RFC4379 
           12       BGP labeled IPv4 prefix                RFC4379 
           13       BGP labeled IPv6 prefix                RFC4379 
           14       Generic IPv4 prefix                    RFC4379 
           15       Generic IPv6 prefix                    RFC4379 
           16       Nil FEC                                RFC4379 
      
   The IANA is requested to assign the same values to the sub-TLVs for 
   the Reply Path TLV (Type 21)as those used for the sub-TLVs for the 
   Target FEC Stack TLV (TLV Type 1) in the same registry.  

6.2.2. New Sub-TLVs 

   IANA is also requested to assign three new sub-TLV types from 
   "Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture (MPLS) Label Switched 
   Paths (LSPs) Parameters - TLVs" registry, "TLVs and sub-TLVs" sub- 
   registry for the Reply Path TLV (Type 21).  

     Sub-type      Value Field             Reference 
     -------       -----------             --------- 
     17            RP TC                   this document (sect 3.3.3) 
     18            IPv4 RSVP Tunnel        this document (sect 3.3.2) 
     19            IPv6 RSVP Tunnel        this document (sect 3.3.1) 
      
6.2.3. New Reply Mode 

   IANA is requested to assign a new reply mode code point from the 
   from the "Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switched Paths 
   (LSPs) Parameters" registry, the "Reply Mode" subregistry.  


 
 
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     Value    Meaning                      Reference 
     -----    -------                      ---------- 
     5        Reply via specified path     this document (sect 3.1) 
 
7. Contributors 

   The following individuals also contributed to this document: 

   Ehud Doron 
   Orckit-Corrigent 
    
   EMail: ehudd@orckit.com 
    
    
   Ronen Solomon 
   Orckit-Corrigent 
    
   EMail: RonenS@orckit.com 
    
    
   Ville Hallivuori 
   Tellabs 
   Sinimaentie 6 C 
   FI-02630 Espoo, Finland 
    
   EMail: ville.hallivuori@tellabs.com 
    
8. Acknowledgments 

   The authors would like to thank Adrian Farrel and Peter Ashwood-
   Smith for their review, suggestion and comments to this document. 

9. References 

9.1. Normative References 

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

   [RFC4379] K. Kompella., et al., "Detecting Multi-Protocol Label 
             Switched (MPLS) Data Plane Failures", RFC 4379, February 
             2006. 




 
 
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9.2. Informative References 

   [RFC3471] L. Berger, "Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching 
             (GMPLS) Signaling Functional Description", RFC 3471, 
             January 2003. 

   [RFC3473] L. Berger, "Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching 
             (GMPLS) Signaling", RFC 3473, January 2003. 

   [RFC3945] E. Mannie, "Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching 
             (GMPLS) Architecture", RFC 3945, October 2004. 

   [RFC5654] Niven-Jenkins, B. (Ed.), Brungard, D. (Ed.), Betts, M. 
             (Ed.) Sprecher, N., and Ueno, S., "Requirements of an MPLS 
             Transport Profile", RFC 5654, September 2009. 

   [BFD]     D. Katz, D. and Ward, D., "Bidirectional Forwarding 
             Detection", RFC5880, June 2010. 

   [BFD-MPLS] Aggarwal, R., Kompella, K., Nadeau, T., and Swallow, G., 
             "BFD For MPLS LSPs", RFC5884, June 2010. 

























 
 
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Authors' Addresses 

   Mach(Guoyi) Chen 
   Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 
   No. 3 Xinxi Road 
   Shangdi Information Industry Base 
   Hai-Dian District, Beijing 100085 
   China 
    
   EMail: mach@huawei.com 
    
    
   So Ning 
   Verizon Inc. 
   2400 N. Glenville Rd., 
   Richardson, TX  75082 
    
   Phone: +1 972-729-7905 
   EMail: ning.so@verizonbusiness.com 
    
    
   Frederic Jounay 
   France Telecom 
   2, avenue Pierre-Marzin 
   22307 Lannion Cedex 
   FRANCE 
    
   EMail: frederic.jounay@orange-ftgroup.com 
    
    
   Simon Delord 
   Telstra 
   242 Exhibition St 
   Melbourne VIC 3000 
   Australia 
    
   EMail: simon.a.delord@team.telstra.com 
    
    
   Xinchun Guo 
   Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 
   No. 3 Xinxi Road 
   Shangdi Information Industry Base 
   Hai-Dian District, Beijing 100085 
   China 
    

 
 
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   EMail: guoxinchun@huawei.com 
    
   Wei Cao 
   Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 
   No. 3 Xinxi Road 
   Shangdi Information Industry Base 
   Hai-Dian District, Beijing 100085 
   China 
    
   EMail: caoweigne@huawei.com 




































 
 
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PAFTECH AB 2003-20262026-04-22 14:27:40