Multicast Ping Protocol
RFC 6450

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                         S. Venaas
Request for Comments: 6450                                 Cisco Systems
Category: Standards Track                                  December 2011
ISSN: 2070-1721

                        Multicast Ping Protocol

Abstract

   The Multicast Ping Protocol specified in this document allows for
   checking whether an endpoint can receive multicast -- both Source-
   Specific Multicast (SSM) and Any-Source Multicast (ASM).  It can also
   be used to obtain additional multicast-related information, such as
   multicast tree setup time.  This protocol is based on an
   implementation of tools called "ssmping" and "asmping".

Status of This Memo

   This is an Internet Standards Track document.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
   Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6450.

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.

Venaas                       Standards Track                    [Page 1]
RFC 6450                 Multicast Ping Protocol           December 2011

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................2
      1.1. Requirements Language ......................................2
   2. Architecture ....................................................3
   3. Protocol Specification ..........................................6
      3.1. Option Format ..............................................7
      3.2. Defined Options ............................................7
      3.3. Packet Format .............................................13
      3.4. Message Types and Options .................................13
      3.5. Rate Limiting .............................................15
           3.5.1. Message Rate Variables .............................16
   4. Client Behaviour ...............................................16
   5. Server Behaviour ...............................................18
   6. Recommendations for Implementers ...............................19
   7. IANA Considerations ............................................20
   8. Security Considerations ........................................21
   9. Acknowledgments ................................................22
   10. References ....................................................23
      10.1. Normative References .....................................23
      10.2. Informative References ...................................23

1.  Introduction

   The Multicast Ping Protocol specified in this document allows for
   checking multicast connectivity.  In addition to checking reception
   of multicast (SSM or ASM), the protocol can provide related
   information, such as multicast tree setup time, the number of hops
   the packets have traveled, and packet delay and loss.  This
   functionality resembles, in part, the ICMP Echo Request/Reply
   mechanism [RFC0792], but uses UDP [RFC0768] and requires that both a
   client and a server implement this protocol.  Intermediate routers
   are not required to support this protocol.  They forward protocol
   messages and data traffic as usual.

   This protocol is based on the current implementation of the ssmping
   and asmping tools [IMPL], which are widely used by the Internet
   community to conduct multicast connectivity tests.

1.1.  Requirements Language

   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].

Venaas                       Standards Track                    [Page 2]