Multi-Protocol Label Switching WG                         Yoshihiro Ohba
Internet-Draft                                          Yasuhiro Katsube
Expiration Date: May 1999                                        Toshiba

                                                              Eric Rosen
                                                           Cisco Systems

                                                             Paul Doolan
                                                       Ennovate Networks

                                                           November 1998


                     MPLS Loop Prevention Mechanism

                <draft-ohba-mpls-loop-prevention-02.txt>


Status of this Memo

    This document is an Internet-Draft.  Internet-Drafts are working
    documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas,
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Abstract

    This paper presents a  simple mechanism,  based on 'threads',  which
    can  be  used to prevent MPLS  from  setting up  label switched path
    (LSPs) which have loops.  The mechanism is compatible with, but does
    not require,  VC merge.  The mechanism  can be  used with either the
    ordered  downstream-on-demand    allocation  or  ordered  downstream
    allocation.   The amount of  information  that must  be passed in  a
    protocol message is tightly bounded  (i.e., no path-vector is used).
    When a node needs to change its next hop, a distributed procedure is
    executed,  but  only nodes which   are downstream of  the change are
    involved.







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Table of contents

    1      Introduction ..........................................  3
    2      Basic definitions .....................................  4
    3      Thread basics .........................................  5
    3.1    Thread attributes .....................................  5
    3.2    Thread loop ...........................................  6
    3.3    Primitive thread actions ..............................  7
    3.4    Examples of primitive thread actions  .................  9
    4      Thread algorithm ...................................... 13
    5      Applicability of the algorithm ........................ 14
    5.1    LSP Loop prevention/detection ......................... 14
    5.2    Using old path while looping on new path .............. 14
    5.3    How to deal with ordered downstream allocation ........ 14
    5.4    How to realize load splitting ......................... 14
    6      Why this works ........................................ 16
    6.1    Why a thread with unknown hop count is extended ....... 16
    6.2    Why a rewound thread cannot contain a loop ............ 16
    6.2.1  Case1: LSP with known link hop counts ................. 16
    6.2.1  Case2: LSP with unknown link hop counts ............... 16
    6.3    Why L3 loop is detected ............................... 16
    6.4    Why L3 loop is not mis-detected ....................... 16
    6.5    How a stalled thread automatically recovers from loop . 17
    6.6    Why different colored threads do not chase each other . 17
    7      Loop prevention examples .............................. 18
    7.1    First example ......................................... 18
    7.2    Second example ........................................ 22
    8      Thread control block .................................. 23
    8.1    Finite state machine .................................. 24
    9      Comparison with path-vector/diffusion method .......... 27
    10     Security considerations ............................... 27
    11     Intellectual property considerations .................. 27
    12     Acknowledgments ....................................... 28
    13     References ............................................ 28
    Appendix A   Further discussion of the algorithm ............. 28




















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1.  Introduction

    This paper presents  a  simple mechanism, based on  "threads", which
    can be  used to prevent  MPLS  from setting up label  switched paths
    (LSPs) which have loops.

    When  an LSR finds that  it has a new next  hop for a particular FEC
    (Forwarding Equivalence Class) [1],  it creates a thread and extends
    it downstream.  Each such thread  is assigned a unique "color", such
    that no two threads in the network can have the same color.

    For a given LSP, once a thread is extended to a particular next hop,
    no other   thread is extended  to  that next hop  unless  there is a
    change in the  hop count from  the furthest upstream node.  The only
    state information that needs to be associated with a particular next
    hop for a particular LSP is the thread color and hop count.

    If there is a loop, then some thread will arrive back at an LSR
    through which it has already passed.  This is easily detected, since
    each thread has a unique color.

    Section 3 and 4 provide procedures  for determining that there is no
    loop.  When  this is determined, the threads  are  "rewound" back to
    the point of creation.   As they are  rewound, labels get  assigned.
    Thus labels are NOT assigned until loop freedom is guaranteed.

    While a thread  is extended, the LSRs  through which it passes  must
    remember its color  and  hop count,  but when  the  thread  has been
    rewound, they need only remember its hop count.

    The thread mechanism works if some, all, or none  of the LSRs in the
    LSP support VC-merge.  It  can also be used  with either the ordered
    downstream-on-demand   label  allocation     or ordered   downstream
    allocation  [2,3].   The mechanism  can also  be  applicable to loop
    detection, old path retention, and load-splitting.

    The  state information which must  be carried  in protocol messages,
    and which must be maintained internally in state tables, is of fixed
    size, independent of the network size.  Thus the thread mechanism is
    more  scalable than alternatives which  require that path-vectors be
    carried.

    To set up a  new LSP  after a routing  change, the  thread mechanism
    requires communication  only between  nodes which are  downstream of
    the point of  change.  There  is  no need to  communicate with nodes
    that are upstream of the point of change.  Thus the thread mechanism
    is  more robust  than alternatives  which require  that  a diffusion
    computation be performed (see section 9).







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2. Basic definitions

LSP

    We will use the term   LSP to refer   to a multipoint-to-point  tree
    whose  root is the  egress node.   See section  3.5  of [3].

    In the following, we speak as if there were  only a single LSP being
    set up   in the network.   This allows  us to   talk of incoming and
    outgoing  links without constantly   saying something like  "for the
    same LSP.

Incoming Link, Upstream Link
Outgoing Link, Downstream Link

    At a given node,  a  given LSP will  have  one or more incoming,  or
    upstream links, and one  outgoing or downstream  link.  A  "link" is
    really  an abstract relationship  with  an "adjacent" LSR;  it is an
    "edge"   in the "tree",  and  not  necessarily a particular concrete
    entity like an "interface".

Leaf Node, Ingress Node

    A node which has no upstream links.

Eligible Leaf Node

    A node which is capable  of being a  leaf node.  For example, a node
    is not an eligible leaf node  if it is not allowed to directly inject L3
    packets created or received at the node into its outgoing link.

Link Hop Count

    Every link is  labeled with a "link hop  count".  This is the number
    of hops between  the given link and the  leaf node which is furthest
    upstream of  the given link.  At any  node, the link hop  count for
    the downstream link is one more  than the largest  of the hop counts
    associated with the upstream links.

    We define the quantity  "Hmax" at a given node  to be the maximum of
    all the incoming link hop counts.  Note  that, the link hop count of
    the downstream link  is  equal to Hmax+1.  At a leaf node, Hmax is
    set to be zero.

    An an example of link hop counts is shown in Fig.1.










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              1   2
             A---B---C       K
                     |       |
                     |3      |1
                     |       |
                     | 4   5 | 6   7
                     D---G---H---I---J
                     |
                     |2
                   1 |
                 E---F

           Fig.1  Example of link hop counts


Next Hop Acquisition

    Node N thought that FEC  F was unreachable, but now  has a next  hop
    for it.

Next Hop Loss

    Node N thought  that node A was  the next hop  for FEC F, but now no
    longer has the next hop for FEC F.  A node loses a next hop whenever
    the next hop goes down.

Next Hop Change

    At node N, the  next hop for FEC  F changes from  node A to node  B,
    where A is different than B.  A next hop change event can be seen as
    a combination of a next  hop loss event on  the old  next hop and  a
    next hop acquisition event on the new next hop.


3. Thread basics

    A thread is a  sequence of messages used to  set  up an LSP, in  the
    "ordered  downstream-on-demand" (ingress-initiated ordered  control)
    style.

3.1.  Thread attributes

    There are three attributes related to threads.  They may be encoded
    into a single thread object as:

                        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
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |                                                               |
   +                             Color                             +
   |                                                               |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |   Hop Count   |      TTL      |           Reserved            |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

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Thread Color

    Every time a path control message  is initiated by  a node, the node
    assigns a unique "color" to it.  This color  is to be unique in both
    time and space: its encoding  consists of an IP  address of the node
    concatenated with a  unique event identifier  from a numbering space
    maintained by the node.  The path setup messages that the node sends
    downstream will contain this color.  Also, when  the node sends such
    a  message downstream, it  will remember  the  color, and this color
    becomes the color of the downstream link.

    When a  colored message is received,  its color becomes the color of
    the   incoming  link.  The thread which   consists  of messages of a
    certain color will be known as a thread of that color.

    A special color value "transparent"(=all 0's) is reserved.

Thread Hop Count

    In order to maintain link hop counts, we need to carry hop counts in
    the path control messages.  For instance, a leaf node would assign a
    hop  count of 1 to  its downstream link, and  would store that value
    into a path setup  message it sends downstream.   When a path  setup
    message is sent downstream, a node would assign a hop count which is
    one more than the largest of the incoming link hop counts, to  its
    downstream  link, and   would store  that  value  into a path  setup
    message it sends downstream.   Once the  value  is stored in a  path
    control message, we may refer to it has a "thread hop count".

    A special hop count value "unknown"(=0xff), which is larger than any
    other known  value, is used when a  loop is  found.  Once the thread
    hop count is  "unknown", it is not  increased any more as the thread
    is extended.

Thread TTL

    To  avoid infinite  looping  of control messages  in   some cases, a
    thread TTL is used.  When a node creates  a path control message and
    sends it  downstream, it sets  a TTL to  the message, and the TTL is
    decremented at each hop.  When the TTL reaches 0, the message is not
    forwarded  any  more.  Unlike the thread   hop counts and the thread
    colors, the thread TTLs do not needs to be stored in incoming links.


3.2.  Thread loop

    When the same colored thread is received on multiple incoming links,
    or the received thread color was assigned  by the receiving node, it
    is said  that the thread  forms a  loop.  A thread  creator can tell
    whether it assigned  the received  thread  color by checking  the IP
    address part of the received thread color.




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3.3.  Primitive thread actions

    Five primitive actions are defined in order to  prevent LSP loops by
    using   threads: "extending", "rewinding", "withdrawing", "merging",
    and "stalling".  This section describes only each primitive action
    and does not describe how these primitive actions are combined and
    how the algorithm totally works.  The main body of the algorithm is
    described in section 4.

Thread Extending

    When a node starts to send a path setup message to its next hop with
    a set of  thread  attributes, it is  said  that "the node creates  a
    thread  and extends it  downstream".  When  a node  receives a  path
    setup message from an upstream node with  a set of thread attributes
    and forwards  it downstream, it is   said that "the node  receives a
    thread and extends it  downstream".  The color  and hop count of the
    thread become  the color    and  hop count   of the   outgoing link.
    Whenever a thread is  received on a  particular link, the  color and
    hop  count of that  thread become  the color and   hop count of that
    incoming link, replacing  any color and hop count  that the link may
    have had previously.

    For example, when an ingress node initiates a path setup, it creates
    a thread and extends it downstream by  sending a path setup message.
    The thread hop count is set to be 1, and  the thread color is set to
    be the ingress node's address with  an appropriate event identifier,
    and the  thread TTL  is  set  to be its    maximum value.

    When  a node receives  a thread and extends  it downstream, the node
    either (i) extends the thread without changing color, or (ii) extend
    the thread  with changing  color.   The received thread  is extended
    with  changing color if  it is received on  a new  incoming link and
    extended  on an already  existing  outgoing  link, otherwise, it  is
    extended without changing color.   When a thread is extended with
    changing color, a new colored thread is created and extended.

    Thread  creation   does  not  occur   only  at leaf  nodes.    If an
    intermediate node has an incoming link,  it will create and extend a
    new thread whenever it acquires a new next hop.

    When a node notifies a next  hop node of a decrease  of the link hop
    count, if it is not extending a colored thread, a transparent thread
    is extended.

Thread Merging

    When a node which has a colored outgoing link receives a new thread,
    it does not necessarily extend the new thread.  It may instead 'merge'
    the new threads into the existing outgoing thread.  In this case, no
    messages are sent   downstream. Also, if a  new  incoming thread  is
    extended downstream, but there  are already other  incoming threads,
    these other incoming  threads are considered  to be merged  into the
    new outgoing thread.

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    Specifically,  a received thread   is  merged if  all  the following
    conditions hold:

    o  A colored thread is received by node N, AND
    o  The thread does not form a loop, AND
    o  N is not an egress node, AND
    o  N's outgoing link is colored, AND
    o  N's outgoing link hop count is at least one greater than the hop
       count of the newly received thread.

    When  an outgoing thread  rewinds (see  below), any incoming threads
    which have been merged with it will rewind as well.

Thread Stalling

    When a colored  thread is received, if  the thread forms a loop, the
    received thread color and hop count are stored on the receiving link
    without being extended.  This is the  special case of thread merging
    applied only for   threads forming a   loop and referred to as   the
    "thread stalling", and the incoming link  storing the stalled thread
    is called "stalled incoming  link".   A distinction is  made between
    stalled incoming links and unstalled incoming links.

Thread Rewinding

    When a thread reaches a node which  satisfies a particular loop-free
    condition, the  node returns an acknowledgment  message back  to the
    message  initiator  in the reverse  path   on which the  thread  was
    extended.   The transmission of the  acknowledgment  messages is the
    "rewinding" of the thread.

    The loop-free condition is:

    o  A colored thread is received by the egress node, OR
    o  All of the following conditions hold:
       (a) A colored thread is received by node N, AND
       (b) N's outgoing link is transparent, AND
       (c) N's outgoing link hop count is at least one greater than the
           hop count of the newly received thread.

    When a node  rewinds  a thread which  was  received on a  particular
    link, it changes the color of that link to transparent.

    If there  is a link from   node M to node  N,  and M has  extended a
    colored thread to N over that link, and M determines (by receiving a
    message  from N) that  N has  rewound that  thread,  then M sets the
    color   of its outgoing   link   to transparent.  M then   continues
    rewinding the thread,  and in addition,  rewinds any  other incoming
    thread   which   had been   merged with  the   thread being rewound,
    including stalled threads.

    Each node can  start label switching after the  thread colors in all
    incoming and outgoing links becomes transparent.

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    Note that transparent  threads are threads  which have  already been
    rewound; hence there  is no  such  thing as rewinding a  transparent
    thread.

Thread Withdrawing

    It is possible  for a node  to tear down a  path.  A node tears down
    the portion  of  the path downstream  of  itself by sending teardown
    messages to  its  next hop.  This  process  is known as the  "thread
    withdrawing".

    For example,  suppose a node is  trying to set up  a path,  and then
    experiences a next hop change or a next hop  loss.  It will withdraw
    the thread that it had extended down its old next hop.

    If node M has extended a thread to node N, and node M then withdraws
    that thread, N now has one less incoming link than it had before. If
    N now has no other unstalled incoming links and N is not an eligible
    leaf node, it must withdraw its outgoing thread.  If  N still has an
    unstalled  incoming link or N is  an eligible leaf  node, it may (or
    may not)  need to change the   hop count of the outgoing link.

    N needs to change the outgoing hop count if:

    o  The  incoming link hop count that  was just removed had  a larger
       hop count than any of the remaining incoming links, AND
    o  One of the following conditions holds:
       (a) The outgoing link is transparent, OR
       (b) The outgoing link has a known hop count.

    If the outgoing link is transparent, it remains transparent, but the
    new hop count needs to be sent downstream.  If  the outgoing link is
    colored, a new  thread (with a new color)   needs to be created  and
    extended downstream.


3.4.  Examples of primitive thread actions

    The following notations are used to illustrate examples of primitive
    actions defined for threads.

    A pair  of thread attributes stored  in each link  is represented by
    "(C,H)",  where C and H  represent the thread  color  and thread hop
    count, respectively.

    A thread marked "+" indicates that it is created or received now.  A
    thread marked "-" indicates that it is withdrawn now.

    A link labeled with squared brackets (e.g., "[a]") indicates that it
    is  an  unstalled link.  A   link labeled with braces  (e.g., "{a}")
    indicates that it is a stalled link.

    Fig.  2  shows an example   in which a leaf node  A creates  a blue

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    thread  and extends it  downstream.


                                    (bl,1)
                                 A---[o1]--->

                 Fig.2    Thread extending at leaf node


    Fig.3 shows an example of thread extending without changing color at
    intermediate  node.   Assume  that  a  node  B has no   incoming and
    outgoing link before receiving a blue  thread.  When node B receives
    the blue thread of hop count 1 on a new incoming link i1, it extends
    the thread downstream  without changing color (Fig.3(a)).  After the
    blue thread is extended, node B  receives a red  thread of hop count
    unknown  on incoming link  i1 again  (Fig.3(b)).  The  red thread is
    also extended   without changing its  color, since   both  i1 and o1
    already exists.


         (bl,1)+     (bl,2)            (re,U)+      (re,U)
      ----[i1]--->B---[o1]---->     ----[i1]--->B----[o1]--->

              Fig.3(a)                      Fig.3(b)

          Fig.3    Thread extending without changing color


    Fig.4 shows an  example   of thread extending with  changing  color.
    There are  single  incoming link i1  and single  outgoing link o1 in
    Fig.4(a).  Then a  red thread of hop  count  3 is received on  a new
    incoming link i2.   In this case,   the received thread  is extended
    with  changing color, i.e.,  a  new  green  thread  is  created  and
    extended (Fig.4(b)), since o1 already exists.


       (bl,1)       (bl,2)          (bl,1)       (gr,4)
    ----[i1]--->B----[o1]--->    ----[i1]--->B----[o1]--->
                                             ^
                                             |
                                 ----[i2]----+
                                    (re,3)+

             Fig.4(a)                     Fig.4(b)

        Fig.4    Thread extending with changing color









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    Fig.5 shows an example of thread merging.  When  a node B receives a
    red thread of hop count 3, the received thread is not extended since
    the  outgoing  link  hop count  is  at  least one greater   than the
    received thread hop  count.  Both the red  and blue  threads will be
    rewound when the blue thread on outgoing link o1 is rewound.

                      (bl,3)       (bl,4)
                   ----[i1]--->B----[o1]--->
                               ^
                               |
                   ----[i2]----+
                      (re,3)+

                   Fig.5    Thread merging


    Figs  6 and 7   show examples of thread stalling.    When  a node  B
    receives a blue thread of hop count 10 on incoming link i2 in Fig.6,
    it "stalls" the received thread since the blue  thread forms a loop.
    In Fig.7, a leaf node A finds the loop of its own thread.


                       (bl,3)       (bl,4)
                    ----[i1]--->B----[o1]--->
                                ^
                                |
                    ----{i2}----+
                       (bl,10)+

                   Fig.6    Thread stalling (1)


                      (bl,10)+      (bl,1)
                    ----{i1}--->A----[o1]--->

                   Fig.7    Thread stalling (2)


    Fig.8 shows an example of thread  rewinding.  When the yellow thread
    which is  currently being extended is  rewound (Fig.8(a)),  the node
    changes  all the incoming  and outgoing thread color to transparent,
    and propagates thread rewinding to upstream nodes (Fig.8(b)).


        (bl,1)       (ye,2)                  (tr,1)       (tr,2)
     ----[i2]--->B----[o1]--->            ----[i2]--->B----[o1]--->
                 ^                                    ^
                 |                                    |
     ----[i3]----+                        ----[i3]----+
        (ye,1)                               (tr,1)

            Fig.8(a)                              Fig.8(b)

                     Fig.8    Thread rewinding

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    Fig.9 shows an example of thread withdrawing.   In Fig.9(a), the red
    thread on incoming link i2 is withdrawn.  Then Hmax decreases from 3
    to  1, and node   B  creates a new  green    thread and extends   it
    downstream, as shown in Fig.9(b).


       (bl,1)      (re,4)           (bl,1)       (gr,2)+
    ----[i1]--->B---[o1]--->     ----[i1]--->B----[o1]--->
                ^
                |
    ----[i2]----+
       (re,3)-

             Fig.9(a)                     Fig.9(b)

            Fig.9  Thread withdrawing (1)


    Fig.10  shows another example  of thread withdrawing.  In Fig.10(a),
    the red thread on incoming link i3 is withdrawn.  In this case, Hmax
    decreases from unknown to 1, however, no thread is extended as shown
    in Fig.10(b), since the  outgoing link has  a colored thread and the
    hop count is unknown.

        (bl,1)      (re,U)          (bl,1)       (re,U)
    ----[i2]--->B----[o1]--->    ----[i2]--->B----[o1]--->
                ^
                |
    ----[i3]----+
        (re,U)-

            Fig.10(a)                     Fig.10(b)

            Fig.10    Thread withdrawing (2)


    Fig.11 shows  another example of  thread withdrawing.  In Fig.11(a),
    the transparent thread  on incoming link  i3 is withdrawn.   In this
    case, a transparent    thread is extended (Fig.11(b)),    since Hmax
    decreases and the outgoing link is transparent.


        (tr,1)      (tr,U)          (tr,1)       (tr,2)+
    ----[i2]--->B----[o1]--->    ----[i2]--->B----[o1]--->
                ^
                |
    ----[i3]----+
        (tr,U)-

            Fig.11(a)                     Fig.11(b)

            Fig.11    Thread withdrawing (3)



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4. Thread algorithm

    The  ordered   downstream-on-demand   allocation  is assumed   here,
    however, the algorithm can  be   adapted to the ordered   downstream
    allocation, as shown in section 5.

    In the algorithm, a next hop change event will be separated into two
    events: a  next hop loss  event on the old next  hop  and a next hop
    acquisition event on the new next hop, in this order.

    The following notations are defined:

        Hmax: the largest incoming link hop count
        Ni:   the number of unstalled incoming links

    The thread algorithm is described as follows.

    When a node acquires a new next hop, it creates a colored thread and
    extends it downstream.

    When a node loses a next hop to  which it has  extended a thread, it
    may withdraw that  thread.  As described in  section 3,  this may or
    may not cause the  next hop to take some  action.  Among the actions
    the next hop may take are  withdrawing the thread  from its own next
    hop, or extending a new thread to its own next hop.

    A  received colored thread  is either  stalled,  merged, rewound, or
    extended.  A thread with TTL zero is never extended.

    When a received thread is stalled at a node, if Ni=0 and the node
    is not  an  eligible   leaf  node, initiate  a   thread withdrawing.
    Otherwise, if Ni>0 and the received thread hop count is not unknown,
    a colored thread of  hop count unknown is  created and extended.  If
    the received thread hop count is  unknown, no thread is extended and
    no further action is taken.

    When a thread being extended is rewound,  if the thread hop count is
    greater than one more than Hmax,  a transparent thread  of hop count
    (Hmax+1) is extended downstream.

    When a node that has an transparent outgoing link receives a
    transparent thread,  if Hmax  decreases the node extends it
    downstream without changing color.












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5. Applicability of the algorithm

    The  thread  algorithm  described in section  4   can be applied  to
    various LSP management policies.

5.1.  LSP Loop prevention/detection

    The same thread algorithm is applicable  to both LSP loop prevention
    and detection.

    In loop prevention mode, a node transmits a label mapping (including
    a thread  object) for  a particular  LSP  only when  it rewinds  the
    thread for  that LSP.  No mapping message  is sent  until the thread
    rewinds.

    On  the other hand, if  a node operates  in  loop detection mode, it
    returns a label mapping message without  a thread object immediately
    after  receiving a colored thread.   A  node which  receives a label
    mapping message  that does not have  a thread object will not rewind
    the thread.


5.2.  Using old path while looping on new path

    When a route changes, one might want to continue to use the old path
    if the new route is looping.  This is achieved simply by holding the
    label assigned to  the  downstream link on  the  old path until  the
    thread being extended on  the new route  gets  rewound.  This is  an
    implementation choice.


5.3.  How to deal with ordered downstream allocation

    The thread mechanism   can  be also adapted to    ordered downstream
    allocation mode  (or   the   egress-initiated ordered    control) by
    regarding the  event of newly  receiving of  a label mapping message
    [4] from the next hop as a next hop acquisition event.

    Note that a node which doesn't yet  have an incoming link behaves as
    a  leaf.  In the  case  where the tree  is  being initially built up
    (e.g., the egress node  has just  come  up), each node in  turn will
    behave as a leaf for a short period of time.


5.4.  How to realize load splitting

    A  leaf node  can easily perform  load splitting  by setting  up two
    different LSPs for  the same FEC.  The  downstream links for the two
    LSPs are simply assigned different colors.  The thread algorithm now
    prevents a loop  in either  path, but  also allows the  two paths to
    have a common downstream node.

    If some intermediate node wants to do  load splitting, the following
    modification is made.  Assume that  there are multiple next hops for

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    the same  FEC.  If there are  n next hops  for a particular FEC, the
    set of incoming  links for that FEC's LSP  can be partitioned into n
    subsets,  where  each subset can  be  mapped to  a distinct outgoing
    link.   This provides n  LSPs for  the FEC.  Each   such LSP uses  a
    distinct color  for  its outgoing link.   The thread   algorithm now
    prevents a loop in any of the paths, but also  allows two or more of
    the paths to have a common downstream node.

    In this case, an  interesting situation may  happen.  Let's say that
    in Fig.12, node   B has  two  incoming links,   i1 and  i2, and  two
    outgoing links, o1 and o2, such that i1 is mapped to o1, while i2 is
    mapped to o2.

    If a blue thread received on i1 and extended on o1 is again received
    at node B on i2, the blue thread is  not regarded as forming a loop,
    since i1   and i2 are regarded as   belonging  to different subsets.
    Instead, the blue  thread received on i2 is  extended on o2.  If the
    thread extended   on o2 is   rewound, a single   loop-free LSP which
    traverses node B twice is established.

        +------------------...--------------------+
        .        (bl,3)          (bl,4)           |
        .     ----[i1]---+     +--[o1]---> .... --+
        .                 \   /
        .                  v /
        |                   B
        |
        +-----------[i2]--->B----[o2]--->
                  (bl,10)+      (bl,11)


         Fig.12  Load splitting at intermediate node

    There is another type of load splitting, in which packets arrived at
    single incoming  link can be  label switched to  any one of multiple
    outgoing links.  This case does not seem to be a good load-splitting
    scheme, since  the packet order in  the  same FEC is  not preserved.
    Thus, this draft does not focus on this case.

    Whether  that's  a good  type  of  load  splitting or  not, the fact
    remains  that  ATM-LSRs cannot  load  split  like this  because  ATM
    switches just don't have the capability to make forwarding decisions
    on a per-packet basis.












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6.  Why this works

6.1.  Why a thread with unknown hop count is extended

    In the algorithm, a thread of  unknown hop count  is extended when a
    thread loop is detected.  This reduces the number of loop prevention
    messages by  merging threads (of known  hop  count) that are flowing
    inside or outside the loop.  See Appendix A.12.


6.2.  Why a rewound thread cannot contain a loop

6.2.1.  Case1: LSP with known link hop counts

    How can we be sure that an established path does not contain a loop
    when the outgoing link hop count is NOT "unknown"?

    Consider a sequence of LSRs <R1, ..., Rn>, such that there is a loop
    traversing the  LSRs in the sequence.   (I.e., packets from R1 go to
    R2, then to R3, etc., then to Rn, and then from Rn to R1.)

    Suppose that the  thread hop count of the  link between R1 and R2 is
    k.  Then  by the above procedures, the  hop counts between Rn and R1
    must be k+n-1.  But the algorithm also ensures that if a node has an
    incoming hop count  of j, its  outgoing link  hop  count must be  at
    least of j+1.   Hence, if we assume   that the LSP established as  a
    result of thread rewinding  contains a loop,  the hop counts between
    R1 and R2 must be at least k+n.  From this we  may derive the absurd
    conclusion that n=0, and we may therefore conclude  that there is no
    such sequence of LSRs.


6.2.1.  Case2: LSP with unknown link hop counts

    An established  path  does not  contain  a  loop as   well, when the
    outgoing link  hop count is  "unknown".  This  is because  a colored
    thread of unknown   hop count is never   rewound unless it   reaches
    egress.


6.3.  Why L3 loop is detected

    Regardless of whether  the thread hop count is  known or unknown, if
    there is a loop, then some node in the loop will be the last node to
    receive a thread over a new  incoming link.  This thread will always
    arrive back at  that node, without its color  having changed.  Hence
    the loop will always be detected by at least one of the nodes in the
    loop.


6.4.  Why L3 loop is not mis-detected

    Since no node ever extends the same colored thread downstream twice,
    a thread loop is not detected unless there actually is an L3 routing

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    loop.

6.5.  How a stalled thread automatically recovers from loop

    Once a thread is stalled  in a loop,  the thread (or the path  setup
    request)   effectively  remains in    the   loop, so  that  a   path
    reconfiguration (i.e., thread withdrawing on the old path and thread
    extending on  the new path)  can  be issued from   any node that may
    receive a route change event so as to break the loop.



6.6.  Why different colored threads do not chase each other

    In the algorithm, multiple thread color and/or hop count updates may
    happen if  several leaf  nodes start  extending  threads at the same
    time.  How can we prevent multiple threads from looping unlimitedly?

    First, when  a node finds  that a thread  forms a loop, it creates a
    new thread of hop count  "unknown".  All  the  looping threads of  a
    known hop count which later arrive at  the node would be merged into
    this thread.  Such a thread behaves like a thread absorber.

    Second,  the "thread  extending  with changing  color" prevents  two
    threads from chasing each other.

    Suppose that a received thread were always extended without changing
    color.  Then we would encounter the following situation.


                             G        Y
                             |        |
                             v        v
                             R1------>R2
                             ^        |
                             |        v
                             R4<------R3

                Fig.13   Example of thread chasing

    In  Fig.13, (1) node  G  acquires R1 as  a  next hop, and  starts to
    extend  a green thread of hop  count 1, (2)  node Y acquires R2 as a
    next hop, and starts  to extend a yellow thread  of hop count 1, and
    (3) both  node G and  node  Y withdraws  their threads before  these
    threads go round.

    In this  case, the yellow and  green threads would  go round and get
    back to R2  and R1, respectively.  When the  threads get back  to R2
    and R1, however, the incoming links  that store the yellow and green
    colors no longer exist.   As a result, the  yellow and green threads
    would chase each other forever in the loop.

    However,  since we  have   the   "extending with  changing    color"
    mechanism, this does  not actually happen.   When a green  thread is

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    received at  R2, R2  extends the thread  with changing  color, i.e.,
    creates a new red  thread and extends it.   Similarly, when a yellow
    thread is received at R1, R1 creates a new purple thread and extends
    it.  Thus, the thread loop is detected even after  node G and node Y
    withdraw threads.  This ensures that a thread is extended around the
    loop which has a color assigned by some node that is in the loop.

    There is at least one case even the  "extending with changing color"
    mechanism cannot treat, that is,  the "self-chasing" in which thread
    extending and thread  withdrawing   with regard to the   same thread
    chase each other  in a  loop.  This case  would  happen when a  node
    withdraw a thread immediately after extending it into an L3 loop.

    A  heuristics for self-chasing is to  delay  the execution of thread
    withdrawing  at  an  initiating   node of  the  thread  withdrawing.
    Anyway, the thread  TTL mechanism can eliminate  any kind  of thread
    looping.


7.  Loop prevention examples

    In this section, we show two examples to  show how the algorithm can
    prevent LSP loops in given networks.

    We  assume   that the  ordered  downstream-on-demand  allocation  is
    employed, that all the LSPs  are with  regard to  the same FEC,  and
    that all nodes are VC-merge capable.

7.1.  First example

    Consider an MPLS network shown in Fig.14 in which an L3 loop exists.
    Each directed link represents the  current next hop   of the FEC  at
    each node.  Now leaf nodes R1 and R6 initiate creation of an LSP.


            R11 ------- R10 <-------------------- R9
             |           |                         ^
             |           |                         |
             |           |                         |
             v           v                         |
             R1 -------> R2 --------> R3 --------> R4 --------- R5
           [leaf]                     ^
                                      |
                                      |
                                      |
             R6 -------> R7 --------> R8
           [leaf]

                   Fig. 14   Example MPLS network (1)


    Assume that R1 and R6 send a label request message at the same time,
    and that the initial thread TTL is 255.  First we show an example of
    how to prevent LSP loops.

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    A set of thread attributes is represented by (color, hop count, TTL).

    The request from R1 and R6 contains (re,1,255) and (bl,1,255),
    respectively.

    Assume   that  R3 receives the  request   originated  from R1 before
    receiving   the request originated from R6.     When R3 receives the
    first request  with red   thread, R3   forwards it with   (re,3,253)
    without changing thread   color, since both the receiving   incoming
    link and the outgoing link are newly  created.  Then R3 receives the
    second request with blue thread.  In this time, the outgoing link is
    already exists.   Thus, R3 performs  thread extending  with changing
    color, i.e.,   creates a new brown thread   and forwards the request
    with (br,4,255).

    When R2 receives the request from R10 with (re,6,250), it finds that
    the  red thread forms a loop,  and stalls the  red thread.  Then, R2
    creates a  purple  thread of    hop count  unknown  and  extends  it
    downstream by  sending a  request with  (pu,U,255) to R3,  where "U"
    represents "unknown".

    After that, R2  receives another request  from R10 with  (br,7,252).
    The brown thread is merged into purple  thread.  R2 sends no request
    to R3.

    On  the other hand,  the purple  thread  goes round without changing
    color through existing   links, and R2   finds the  thread loop  and
    stalls  the purple thread.  Since the  received thread  hop count is
    unknown,  no  thread is created  any  more.  In  this case no thread
    rewinding occurs.    The current state  of  the network is  shown in
    Fig.15.


        *: location of thread stalling

                                   (pu,U)
            R11 ------- R10 <-------------------- R9
             |           |                         ^
             |           |(pu,U)*                  |
             |           |                         |(pu,U)
             v           v                         |
             R1 -------> R2 --------> R3 --------> R4 --------- R5
           [leaf] (re,1)      (pu,U)  ^  (pu,U)
                                      |
                                      | (bl,3)
                                      |
             R6 -------> R7 --------> R8
           [leaf] (bl,1)      (bl,2)


                         Fig.15  The network state



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    Then R10 changes its next hop from R2 to R11.

    Since R10  has a purple thread on  the old downstream link, it first
    sends a path teardown message to the old next hop R2 for withdrawing
    the purple thread.   Next, it creates  a green  thread  of hop count
    unknown and sends a request with (gr,U,255) to R11.

    When  R2 receives  the  teardown message  from  R10, R2 removes  the
    stalled incoming link between R10 and R2.

    On the other hand,  the green thread  reaches R1 and Hmax is updated
    from zero  to unknown.  In this  case, R1 performs  thread extending
    with changing color  since the thread is  received on a new incoming
    link  but extended   on the already  existing outgoing   link.  As a
    result, R1 creates an orange thread  of hop count unknown and extend
    it to R2.

    The orange thread goes round through existing links without changing
    color, and finally it is stalled at R1.

    The state  of the network  is now shown  in Fig.16.


        *: location of thread stalling

                 (or,U)             (or,U)
            R11 <------ R10 <-------------------- R9
             |           |                         ^
             |(or,U)*    |                         |
             |           |                         |(or,U)
             v           |                         |
             R1 -------> R2 --------> R3 --------> R4 --------- R5
           [leaf] (or,U)      (or,U)  ^  (or,U)
                                      |
                                      | (bl,3)
                                      |
             R6 -------> R7 --------> R8
           [leaf] (bl,1)      (bl,2)


                         Fig.16  The network state


    Then R4 changes its next hop from R9 to R5.

    Since R4  is extending an orange  thread, it first sends  a teardown
    message to the old next hop R9 to  withdraw the orange thread on the
    old route.   Next, it creates a yellow  thread of hop count unknown,
    and sends a request message with (ye,U,255) to R5.

    Since R5 is the egress node, the yellow thread rewinding starts.  R5
    returns a label mapping  message.  The thread rewinding procedure is
    performed at  each  node, as the label  mapping  message is returned
    upstream hop-by-hop.

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    If  R1 receives a label  mapping message before receiving the orange
    thread's withdrawal from R11, R1 returns  a label mapping message to
    R11.  On receiving the orange thread's withdrawal,  R1 will create a
    transparent  thread and extend it by  sending an update message with
    (tr,1,255) in order to notify downstream of the known hop count.

    Otherwise, if   R1 receives  the orange  thread's  withdrawal before
    receiving a label mapping  message, R1 removes the  stalled incoming
    orange link and waits for  rewinding of the outgoing orange  thread.
    Finally, when R1  receives   a label  mapping message  from  R2,  it
    creates a transparent thread (tr,1,255) and extend it downstream.

    In both cases,  a merged LSP ((R1->R2),(R6->R7->R8))->R3->R4->R5) is
    established and every node obtains the correct link  hop count.  The
    final network state is shown in Fig.17.


            R11 <------ R10 <-------------------- R9
             |           |                         |
             |           |                         |
             |           |                         |
             v           |                         |
             R1 -------> R2 --------> R3 --------> R4 --------> R5
           [leaf] (tr,1)      (tr,2)  ^  (tr,4)        (tr,5)
                                      |
                                      | (tr,3)
                                      |
             R6 -------> R7 --------> R8
           [leaf] (tr,1)      (tr,2)


                    Fig.17  The final network state






















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7.2.  Second example


                       +----- R6----> R7-----+
                       |                     |
                       |                     v
                R1---->R2                    R4----->R5
                       |                     ^
                       |                     |
                       +--------->R3---------+


                Fig.18   Example MPLS network (2)


    Assume   that  in    Fig.18,    there  is     an   established   LSP
    R1->R2->R3->R4->R5, and  the next hop changes  at R2  from R3 to R6.
    R2  sends a request  to R6 with  a red thread  (re,2,255).  When the
    request with (re,4,253) reaches R4, it extends the thread to R5 with
    changing   color.  Thus, a  new green  thread is  created  at R4 and
    extended to R5 by sending an update message with (gr,5,255).

    When R5 receives the update, it updates  the incoming link hop count
    to  5 and returns an ack  (or a notification  message with a success
    code) for the  update.  When R4 receives the  ack for the update, it
    returns a label mapping message to R7.

    When  R2 receives  the label mapping  message on  the  new route, it
    sends  a teardown message   to R3.  When   R4 receives the  teardown
    message, it  does not  sends  an update to R5   since Hmax  does not
    change.  Now an established LSP R1->R2->R6->R7->R4->R5 is obtained.

    Then, the next hop changes again at R2 from R6 to R3.

    R2 sends a request with a blue thread (bl,2,255) to R3.  R3 forwards
    the request with (bl,3,254) to R4.

    When R4 receives the request, it immediately returns a label mapping
    message to R3 since Hmax does not change.

    When R2 receives  the  label mapping message  on  the new  route, it
    sends a  teardown message to R6.   The  teardown message reaches R4,
    triggering an update message with a transparent thread (tr,4,255) to
    R5, since Hmax decreases from 4 to 3.   R5 updates the incoming link
    hop count to 4 without returning an ack.










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8. Thread control block

    A thread  control block (TCB) is maintained per LSP at each node and
    may contain   the   following information:

        - FEC
        - State
        - Incoming links
            Each incoming link has the following attributes:
              o  neighbor: upstream neighbor node address
              o  color: received thread color
              o  hop count: received thread hop count
              o  label
              o  S-flag: indicates a stalled link
        - Outgoing links
            Each outgoing link has the following attributes:
              o  neighbor: downstream neighbor node address
              o  color: received thread color
              o  hop count: received thread hop count
              o  label
              o  C-flag: indicates the link to the current next hop

    If a transparent thread is received on an incoming link for which no
    label is assigned yet or a non-transparent color is stored, discard
    the thread  without entering the FSM.  An error message may be
    returned to the sender.

    Whenever a thread  is received  on  an incoming link,  the following
    actions are taken before  entering the FSM:  (1) Store the  received
    thread color and  hop count  on  the link, replacing  the old thread
    color and hop count,  and (2) set the  following flags that are used
    for an event switch within "Recv thread" event (see section 8.1).

      o  Color flag (CL-flag):
            Set if the received thread is colored.
      o  Loop flag (LP-flag):
            Set if the received thread forms a loop.
      o  Arrived on new link flag (NL-flag):
            Set if the received thread arrives on a new incoming link.

    If LP-flag is set, there must be an  incoming link L, other than the
    receiving link,  which stores the same  thread color as the received
    one.   The  TCB to  which  link L  belongs   is referred  to  as the
    "detecting  TCB".   If the  receiving LSR  is  VC-merge capable, the
    detecting TCB and the receiving TCB is  the same, otherwise, the two
    TCBs are different.

    Before performing a thread extending,  the thread TTL is decremented
    by one.   If the  resulting TTL   becomes zero,  the  thread is  not
    extended but silently discarded.  Otherwise,  the thread is extended
    and the extended  thread  hop count  and color  are stored into  the
    outgoing link.

    When  a node receives  a  thread  rewinding event,  if the  received

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    thread color   and  the extending  thread  color  are  different, it
    discards the event without entering the FSM.


8.1. Finite state machine

    An event which is "scheduled" by an action in an  FSM must be passed
    immediately after the completion of the action.

    The following variables are used in the FSM:
      o Ni: number of unstalled incoming links
      o Hmax: largest incoming hop count
      o Hout: hop count of the outgoing link for the current next hop
      o Hrec: hop count of the received thread

    In the FSM,  if  Hmax=unknown, the  value  for (Hmax+1)  becomes the
    value  reserved for unknown  hop  count plus   1.   For example,  if
    Hmax=unknown=255, the value (Hmax+1) becomes 256.

    A TCB has three states; Null, Colored, and  Transparent.  When a TCB
    is in state  Null, there is no  outgoing  link and Ni=0.  The  state
    Colored means  that the  node is extending  a colored  thread on the
    outgoing link for the current next hop.  The state Transparent means
    that   the   node is the    egress  node or  the   outgoing  link is
    transparent.

    The  flag value "1"  represents the flag is  set, "0" represents the
    flag is not set, and "*" means the flag value is either 1 or 0.

    The FSM allows to have one transparent outgoing link on the old
    next hop and one colored outgoing link on the current next hop.
    However, it is not allowed to have a colored outgoing link on
    the old next hop.

State Null:

 Event         Action                                          New state
 Recv thread
   Flags
  CL LP NL
  0  *  *      Do nothing.                                     No change
  1  0  *      If the node is egress, start thread rewinding   Transparent
               and change the color of the receiving link to
               transparent.
               Otherwise, extend the received thread without   Colored
               changing color.
  1  1  *      Stall the received thread; if Hrec<unknown,     No change
               schedule "Reset to unknown" event for the
               detecting TCB.

 Next hop      If eligible-leaf, create a colored thread and   Colored
 acquisition   extend it.

 Others        Silently ignore the event.                      No change

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State Colored:

 Event         Action                                          New state
 Recv thread
     Flags
   CL LP NL
   0  *  *     If Hmax+1<Hout<unknown, create a colored        No change
               thread and extend it.  Otherwise, do nothing.
   1  0  *     If Hmax<Hout, merge the received thread.        No change
               Otherwise, extend the thread with (if NL=1)
               or without (if NL=0) changing color.
   1  1  *     Stall the received thread.
               If Ni=0 and the node is not an eligible leaf,   Null
               initiate thread withdrawing.
               If Ni>0 and Hrec<unknown, schedule "Reset to    No change
               unknown" event for the detecting TCB.
               Otherwise, do nothing.                          No change

 Rewound       Propagate thread rewinding to previous hops     Transparent
               that are extending a colored thread; change
               the colors stored in all incoming and outgoing
               links to transparent; if Hmax+1<Hout, extend
               transparent thread.  Withdraw the thread on
               the outgoing link for which C-flag=0.

 Withdrawn     Remove the corresponding incoming link.
               If Ni=0 and the node is not an eligible leaf,   Null
               propagate thread withdrawing to all next hops.
               Otherwise, if Hmax+1<Hout<unknown, create       No change
               a colored thread and extend it.
               Otherwise, do nothing.                          No change

 Next hop      If there is already an outgoing link for the    Transparent
 acquisition   next hop, do nothing. (This case happens only
               when the node retains the old path.)
               Otherwise, create a colored thread and extend   No change
               it.

 Next hop      If the outgoing link is transparent and the     No change
 loss          node is allowed to retain the link and the
               next hop is alive, do nothing.
               Otherwise, take the following actions.
               Initiate thread withdrawing for the next hop;
               if the node becomes a new egress, schedule
               "Rewound" event for this TCB.
               If Ni=0, move to Null.                          Null
               Otherwise, do nothing.                          No change

 Reset to      Create a colored thread of hop count unknown    No change
 unknown       and extend it.

 Others        Silently ignore the event.                      No change



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State Transparent:

 Event          Action                                         New state
 Recv thread
    Flags
   CL LP NL
   0  *  *     If Hmax+1<Hout, extend a transparent thread.    No change
   1  0  *     If the node is egress or if Hmax<Hout, change   No change
               the color of the receiving link to transparent
               and start thread rewinding.
               Otherwise, extend the thread with (if NL=1)     Colored
               or without (if NL=0) changing color.

 Withdrawn     Remove the corresponding incoming link.
               If Ni=0 and the node is not an eligible leaf,   Null
               propagate thread withdrawing to next hops.
               Otherwise, if Hmax+1<Hout, create               No change
               a transparent thread and extend it.
               Otherwise, do nothing.                          No change

 Next hop      Create a colored thread and extend it.          Colored
 acquisition

 Next hop      If the node is allowed to retain the outgoing   No change
 loss          link and the next hop is alive, do nothing.
               Otherwise, take the following actions.
               Initiate thread withdrawing.
               If Ni=0, move to Null.                          Null
               Otherwise, do nothing.                          No change

 Others        Silently ignore the event.                      No change
























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9.  Comparison with path-vector/diffusion method


    o   Whereas the size of the path-vector increases with the length of
        the LSP, the sizes of the threads are constant.  Thus the size
        of messages used by the thread algorithm are unaffected by the
        network size or topology.  In addition, the thread merging
        capability reduces the number of outstanding messages.  These
        lead to improved scalability.

    o   In the thread algorithm, a node which is changing its next hop
        for a particular LSP must interact only with nodes that are
        between it and the LSP egress on the new path.  In the
        path-vector algorithm, however, it is necessary for the node to
        initiate a diffusion computation that involves nodes which do
        not lie between it and the LSP egress.

        This characteristic makes the thread algorithm more robust.  If
        a diffusion computation is used, misbehaving nodes which aren't
        even in the path can delay the path setup.  In the thread
        algorithm, the only nodes which can delay the path setup are
        those nodes which are actually in the path.

    o   The thread  algorithm is   well suited  for  use  with both  the
        ordered downstream-on-demand  allocation and ordered  downstream
        allocation.  The   path-vector/diffusion algorithm,  however, is
        tightly coupled with the ordered downstream allocation.

    o   The thread algorithm is retry-free, achieving quick path
        (re)configuration.  The diffusion algorithm tends to delay the
        path reconfiguration time, since a node at the route change
        point must to consult all its upstream nodes.

    o   In the thread algorithm, the node can continue to use the old
        path if there is an L3 loop on the new path, as in the
        path-vector algorithm.


10.  Security considerations

    Security considerations are not discussed in this document.


11.  Intellectual property considerations

    Toshiba and/or Cisco may seek  patent or other intellectual property
    protection for some of  the technologies disclosed in this document.
    If any standards arising from this  document are or become protected
    by one  or  more patents  assigned to  Toshiba and/or Cisco, Toshiba
    and/or Cisco intend  to disclose those  patents and  license them on
    reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.




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12.  Acknowledgments

    We would like to thank Hiroshi Esaki, Bob Thomas, Eric Gray, and
    Joel Halpern for their comments.


13.  References


[1] R. Callon, et al., "A Framework for Multiprotocol Label
    Switching," Internet Draft, draft-ietf-mpls-framework-02.txt,
    Nov. 1997.

[2] B. Davie, et al., "Use of Label Switching With ATM," Internet Draft,
    draft-ietf-mpls-atm-00.txt, September 1998.

[3] E. Rosen, et al., "A Proposed Architecture for MPLS,"
    Internet Draft, draft-ietf-mpls-arch-02.txt, July 1998.

[4] L. Andersson, et al., "Label Distribution Protocol," Internet Draft,
    draft-ietf-mpls-ldp-01.txt, August 1998.


Appendix A - Further discussion of the algorithm

    The purpose of this appendix is to give a more informal and tutorial
    presentation of the algorithm, and to provide some of the motivation
    for it.  For  the precise  specification  of the algorithm, the  FSM
    should be taken as authoritative.

    As in the body of the  draft, we speak as  if there is only one LSP;
    otherwise we would always be saying "...  of the same LSP".  We also
    consider only   the case   where the  algorithm   is used  for  loop
    prevention, rather than loop detection.

A.1. Loop Prevention the Brute Force Way

    As a starting point, let's consider an algorithm which we might call
    "loop prevention by  brute force".   In  this algorithm, every  path
    setup attempt must go  all the way  to the egress  and back in order
    for the path to be setup.  This algorithm is obviously loop-free, by
    virtue of  the fact that the setup  messages actually made it to the
    egress and back.

    Consider, for example,  an existing LSP   B-C-D-E to egress node  E.
    Now node A attempts to join the LSP.  In this algorithm, A must send
    a message to B, B to C, C to D, D to E.  Then messages are sent from
    E back to   A.  The final  message, from  B  to A, contains  a label
    binding,  and A can now   join the LSP,  knowing   that the path  is
    loop-free.

    Using our terminology,  we say that A created  a thread and extended
    it downstream.  The thread reached the egress, and then rewound.


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    We needn't assume, in the above example, that A  is an ingress node.
    It can be  any node which  acquires or changes its  next hop for the
    LSP in question,  and there may  be  nodes upstream of it  which are
    also trying to join the LSP.

    It is clear  that if there is a  loop, the thread  never reaches the
    egress,  so it does not  rewind.  What does  happen?  The path setup
    messages  just keep traveling around  the loop.  If  one keeps a hop
    count in them,  one can ensure  that they stop traveling  around the
    loop when  the hop count reaches a  certain maximum value.  That is,
    when one  receives a  path setup  message with that  the maximum hop
    count value, one doesn't send a path setup message downstream.

    How  does one recover  from this situation of  a looping thread?  In
    order for L3  routing to break the loop,  some node in the loop MUST
    experience a  next hop change.  This node  will withdraw  the thread
    from  its old next hop, and  extend a thread  down its new next hop.
    If there  is no longer  a loop, this  thread now reaches the egress,
    and gets rewound.

A.2. What's Wrong with the Brute Force Method?

Consider this example:

             A
             |
             B--D--E
             |
             C

    If A and  C both attempt to join  the established B-D-E path, then B
    and D must keep state  for both path setup  attempts, the one from A
    and the one from C.  That is, D must keep  track of two threads, the
    A-thread and the C-thread.  In general, there may be many more nodes
    upstream of B who are attempting to join the established path, and D
    would need to keep track of them all.

    If VC merge is not being used, this isn't actually  so bad.  Without
    VC merge, D   really must support   one LSP for  each upstream  node
    anyway.   If VC merge  is being  used,   however, supporting an  LSP
    requires only that one keep state for each  upstream link.  It would
    be advantageous if the loop  prevention technique also required that
    the amount of state kept by a node be  proportional to the number of
    upstream links which  the  node has,  rather than  to the number  of
    nodes which are upstream in the LSP.

    Another problem is that if there is  a loop, the setup messages keep
    looping.   Even though a thread  has  traversed some node twice, the
    node  has  no way   to tell that  a  setup  message it is  currently
    receiving  is part  of  the same  thread  as some  setup  message it
    received in the past.

    Can we   modify this  brute  force  scheme to  eliminate   these two
    problems?  We can.   To  show  how to  do  this,  we  introduce  two

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    notions: thread hop count, and thread color.

A.3. Thread Hop Count

    Suppose every link in an LSP tree is labeled with the number of hops
    you would  traverse if you  were to travel backwards (upstream) from
    that link to the leaf node which is furthest upstream of the link.

    For example,  the  following tree would  have  its  links labeled as
    follows:

      1   2
    A---B---C       K
            |       |
            |3      |1
            |       |
            | 4   5 | 6   7
            D---G---H---I---J
            |
            |2
          1 |
        E---F

    Call these the "link hop counts".

    Links AB, EF, KH  are labeled one, because  you can go only  one hop
    upstream from these links.  Links BC, and FD  are labeled 2, because
    you can go 2 hops upstream from these  links.  Link DG is labeled 4,
    because it is  possible  to travel 4  hops upstream  from this link,
    etc.

    Note that at any node, the  hop count associated with the downstream
    link is one more than the largest  of the hop counts associated with
    the upstream links.

    Let's look at a way to maintain these hop counts.

    In order  to maintain the   link hop counts, we   need to carry  hop
    counts in the  path setup messages.  For  instance, a node which has
    no upstream links would  assign a hop count  of 1 to its  downstream
    link, and  would store that value   into the path setup  messages it
    sends downstream.  Once the value is stored in a path setup message,
    we may refer to it has a "thread hop count".

    When  a path setup   message is received,   the thread hop  count is
    stored as the  link hop count of  the  upstream link  over which the
    message was received.

    When a path setup message  is sent downstream, the downstream link's
    hop count (and the thread hop count) is set to be  one more than the
    largest of the incoming link hop counts.

    Suppose a node N has some incoming links and  an outgoing link, with
    hop counts all set properly, and N now acquires a new incoming link.

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    If, and only if, the   link hop count  of the  new incoming link  is
    greater  than   that of  all of the    existing  incoming links, the
    downstream  link hop count must be   changed.  In this case, control
    messages must be sent downstream carrying the new, larger thread hop
    count.

    If, on  the other hand, N acquires  a new incoming  link with a link
    hop count that is less  than or equal to  the link hop count of  all
    existing   incoming  links, the  downstream   link hop count remains
    unchanged, and no messages need be sent downstream.

    Suppose N loses the incoming link whose hop count was the largest of
    any of the incoming  links.  In this case,  the downstream  link hop
    count must be made smaller, and messages need  to be sent downstream
    to indicate this.

    Suppose  we were not concerned  with  loop prevention, but only with
    the    maintenance of the   hop counts.   Then  we   would adopt the
    following rules to be used by merge points:

A.3.1   When a new incoming thread  is received, extend it downstream if
        and  only if   its hop  count  is the  largest  of  all incoming
        threads.

A.3.2   Otherwise, rewind the thread.

A.3.3   An egress node would, of course, always rewind the thread.

A.4. Thread Color

    Nodes create new threads as a result of next hop changes or next hop
    acquisitions.  Let's suppose that every  time a thread is created by
    a node, the node assigns  a unique "color" to it.   This color is to
    be unique  in both time and  space:  its encoding  consists of an IP
    address of the node concatenated with a unique event identifier from
    a numbering  space maintained by the node.   The path setup messages
    that the node sends downstream  will contain this color.  Also, when
    the  node  sends such a   message  downstream, it will  remember the
    color, and this color becomes the color of the downstream link.

    When a colored message  is received, its color  becomes the color of
    the  incoming  link.  The thread  which  consists  of  messages of a
    certain color will be known as a thread of that color.

    When a thread is rewound (and a path set  up), the color is removed.
    The links  become  transparent, and we will   sometimes speak  of an
    established LSP as being a "transparent thread".

    Note that packets cannot be forwarded on a colored link, but only on
    a transparent link.

    Note that if a  thread loops, some node will  see a message,  over a
    particular incoming  link,  with a color  that the  node has already
    seen  before.  Either  the node  will have originated  the thread of

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    that color, or it will have a different  incoming link which already
    has that color.   This fact can  be used to prevent control messages
    from looping.   However, the node  would be required to remember the
    colors of  all the threads  passing through it  which  have not been
    rewound or withdrawn. (I.e.,  it would have to  remember a color for
    each path setup in progress.)

A.5. The Relation between Color and Hop Count

    By combining the color mechanism and the hop count mechanism, we can
    prevent loops  without requiring any node  to remember more than one
    color and one hop count per link for each LSP.

    We have already stated  that in order to  maintain the hop counts, a
    node needs to extend only the thread which has the largest hop count
    of any incoming thread.  Now we add the following rule:

A.5.1   When  extending  an incoming   thread downstream, that  thread's
        color   is also passed downstream   (I.e., the downstream link's
        color will be the same  as the color  of the upstream link  with
        largest hop  count.)

    Note that at a given node, the downstream link is either transparent
    or it has one and only one color.

A.5.2   If a link changes color, there is no  need to remember the old
        color.

We now define the concept of "thread merging":

A.5.2   Suppose a colored  thread  arrives at  a  node over an  incoming
        link, the  node already  has an incoming   thread with the same or
        larger hop  count, and the  node has an outgoing colored thread.
        In  this case,  we  may say   that the new   incoming  thread is
        "merged" into the outgoing thread.

    Note that when an incoming thread is merged into an outgoing thread,
    no messages are sent downstream.

A.6. Detecting Thread Loops

    It can now   be shown that if there   is a loop,  there will  always
    either be some   node which gets two  incoming  threads of  the same
    color, or the colored thread will  return to its initiator.  In this
    section,   we give several examples  that   may provide an intuitive
    understanding of how the thread loops are detected.









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      1   2
    A---B---C       K
            |       |
            |3      |1
            |       |
            | 4   5 | 6   7
            D---G---H---I---J
            |
            |2
          1 |
        E---F

    Returning to our previous example, let's set what  would happen if H
    changed its next hop from I to E.   H now creates  a new thread, and
    assigns it  a new color,  say, red.  Since H  has two incoming link,
    with hop counts 1 and 5 respectively, it  assigns hop count 6 to its
    new downstream link, and attempts a path setup through E.

    E now has  an incoming  red  thread with  hop  count 6.  Since   E's
    downstream link  hop count is  now only  1,  it must  extend the red
    thread to F, with hop  count 7.  F then extends  the red thread to D
    with hop count 8, D to G with hop count 9, and G to H with hop count
    10.

    The  red thread has  now returned to its initiator,  and the loop is
    detected.

    Suppose though that  before  the red thread makes   it back to  H, G
    changes its next hop from H to E.  Then G will extend the red thread
    to E.  But E already has an incoming red link  (from H), so the loop
    is detected.

    Let's now define the notion of a "stalled thread".  A stalled thread
    is a  thread which is merged  into the outgoing  thread, even though
    the outgoing thread has a smaller link hop count.

    When a thread loop is detected, the thread becomes stalled.

A.6.1   When a loop  is detected due to  a thread of a particular  color
        traversing   some node twice, we   will  say that the thread  is
        "stalled"  at the node.   More    precisely, it is the    second
        appearance of  the thread  which is stalled.   Note  that we say
        that  a thread  is traversing   a node  twice  if  the thread is
        received by  that node on an incoming  link, but either there is
        another incoming link with  the same color, or  the color is one
        that was assigned by the node itself.








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A.7. Preventing the Setup of Looping LSPS

    The mechanism to  be used for preventing  the setup  of looping LSPs
    should now be obvious.  If node M is node N's next hop, and N wishes
    to set  up an LSP (or  to merge into  an LSP which already exists at
    M), then N extends a thread to M.

    M first checks to see if the thread forms a loop (see Appendix A.6),
    and if so, the thread  is stalled.  If  not, the following procedure
    is followed.

A.7.1   If M receives this thread, and M has a next hop, and either:

        - M has no outgoing thread

        - the incoming thread hop count is larger  than the hop count of
          all other incoming threads,

        then M must extend the thread downstream.

A.7.2   On the other hand,  if M receives this  thread, and M has a next
        hop  and there  is another  incoming   thread with a  larger hop
        count, then:

        A.7.2.1 if the outgoing thread is transparent, M rewinds the new
                incoming thread.

        A.7.2.2 if  the outgoing  thread is colored,  M  merges the  new
                incoming  thread into the outgoing  thread, but does not
                send any messages downstream.

A.7.3   If M has  not already assigned a label  to N, it will assign one
        when, and only when,  M rewinds the thread  which N has extended
        to it.

A.7.4   If M  merges  the new  thread into an  existing colored outgoing
        thread, then the new incoming thread will  rewind when, and only
        when, the outgoing thread rewinds.

A.8. Withdrawing Threads

A.8.1   If a particular node has a colored outgoing thread, and loses or
        changes its next hop, it withdraws the outgoing thread.

    Suppose that  node N is immediately upstream  of node M,  and that N
    has extended a  thread to M.  Suppose  further that N then withdraws
    the thread.

A.8.2   If M has another incoming thread with a larger hop count, then M
        does not send any messages downstream.





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A.8.3   However, if the  withdrawn thread had the  largest  hop count of
        any  incoming thread, then  M's  outgoing thread will  no longer
        have the proper hop count and color.  Therefore:

        A.8.3.1 M must now   extend downstream the  incoming thread with
                the  largest hop count.  (This  will cause  it to forget
                the old downstream link hop count and color.)

        A.8.3.2 The other incoming threads  are considered to be  merged
                into the thread which is extended.

A.8.4   When  the last  unstalled  incoming   thread is withdrawn,   the
        outgoing thread must be withdrawn.

A.9. Modifying Hop Counts and Colors of Existing Threads

    We have seen the way  in which the  withdrawal of a thread may cause
    hop count and color changes downstream.   Note that if the hop count
    and/or color of an outgoing  thread changes, then  the hop count and
    color of the corresponding incoming thread at the next hop will also
    change.  This  may result in a  color and/or next  hop change of the
    outgoing thread at that next hop.

A.9.1   Whenever there is a hop count change  for any incoming thread, a
        node   must  determine whether  the  "largest  hop count  of any
        incoming thread" has  changed as a  result.  If so, the outgoing
        thread's hop   count, and possibly  color, will  change as well,
        causing messages to be sent downstream.

A.10. When There is No Next Hop

A.10.1  If a  particular node has a  colored incoming thread, but has no
        next  hop (or  loses   its next   hop), the  incoming  thread is
        stalled.

A.11. Next Hop Changes and Pre-existing Colored Incoming Threads

    It is possible  that a node  will experience a  next hop change or a
    next hop acquisition at a time when it has colored incoming threads.
    This happens when routing changes before path setup is complete.

A.11.1  If a node has a next hop  change or a next  hop acquisition at a
        time when   it has colored  incoming  threads, it will  create a
        thread with a new  color, but whose  hop count is one  more than
        the  largest  of the incoming  link  hop counts.   It  will then
        extend this thread downstream.

A.11.2  When  this new thread  is  created and extended downstream,  all
        incoming threads are merged into it.   Any incoming threads that
        were previously stalled are now considered to be "merged" rather
        than "stalled".

    That is, even though the outgoing thread has  a different color than
    any of  the incoming threads, the  pre-existing incoming threads are

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    all considered  to have been  merged into  the new outgoing  thread.
    This means that  when  the outgoing   thread rewinds,  the  incoming
    threads will too.

    Note: it  is still  required  to distinguish  stalled incoming links
    from unstalled incoming links when thread withdrawing is performed.

A.12. How Many Threads Run Around a Loop?

    We have  seen  that  when  a  loop is detected,   the looping thread
    stalls.  However, considering the following topology:


                X--->A----->B<---Y
                     ^      |
                     |      v
                W--->D<-----C<---Z

    In this example, there is a loop A-B-C-D-A.  However, there are also
    threads entering  the loop from  X, Y, Z, and  W.  Once the  loop is
    detected, there really is no reason why any other thread should have
    to wrap around the loop.  It would be better to simply mark presence
    of the loop in each node.

    To do this, we introduce  the notion of  the "unknown" hop count, U.
    This hop count value is regarded as being  larger than any other hop
    count value.   A  thread with  hop   count U   will be known    as a
    "U-thread".

A.12.1  When an incoming thread with a known hop count stalls, and there
        is an outgoing thread, we assign the hop count U to the outgoing
        thread, and we  assign a  new color  to  the outgoing thread  as
        well.

    As a result, the next hop will then have  an incoming U-thread, with
    the  newly assigned color.  This causes  its outgoing thread in turn
    to be assigned hop count  U and the new  color.   The rules we  have
    already given will then cause  each link in the  loop to be assigned
    the new color and the hop count U.   When this thread either reaches
    its originator,  or  any other  node which  already has  an incoming
    thread of the same color, it stalls.

    In our example above,  this will cause the  links AB, BC, CD, and DA
    to be given hop count U.

    Now let's add one more rule:

A.12.2  When a thread with a  known hop count reaches  a node that has a
        colored outgoing U-thread, the incoming  thread merges into  the
        outgoing thread.   (Actually, this  is  just a  consequence of a
        rule which has  already been given, since U  is greater than any
        known hop count.)

    Then if W, X, Y, or  Z attempt to extend a  thread to D,  A, B, or C

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    respectively, those threads will immediately   stall.  Once all  the
    links  are  marked as  being within   a loop, no  other  threads are
    extended  around   the loop,  i.e.,  no   other setup messages  will
    traverse the loop.

    Here is  our example topology with   the link hop counts  that would
    exist during a loop:

                  1     U      1
                X--->A----->B<---Y
                     ^      |
                   U |      |U
                     |      v
                W--->D<-----C<---Z
                  1      U     1


A.13. Some Special Rules for Hop Count U

    When a U-thread encounters a thread with known  hop count, the usual
    rules apply,  remembering that U is larger  than any known hop count
    value.

    However, we need to add a couple of special  rules for the case when
    a U-thread encounters a U-thread.  Since we  can't tell which of the
    two U-threads is  really the longer, we  need to make sure that each
    of the U-threads is extended.

A.13.1  If an incoming colored U-thread arrives  at a node which already
        has an  incoming U-thread of that color,  or arrives at the node
        which created that U-thread, then the thread stalls.

    (Once a loop  is detected, there is no   need to further  extend the
    thread.)

A.13.2  If an incoming colored U-thread  arrives at a  node which has  a
        transparent  outgoing U-thread to   its next  hop,  the incoming
        thread is extended.

A.13.3  If an incoming  colored U-thread arrives at  a node which  has a
        colored outgoing  U-thread, and if the  incoming link over which
        the thread was received was already an incoming link of the LSP,
        the thread is extended.

A.13.4  If an  incoming colored U-thread arrives  at a node which  has a
        colored  outgoing U-thread, and if  the incoming link over which
        the thread was received was NOT already an  incoming link of the
        LSP, a new  U-thread is created  and extended.  All the incoming
        threads are merged  into it.  This is  known in the main body of
        this draft as "extending the thread with changing color".

    These rules ensure that an incoming  U-thread is always extended (or
    merged into a new U-thread  which then gets  extended), unless it is
    already known to form a loop.

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    What is the purpose of rule A.13.4?  There are certain cases where a
    loop can form,  but where the node  which created the looping thread
    is not part  of the loop.  Rule A.13.4  ensures that when there is a
    loop, there will be a looping thread  which was created by some node
    which is actually in  the loop.  This in turn  ensures that the loop
    will be detected well before the thread TTL expires.

    The rule of "extending  the  thread with   changing color"  is  also
    applied when extending a thread with a known hop count.

A.13.5  When a  received colored   thread with   a  known hop   count is
        extended, if  the   node has an  outgoing  thread,  and  if  the
        incoming link over which the thread was received was NOT already
        an   incoming link of  the LSP,   a new thread   is  created and
        extended.  All the incoming threads are merged into it.  This is
        an exceptional case of A.5.1.


A.14. Recovering From a Loop

    Here is our example topology again, in the presence of a loop.

                  1     U      1
                X--->A----->B<---Y
                     ^      |
                   U |      |U
                     |      v
                W--->D<-----C<---Z
                  1      U     1

    Suppose now that C's next  hop changes from  D to some other node E,
    thereby breaking the loop.  For simplicity, we will assume that E is
    the egress node.

    C  will withdraw its outgoing U-thread  from D  (9.1).  It will also
    create a new thread (12.1),  assign it a   new color, assign it  hop
    count  U (the largest hop count  of C's incoming threads), merge its
    two other incoming threads  into the new  thread (12.2),  and extend
    the new thread to E, resulting the following configuration:

                  1     U      1
                X--->A----->B<---Y
                     ^      |
                   U |      |U
                     |      v
                W--->D      C<---Z
                  1         |  1
                           U|
                            v
                            E




Ohba, et al.                                                   [Page 38]


Internet-Draft   draft-ohba-mpls-loop-prevention-02.txt    November 1998

    When the thread from C to E  rewinds, the merged threads also rewind
    (8.4).  This process  of rewinding can now proceed  all the way back
    to the leafs.  While this is happening, of  course, D will note that
    its outgoing thread hop count should be 2, not U, and will make this
    change (9.3).  As a result, A will note that  its outgoing hop count
    should be 3, not U,  and will make this change.   So at some time in
    the future, we might see the following:

                  1     3      1
                X--->A----->B<---Y
                     ^      |
                   2 |      |U
                     |      v
                W--->D      C<---Z
                  1         |  1
                           U|
                            v
                            E

    After a short period, we see the following:

                  1     3      1
                X--->A----->B<---Y
                     ^      |
                   2 |      |4
                     |      v
                W--->D      C<---Z
                  1         |  1
                           5|
                            v
                            E

    with all threads transparent, and we have a fully set up non-looping
    path.

A.15. Continuing to Use an Old Path

    Nothing in the above requires  that any node withdraw a  transparent
    thread.   Existing  transparent   threads   (established paths)  can
    continue to be used, even while new paths are being set up.

    If this is done, then some node may have both a transparent outgoing
    thread (previous path) and a colored outgoing thread (new path being
    set up).  This would happen only if the downstream links for the two
    threads  are  different.  When the  colored  outgoing thread rewinds
    (and becomes transparent), the previous path should be withdrawn.









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