Mobility Support in IPv6
RFC 3775

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Network Working Group                                         D. Johnson
Request for Comments: 3775                               Rice University
Category: Standards Track                                     C. Perkins
                                                   Nokia Research Center
                                                                J. Arkko
                                                                Ericsson
                                                               June 2004

                        Mobility Support in IPv6

Status of this Memo

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

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).

Abstract

   This document specifies a protocol which allows nodes to remain
   reachable while moving around in the IPv6 Internet.  Each mobile node
   is always identified by its home address, regardless of its current
   point of attachment to the Internet.  While situated away from its
   home, a mobile node is also associated with a care-of address, which
   provides information about the mobile node's current location.  IPv6
   packets addressed to a mobile node's home address are transparently
   routed to its care-of address.  The protocol enables IPv6 nodes to
   cache the binding of a mobile node's home address with its care-of
   address, and to then send any packets destined for the mobile node
   directly to it at this care-of address.  To support this operation,
   Mobile IPv6 defines a new IPv6 protocol and a new destination option.
   All IPv6 nodes, whether mobile or stationary, can communicate with
   mobile nodes.

Johnson, et al.              Standard Track                     [Page 1]
RFC 3775                Mobility Support in IPv6               June 2004

Table of Contents

   1.     Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   2.     Comparison with Mobile IP for IPv4 . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   3.     Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
          3.1.   General Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
          3.2.   Mobile IPv6 Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   4.     Overview of Mobile IPv6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
          4.1.   Basic Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
          4.2.   New IPv6 Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
          4.3.   New IPv6 Destination Option . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
          4.4.   New IPv6 ICMP Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
          4.5.   Conceptual Data Structure Terminology . . . . . . .  17
          4.6.   Site-Local Addressability . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
   5.     Overview of Mobile IPv6 Security . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
          5.1.   Binding Updates to Home Agents. . . . . . . . . . .  18
          5.2.   Binding Updates to Correspondent Nodes. . . . . . .  20
                 5.2.1.  Node Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  20
                 5.2.2.  Nonces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  20
                 5.2.3.  Cookies and Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
                 5.2.4.  Cryptographic Functions . . . . . . . . . .  22
                 5.2.5.  Return Routability Procedure. . . . . . . .  22
                 5.2.6.  Authorizing Binding Management Messages . .  27
                 5.2.7.  Updating Node Keys and Nonces . . . . . . .  29
                 5.2.8.  Preventing Replay Attacks . . . . . . . . .  30
          5.3.   Dynamic Home Agent Address Discovery. . . . . . . .  30
          5.4.   Mobile Prefix Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  30
          5.5.   Payload Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  30
   6.     New IPv6 Protocol, Message Types, and Destination Option .  31
          6.1.   Mobility Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  31
                 6.1.1.  Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  32
                 6.1.2.  Binding Refresh Request Message . . . . . .  34
                 6.1.3.  Home Test Init Message. . . . . . . . . . .  35
                 6.1.4.  Care-of Test Init Message . . . . . . . . .  36
                 6.1.5.  Home Test Message . . . . . . . . . . . . .  37
                 6.1.6.  Care-of Test Message. . . . . . . . . . . .  38
                 6.1.7.  Binding Update Message. . . . . . . . . . .  39
                 6.1.8.  Binding Acknowledgement Message . . . . . .  42
                 6.1.9.  Binding Error Message . . . . . . . . . . .  44
          6.2.   Mobility Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  46
                 6.2.1.  Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  46
                 6.2.2.  Pad1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  47