Technical Summary
Requirements for Label Edge Router Forwarding of IPv4 Option Packets specifies
how Label Edge Routers (LER) should behave when determining whether to MPLS
encapsulate an IP packet with header options. Lack of a formal standard has resulted
in different LER forwarding behaviors for IP packets with header options despite being
associated with a prefix-based Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC). IP option packets
that belong to a prefix-based FEC but fail to be MPLS encapsulated simply due to their
header options present a security risk against the MPLS infrastructure. Further, LERs
that are unable to MPLS encapsulate IP packets with header options cannot operate in
certain MPLS environments. While this newly defined LER behavior is mandatory to
implement, it is optional to invoke.
Working Group Summary
Nothing worth noting, except that there was some discussion of whether this should go
forward as an informational draft. The WG consensus was to have it on the Standards
track. Further details of this dicussion can be seen in the proto write-up.
Document Quality
This is not a protocol extension but implementations of the described mechanism may
exist. The document quality is good as well as the review.
Personnel
George Swallow is the Document Shepherd
Adrian Farrel is the responsible Area Director