Delay-Tolerant Networking Previous-Hop Insertion Block
RFC 6259

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Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)                         S. Symington
Request for Comments: 6259                         The MITRE Corporation
Category: Experimental                                          May 2011
ISSN: 2070-1721

         Delay-Tolerant Networking Previous-Hop Insertion Block

Abstract

   This document defines an extension block for use with the Delay-
   Tolerant Networking (DTN) Bundle Protocol.  This Previous-Hop
   Insertion Block (PHIB) extension block is designed to be inserted by
   a forwarding node to provide the endpoint identifier (EID) of an
   endpoint of which the forwarding node is a member so that this EID
   may be conveyed to the next-hop receiving node.  Knowledge of an EID
   of an endpoint of which a previous-hop node is a member may be
   required in some circumstances to support certain routing protocols
   (e.g., flood routing).  If this EID cannot be provided by the
   convergence layer or other means, the PHIB defines the mechanism
   whereby the EID can be provided with the bundle.  Each PHIB is always
   removed from the bundle by the receiving node so that its presence
   within the bundle is limited to exactly one hop.  This document
   defines the format and processing of this PHIB.  This document is a
   product of the Delay-Tolerant Networking Research Group and has been
   reviewed by that group.  No objections to its publication as an RFC
   were raised.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for examination, experimental implementation, and
   evaluation.

   This document defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet
   community.  This document is a product of the Internet Research Task
   Force (IRTF).  The IRTF publishes the results of Internet-related
   research and development activities.  These results might not be
   suitable for deployment.  This RFC represents the consensus of the
   Delay-Tolerant Networking Research Group of the Internet Research
   Task Force (IRTF).  Documents approved for publication by the IRSG
   are not a candidate for any level of Internet Standard; see Section 2
   of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6259.

Symington                     Experimental                      [Page 1]
RFC 6259            DTN Previous-Hop Insertion Block            May 2011

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2011 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................2
      1.1. Requirements Language ......................................4
   2. Previous-Hop Insertion Block Format .............................4
   3. Previous-Hop Insertion Block Processing .........................6
      3.1. Bundle Transmission ........................................6
      3.2. Bundle Forwarding ..........................................6
      3.3. Bundle Reception ...........................................7
   4. Security Considerations .........................................8
   5. IANA Considerations .............................................9
   6. References ......................................................9
      6.1. Normative References .......................................9
      6.2. Informative References .....................................9

1.  Introduction

   This document defines an extension block for use with the Bundle
   Protocol [RFC5050] within the context of a Delay-Tolerant Networking
   architecture [RFC4838].  The DTN Bundle Protocol defines the bundle
   as its protocol data unit and defines "bundle blocks" to carry data
   of different types.  This document defines an optional bundle block
   called a Previous-Hop Insertion Block (PHIB).

   The PHIB is inserted into a bundle by a forwarding node to provide
   the endpoint identifier (EID) of an endpoint of which the forwarding
   node is a member so that this EID may be conveyed to the next-hop
   receiving node.  (Hereafter, an EID of an endpoint of which a node is
   a member will be referred to as an "M-EID" of that node.  A node may
   have one or more M-EIDs, depending on the number of endpoints to
   which it belongs.  An EID of a singleton endpoint of which a node is
   a member will be referred to as a "singleton M-EID" of that node.)
   In situations where there is a requirement that the receiving node be
   able to determine an M-EID of a forwarding node, but the M-EID of the