RFC 3595

Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label

📅 published September 2003, from ietf

RFC 3595: Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label 🦋

Bestie, the title block tea ☕: this is RFC 3595, titled Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label. It was written by B. Wijnen of Lucent Technologies in September 2003. It's on the Standards Track 🔥. The title block doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates, so no drama there 💅.

Status of This Memo 📜

okay so this doc is an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and it's literally asking for discussion and suggestions for improvements 🫶. If you want the current standardization state and status, check the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) edition that's current. Distribution of this memo is unlimited, so share it with everyone ✨.

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved. 🔒

Abstract 💜

this MIB module defines textual conventions to represent the commonly used IPv6 Flow Label. The whole point is that these textual conventions (TCs) get imported and used in MIB modules that would otherwise define their own representations 🎀.

Table of Contents 🗂️

1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
2.  The Internet-Standard Management Framework . . . . . . . . . .  2
3.  Definitions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
4.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
5.  Intellectual Property Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
6.  References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
    6.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
    6.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
7.  Acknowledgments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
8.  Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
9.  Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6

1. Introduction ✨

okay so a bunch of standards-track MIB modules have defined objects to represent an IPv6 Flow Label (sometimes called Flow ID) [RFC2460] [FLOWLABEL], plus IPv6 Flow Label filters. The tea is that everyone came up with their own definition for the same piece of management information 😭. That can lead to confusion and unnecessary complexity 💀.

This document defines a set of textual conventions (TCs) that can and should be (re-)used in MIB modules, so they all represent an IPv6 Flow Label the same way 🌸. And honestly? PIB modules can and should use these TCs too whenever they need to represent an IPv6 Flow Label 🧚.

2. The Internet-Standard Management Framework 🌈

If you want the full overview of the documents describing the current Internet-Standard Management Framework, go check section 7 of RFC 3410 [RFC3410] 📚.

Managed objects live in a virtual information store called the Management Information Base, or MIB. MIB objects are generally accessed through the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) 🛰️. Objects in the MIB are defined using the mechanisms in the Structure of Management Information (SMI). This memo specifies a MIB module that is compliant to the SMIv2, which is described in STD 58, RFC 2578 [RFC2578], STD 58, RFC 2579 [RFC2579] and STD 58, RFC 2580 [RFC2580] 🎀.

3. Definitions 🍓

the module itself, verbatim (don't touch a single character 🙈):

IPV6-FLOW-LABEL-MIB DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN

IMPORTS

    MODULE-IDENTITY, mib-2, Integer32           FROM SNMPv2-SMI
    TEXTUAL-CONVENTION                          FROM SNMPv2-TC;

ipv6FlowLabelMIB   MODULE-IDENTITY

    LAST-UPDATED  "200308280000Z"  -- 28 August 2003
    ORGANIZATION  "IETF Operations and Management Area"
    CONTACT-INFO  "Bert Wijnen (Editor)
                   Lucent Technologies
                   Schagen 33
                   3461 GL Linschoten
                   Netherlands
                   Phone: +31 348-407-775
                   EMail: bwijnen@lucent.com

                   Send comments to <mibs@ops.ietf.org>.
                  "
    DESCRIPTION   "This MIB module provides commonly used textual
                   conventions for IPv6 Flow Labels.

                   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003).  This
                   version of this MIB module is part of RFC 3595,
                   see the RFC itself for full legal notices.
                  "
    -- Revision History

    REVISION      "200308280000Z"  -- 28 August 2003
    DESCRIPTION   "Initial version, published as RFC 3595."

    ::= { mib-2 103 }

IPv6FlowLabel      ::= TEXTUAL-CONVENTION
    DISPLAY-HINT  "d"
    STATUS         current
    DESCRIPTION   "The flow identifier or Flow Label in an IPv6
                   packet header that may be used to discriminate
                   traffic flows.
                  "
    REFERENCE     "Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) specification,
                   section 6.  RFC 2460.
                  "
    SYNTAX         Integer32 (0..1048575)

IPv6FlowLabelOrAny ::= TEXTUAL-CONVENTION
    DISPLAY-HINT  "d"
    STATUS         current
    DESCRIPTION   "The flow identifier or Flow Label in an IPv6
                   packet header that may be used to discriminate
                   traffic flows.  The value of -1 is used to
                   indicate a wildcard, i.e. any value.
                  "
    SYNTAX         Integer32 (-1 | 0..1048575)

END

4. Security Considerations 🔐

the MIB module in this memo doesn't define any management objects 🙅‍♀️. Instead, it defines a set of textual conventions that other MIB modules may use to define management objects.

Meaningful security considerations can only be written for MIB modules that define concrete management objects. So this document has no impact on the security of the Internet 🛡️. Tbh that's a lot of trust, but the logic checks out.

5. Intellectual Property Statement ⚖️

The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any intellectual property or other rights that might be claimed to pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in this document, or the extent to which any license under such rights might or might not be available. It also doesn't represent that it has made any effort to identify any such rights. Information on the IETF's procedures for rights in standards-track and standards-related documentation can be found in BCP-11. Copies of claims of rights made available for publication, any assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an attempt to obtain a general license or permission for the use of such proprietary rights by implementors or users of this specification can be obtained from the IETF Secretariat 📬.

The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary rights which may cover technology that may be required to practice this standard. Please address that information to the IETF Executive Director 💌.

6. References 📖

6.1. Normative References 🔥

  • [RFC2460] Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification", RFC 2460, December 1998.
  • [RFC2578] McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D. and Schoenwaelder, "Structure of Management Information Version 2 (SMIv2)", STD 58, RFC 2578, April 1999.
  • [RFC2579] McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D. and J. Schoenwaelder, "Textual Conventions for SMIv2", STD 58, RFC 2579, April 1999.
  • [RFC2580] McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D. and J. Schoenwaelder, "Conformance Statements for SMIv2", STD 58, RFC 2580, April 1999.

6.2. Informative References 💅

  • [FLOWLABEL] Carpenter, B., Conta, A., Deering, S. and J. Rajahalme, "IPv6 Flow Label Specification", Work in Progress.
  • [RFC3410] Case, J., Mundy, R., Partain, D. and B. Stewart, "Introduction and Applicability Statements for Internet-Standard Management Framework", RFC 3410, December 2002.

7. Acknowledgments 🫶

this doc came out of a review of how FlowID gets used in a PIB module and a MIB module. Further digging found that FlowID and FlowLabel objects were defined in a few other MIB modules too. The editor thanks everyone who contributed to the discussion, especially Juergen Schoenwaelder, who found and reported most of those other MIB modules using or defining a FlowLabel object 👑. Juergen also suggested the very first direction for a common TC for these objects.

More contributions came from Fred Baker, Dan Romascanu, Kwok Ho Chan, Margaret Wasserman, Brian Carpenter, Andy Bierman, Randy Presuhn, Branislav Meandzija, Brian Williams and Ravi Sahita 💜. Initial input from 3GPP expressed the requirement to be able to specify a wildcard for FlowID or FlowLabel 🌈. More helpful review comments came from Brian Carpenter, John Loughney and Pekka Savola ✨.

8. Author's Address 🎀

Bert Wijnen Lucent Technologies Schagen 33 3461 GL Linschoten Netherlands

Phone: +31-348-407-775 EMail: bwijnen@lucent.com

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved.

This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than English.

The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assignees.

This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Acknowledgement 💖

Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the Internet Society 🌸.

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