RIPE Action 21.9: Fwd: E-J B: Draft doc m.cast router in routing reg.

["Wilfried Woeber, UniVie/ACOnet" <]

  FYI, this is the original proposal as circulated by Erik-Jan Bos.
  
  -Wilfried.

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Subject: Draft document multicast router in routing registry
From: Erik-Jan Bos <erik-jan.bos@localhost
Date: Sun, 07 May 1995 11:49:46 +0200

Mbone-EU,

please find below a first version of a document describing a multicast
router in a routing registry. I would like to have your comments and we
can discuss it at the next Mbone WG meeting. I realize some of you might
not have a chance to read it before the meeting. Well... here it is, I'll
try to bring copies to the meeting. See you in Rome.

--- Start of document



               A Multicast Router in the Routing Registry


                              Erik-Jan Bos


                         Document ID: ripe-nnn

                                May, 1995





               **** DRAFT ** WORK IN PROGRESS ** DRAFT ****








                                ABSTRACT

This document describes an addition to ripe-122 (Specifying an "Internet
Router" in the Routing Registry) in which it is possible to define a
multicast capable Internet routing within a routing registry.




1. Introduction

With the growing of the Mbone worldwide, managing the Mbone becomes a
complex task. The multicast-bone is starting to suffer from problems that
used to be present in the unicast-bone several years ago, such as routing
coordination.

Today, registries are available for administering policies and routes
and routers [1]. Tools are availble [2,3] for checking and analyzing the
real world against what is registered. The Mbone could and should benefit
from these technologies coming from the unicast world.

The features of the specification described in this document will be
usable e.g. in the RIPE Data Base, after review by the RIPE Data Base WG.
After implementation tools could be developed for mapping and analyzing
the Mbone. Furthermore, administrative details (such as contact person)
are easily administered by well known procedures and easily retrievable.


2. Multicast routers versus unicast routers

An "Internet Router" or a "gateway" in the current version of IP (IPv4)
can be defined as follows [4]:

"Gateways in the Internet form a cooperative, interconnected structure.
Datagrams pass from gateway to gateway until they reach a gateway that
can deliver the datagram directly."

This definition can be applied to both unicast and multicast routers.
Since both a unicast and multicast router are fulfilling the "Internet
Router" function for different natures of traffic, there is no need for a
special routing registry data base object. Moreover, both functions could
be present in the same box.


3. Multicast router specification

Since an Internet Router can perform both types of routing, this fact
should be registerable in the routing registry. Each router is uniquely
defined by by its object name, also known as the fully qualified domain
name. Below is an example of a internet router object, specifying a
multicast router:

inet-rtr:  broodjeham.surfnet.nl
localas:   AS1103
ifaddr:    192.87.106.102 255.255.255.0
ifaddr:    192.87.4.99 255.255.255.0
mpeer:     192.87.108.13 16 1
admin-c:   Erik-Jan Bos
tech-c:    Henk Steenman
notify:    netmaster@localhost
remarks:   SURFnet Multicast router
changed:   Erik-Jan.Bos@localhost 950505
source:    RIPE

Several pieces of important information are present in this object. First
of all there is the FQDN of the router, acting as object name. The Home
Autonomous System Number is shown, which for a multicast router is merely
for identification purposes only. Furthermore, the ifaddr:-lines show
that this router has two interfaces, in two different networks. Finally,
the DVMRP peers are shown with IP address, treshold and metric. All other
attributes are common to other objects already defined for a routing
registry [1].

For exact syntax definition see next chapter.


4. Multicast router Syntax Definition

The multicast capable router object is defined here. Each of the possible
attributes are shown, on a single line. The second column defined whether
the attribute must be present [mandatory] of could be present [optional].
The third column defines whether exactly one line is allowed [single] or
that more than one line of the same attribute is allowed [multiple]. In
case an attribute has more lines than one, the name of the attribute must
be repeated on each line.

inet-rtr:    [mandatory]      [single]
localas:     [mandatory]      [single]
ifaddr:      [mandatory]      [multiple]
mpeer:       [mandatory]      [multiple]
admin-c:     [mandatory]      [multiple]
tech-c:      [mandatory]      [multiple]
notify:      [optional]       [multiple]
remarks:     [optional]       [multiple]
changed:     [mandatory]      [multiple]
source:      [mandatory]      [single]

Each attribute has the following syntax:

inet-rtr:   The fully qualified domain name of the router.

localas:    The Autonomous System to which the router belongs.

ifaddr:     An interface IPv4 address of the router.

mpeer:      A multicast peering of the router.
            Format:
                 <mpeer address> <mpeer treshold> <mpeer metric>
            Example:
                 mpeer: 192.87.108.13 16 1
            Status: mandatory, multiple instances allowed.

admin-c:    Full name or uniquely assigned NIC-handle of a contact person
            for administrative matters.

tech-c:     Full name or uniquely assigned NIC-handle of a contact person
            for technical matters.

notify:     An e-mail address to which notifications of changes to this
            object should be send.

remarks:    Remarks or comments, for clarification purposes only.

changed:    The e-mail address and date of a change.

source:     Source of the information.



5. Acknowledgements

This specification, being an addition to ripe-122, leans on the
specification done by the author of ripe-122. Credits go to Tony Bates.
Furthermore, the RIPE Mbone WG has done reviewing of this document and
they receive credits as well.


6. Security considerations

Security is not considered in this document.


7. References

[1]   Bates, Tony, "Specifying an Internet Router in the Routing 
      Registry", ripe-122, October 1994.
      On-line at URL: ftp://ftp.ripe.net/ripe/docs/ripe-122.txt

[2]   PRIDE Tools Release 1.
      On-line at URL: ftp://ftp.ripe.net/pride/tools/pride-tools-1.tar.Z

[3]   Merit Inc. RRDB Tools.
      On-line at URL: ftp://rrdb.merit.edu/pub/meritrr

[4]   Douglas Comer, "Internetworking with TCP/IP", Prentice-Hall, 1988.
      ISBN: 0-13-470188-7.

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__

Erik-Jan.
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