Network Working Group                                          B. Wijnen
Request for Comments: 3595                           Lucent Technologies
Category: Standards Track                                 September 2003


               Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label

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 (2003).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

  This MIB module defines textual conventions to represent the commonly
  used IPv6 Flow Label.  The intent is that these textual conventions
  (TCs) will be 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












Wijnen                      Standards Track                     [Page 1]

RFC 3595        Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label   September 2003


1.  Introduction

  Several standards-track MIB modules have defined objects to represent
  an IPv6 Flow Label (sometimes referred to as Flow ID) [RFC2460]
  [FLOWLABEL] and IPv6 Flow Label filters.  Unfortunately the result is
  a set of different definitions for the same piece of management
  information.  This may 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 that they all represent an
  IPv6 Flow Label in the same way.  In fact, PIB modules can and should
  also use these TCs when they need to represent an IPv6 Flow label.

2.  The Internet-Standard Management Framework

  For a detailed overview of the documents that describe the current
  Internet-Standard Management Framework, please refer to section 7 of
  RFC 3410 [RFC3410].

  Managed objects are accessed via a virtual information store, termed
  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 defined 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

  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





Wijnen                      Standards Track                     [Page 2]

RFC 3595        Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label   September 2003


                     Phone: +31 348-407-775
                     EMail: [email protected]

                     Send comments to <[email protected]>.
                    "
      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









Wijnen                      Standards Track                     [Page 3]

RFC 3595        Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label   September 2003


4.  Security Considerations

  The MIB module contained in this memo does not define any management
  objects.  Instead, it defines a set of textual conventions which may
  be used by other MIB modules to define management objects.

  Meaningful security considerations can only be written for MIB
  modules that define concrete management objects.  This document has
  therefore no impact on the security of the Internet.

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; neither does it represent that it
  has made any effort to identify any such rights.  Information on the
  IETF's procedures with respect to rights in standards-track and
  standards-related documentation can be found in BCP-11.  Copies of
  claims of rights made available for publication and any assurances of
  licenses to be made available, or the result of an attempt made 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 the 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.






Wijnen                      Standards Track                     [Page 4]

RFC 3595        Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label   September 2003


  [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 document was produced as a result of a review of the use of
  FlowID in a PIB module and a MIB module.  Further investigation found
  that FlowID and FlowLabel objects were defined in a few other MIB
  modules.  The editor would like to thank all who contributed to the
  discussion that resulted in this document, particularly Juergen
  Schoenwaelder for finding and reporting most of the other MIB modules
  that were using/defining a FlowLabel object.  Juergen also suggested
  the very first direction for a common TC for these objects.  Further
  contributions were received from Fred Baker, Dan Romascanu, Kwok Ho
  Chan, Margaret Wasserman, Brian Carpenter, Andy Bierman, Randy
  Presuhn, Branislav Meandzija, Brian Williams, Ravi Sahita.  We also
  received initial input from 3GPP that expressed the requirement to be
  able to specify a wildcard for FlowID or FlowLabel.  Further helpful
  review comments were received from Brian Carpenter, John Loughney,
  Pekka Savola.

8.  Author's Address

  Bert Wijnen
  Lucent Technologies
  Schagen 33
  3461 GL Linschoten
  Netherlands

  Phone: +31-348-407-775
  EMail: [email protected]










Wijnen                      Standards Track                     [Page 5]

RFC 3595        Textual Conventions for IPv6 Flow Label   September 2003


9.  Full Copyright Statement

  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.



















Wijnen                      Standards Track                     [Page 6]