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EXPERIMENTAL
Errata Exist
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                   U. Herberg, Ed.Request for Comments: 6971                                       FujitsuCategory: Experimental                                       A. CardenasISSN: 2070-1721                            University of Texas at Dallas                                                                 T. Iwao                                                                 Fujitsu                                                                  M. Dow                                                               Freescale                                                             S. Cespedes                                                        Icesi University                                                               June 2013Depth-First Forwarding (DFF) in Unreliable NetworksAbstract   This document specifies the Depth-First Forwarding (DFF) protocol for   IPv6 networks, a data-forwarding mechanism that can increase   reliability of data delivery in networks with dynamic topology and/or   lossy links.  The protocol operates entirely on the forwarding plane   but may interact with the routing plane.  DFF forwards data packets   using a mechanism similar to a "depth-first search" for the   destination of a packet.  The routing plane may be informed of   failures to deliver a packet or loops.  This document specifies the   DFF mechanism both for IPv6 networks (as specified inRFC 2460) and   for "mesh-under" Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (LoWPANs),   as specified inRFC 4944.  The design of DFF assumes that the   underlying link layer provides means to detect if a packet has been   successfully delivered to the Next Hop or not.  It is applicable for   networks with little traffic and is used for unicast transmissions   only.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 1]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013Status 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 Engineering   Task Force (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF   community.  It has received public review and has been approved for   publication by the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not   all documents approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of   Internet Standard; seeSection 2 of RFC 5741.   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained athttp://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6971.Copyright Notice   Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the   document authors.  All rights reserved.   This document is subject toBCP 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.  Code Components extracted from this document must   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as   described in the Simplified BSD License.Table of Contents1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41.1.  Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41.2.  Experiments to Be Conducted  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52.  Notation and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62.1.  Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62.2.  Terminology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73.  Applicability Statement  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94.  Protocol Overview and Functioning  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104.1.  Overview of Information Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114.2.  Signaling Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115.  Protocol Dependencies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Herberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 2]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 20136.  Information Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136.1.  Symmetric Neighbor List  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136.2.  Processed Set  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137.  Packet Header Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148.  Protocol Parameters  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159.  Data Packet Generation and Processing  . . . . . . . . . . . .159.1.  Data Packets Entering the DFF Routing Domain . . . . . . .169.2.  Data Packet Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1710. Unsuccessful Packet Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1911. Determining the Next Hop for a Packet  . . . . . . . . . . . .2012. Sequence Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2113. Modes of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2113.1. Route-Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2213.1.1.  Mapping of DFF Terminology to IPv6 Terminology  . . .2213.1.2.  Packet Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2213.2. Mesh-Under . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2413.2.1.  Mapping of DFF Terminology to LoWPAN Terminology  . .2413.2.2.  Packet Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2514. Scope Limitation of DFF  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2614.1. Route-Over MoP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2814.2. Mesh-Under MoP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2915. MTU Exceedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3016. Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3116.1. Attacks That Are Out of Scope  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3116.2. Protection Mechanisms of DFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3116.3. Attacks That Are in Scope  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3216.3.1.  Denial of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3216.3.2.  Packet Header Modification  . . . . . . . . . . . . .3216.3.2.1.  Return Flag Tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3216.3.2.2.  Duplicate Flag Tampering  . . . . . . . . . . . .3316.3.2.3.  Sequence Number Tampering . . . . . . . . . . . .3317. IANA Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3318. Acknowledgments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3419. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3419.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3419.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Appendix A.  Examples  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36A.1.  Example 1: Normal Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36A.2.  Example 2: Forwarding with Link Failure  . . . . . . . . .37     A.3.  Example 3: Forwarding with Missed Link-Layer           Acknowledgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38A.4.  Example 4: Forwarding with a Loop  . . . . . . . . . . . .39Appendix B.  Deployment Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40B.1.  Deployments in Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40B.2.  Kit Carson Electric Cooperative  . . . . . . . . . . . . .40B.3.  Simulations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40B.4.  Open-Source Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Herberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 3]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 20131.  Introduction   This document specifies the Depth-First Forwarding (DFF) protocol for   IPv6 networks, both for IPv6 forwarding [RFC2460] (henceforth denoted   "route-over"), and also for "mesh-under" forwarding using the LoWPAN   adaptation layer [RFC4944].  The protocol operates entirely on the   forwarding plane but may interact with the routing plane.  The   purpose of DFF is to increase reliability of data delivery in   networks with dynamic topologies and/or lossy links.   DFF forwards data packets using a "depth-first search" for the   destination of the packets.  DFF relies on an external neighborhood   discovery mechanism that lists a router's neighbors that may be   attempted as Next Hops for a data packet.  In addition, DFF may use   information from the Routing Information Base (RIB) for deciding in   which order to try to send the packet to the neighboring routers.   If the packet makes no forward progress using the first selected Next   Hop, DFF will successively try all neighbors of the router.  If none   of the Next Hops successfully receives or forwards the packet, DFF   returns the packet to the Previous Hop, which in turn tries to send   it to alternate neighbors.   As network topologies do not necessarily form trees, loops can occur.   Therefore, DFF contains a loop detection and avoidance mechanism.   DFF may provide information that may -- by a mechanism outside of   this specification -- be used for updating the cost of routes in the   RIB based on failed or successful delivery of packets through   alternative Next Hops.  Such information may also be used by a   routing protocol.   DFF assumes that the underlying link layer provides means to detect   if a packet has been successfully delivered to the Next Hop or not,   is designed for networks with little traffic, and is used for unicast   transmissions only.1.1.  Motivation   In networks with dynamic topologies and/or lossy links, even frequent   exchanges of control messages between routers for updating the   routing tables cannot guarantee that the routes correspond to the   effective topology of the network at all times.  Packets may not be   delivered to their destination because the topology has changed since   the last routing protocol update.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 4]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   More frequent routing protocol updates can mitigate that problem to a   certain extent; however, this requires additional signaling,   consuming channel and router resources (e.g., when flooding control   messages through the network).  This is problematic in networks with   lossy links, where further control traffic exchange can worsen the   network stability because of collisions.  Moreover, additional   control traffic exchange may drain energy from battery-driven   routers.   The data-forwarding mechanism specified in this document allows for   forwarding data packets along alternate paths for increasing   reliability of data delivery, using a depth-first search.  The   objective is to decrease the necessary control traffic overhead in   the network and, at the same time, to increase delivery success   rates.   As this specification is intended for experimentation, the mechanism   is also specified for forwarding on the LoWPAN adaption layer   (according toSection 11 of [RFC4944]), in addition to IPv6   forwarding as specified in [RFC2460].  Other than different header   formats, the DFF mechanism for route-over and mesh-under is similar,   and is therefore first defined in general and then more specifically   for both IPv6 route-over forwarding (as specified inSection 13.1)   and LoWPAN adaptation layer mesh-under (as specified inSection 13.2).1.2.  Experiments to Be Conducted   This document is presented as an Experimental specification that can   increase reliability of data delivery in networks with dynamic   topology and/or lossy links.  It is anticipated that, once sufficient   operational experience has been gained, this specification will be   revised to progress it on to the Standards Track.  This experiment is   intended to be tried in networks that meet the applicability   described inSection 3, and with the scope limitations set out inSection 14.  While experimentation is encouraged in such networks,   operators should exercise caution before attempting this experiment   in other types of networks as the stability of interaction between   DFF and routing in those networks has not been established.   Experience reports regarding DFF implementation and deployment are   encouraged, particularly with respect to:   o  Optimal values for the parameter P_HOLD_TIME, depending on the      size of the network, the topology, and the amount of traffic      originated per router.  The longer a Processed Tuple is held, the      more memory is consumed on a router.  Moreover, if a tuple is held      too long, a sequence number wrap-around may occur, and a newHerberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 5]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013      packet may have the same sequence number as one indicated in an      old Processed Tuple.  However, if the tuple is expired too soon      (before the packet has completed its path to the destination), it      may be mistakenly detected as a new packet instead of one already      seen.   o  Optimal values for the parameter MAX_HOP_LIMIT, depending on the      size of the network, the topology, and how lossy the link layer      is.  MAX_HOP_LIMIT makes sure that packets do not unnecessarily      traverse in the network; it may be used to limit the "detour" of      packets that is acceptable.  The value may also be issued on a      per-packet basis if hop-count information is available from the      RIB or routing protocol.  In such a case, the Hop Limit for the      packet may be a percentage (e.g., 200%) of the hop-count value      indicated in the routing table.   o  Optimal methods to increase the cost of a route when a loop or      lost Layer 2 (L2) ACK is detected by DFF.  While this is not      specified as a normative part of this document, it may be of      interest in an experiment to find good values of how much to      increase link cost in the RIB or routing protocol.   o  Performance of using DFF in combination with different routing      protocols, such as reactive and proactive protocols.  This also      implies how routes are updated by the RIB or routing protocol when      informed by DFF about loops or broken links.2.  Notation and Terminology   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in   [RFC2119].   Additionally, this document uses the notation inSection 2.1 and the   terminology inSection 2.2.2.1.  Notation   The following notations are used in this document:   List:  A list of elements is defined as [] for an empty list,      [element] for a list with one element, and [element1, element2,      ...] for a list with multiple elements.   Concatenation of Lists:  If List1 and List2 are lists, then List1@      List2 is a new list with all elements of List1 first, followed by      all elements of List2.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 6]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   Byte Order:  All packet formats in this specification use network      byte order (most significant octet first) for all fields.  The      most significant bit in an octet is numbered bit 0, and the least      significant bit of an octet is numbered bit 7.   Assignment:  a := b      An assignment operator, whereby the left side (a) is assigned the      value of the right side (b).   Comparison:  c = d      A comparison operator, returning true if the value of the left      side (c) is equal to the value of the right side (d).   Flags:  This specification uses multiple 1-bit flags.  A value of '0'      of a flag means 'false'; a value of '1' means 'true'.2.2.  Terminology   The terms "route-over" and "mesh-under", introduced in [RFC6775], are   used in this document, where "route-over" is not only limited to IPv6   over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPANs) but also   applies to general IPv6 networks.   Mesh-under:  A topology where nodes are connected to a 6LoWPAN Border      Router (6LBR) through a mesh using link-layer forwarding.  Thus,      in a mesh-under configuration, all IPv6 hosts in a LoWPAN are only      one IP hop away from the 6LBR.  This topology simulates the      typical IP-subnet topology with one router with multiple nodes in      the same subnet.   Route-over:  A topology where hosts are connected to the 6LBR through      the use of intermediate layer-3 (IP) routing.  Here, hosts are      typically multiple IP hops away from a 6LBR.  The route-over      topology typically consists of a 6LBR, a set of 6LoWPAN Routers      (6LRs), and hosts.   The following terms are used in this document.  As the DFF mechanism   is specified both for route-over IPv6 and for the mesh-under LoWPAN   adaptation layer, the terms are generally defined in this section,   and then specifically mapped for each of the different modes of   operation inSection 13.   Depth-First Search:  "Depth-first search (DFS) is an algorithm for      traversing or searching tree or graph data structures.  One starts      at the root (selecting some node as the root in the graph case)      and explores as far as possible along each branch before      backtracking" [DFS_wikipedia].  In this document, the algorithmHerberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 7]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013      for traversing a graph is applied to forwarding packets in a      computer network, with nodes being routers.   Routing Information Base (RIB):  A table stored in the user space of      an operating system of a router or host.  The table lists routes      to network destinations, as well as associated metrics with these      routes.   Mode of Operation (MoP):  The DFF mechanism specified in this      document can either be used as the "route-over" IPv6-forwarding      mechanism (Mode of Operation: "route-over") or as the "mesh-under"      LoWPAN adaptation layer (Mode of Operation: "mesh-under").   Packet:  An IPv6 packet (for "route-over" MoP) or a "LoWPAN-      encapsulated packet" (for "mesh-under" MoP), containing an IPv6      packet as payload.   Packet Header:  An IPv6 extension header (for "route-over" MoP) or a      LoWPAN header (for "mesh-under" MoP).   Address:  An IPv6 address (for "route-over" MoP), or a 16-bit short      or 64-bit Extended Unique Identifier (EUI-64) link-layer address      (for "mesh-under" MoP).   Originator:  The router that added the DFF header (specified inSection 7) to a packet.   Originator Address:  An address of the Originator.  According to      [RFC6724], this address SHOULD be selected from the addresses that      are configured on the interface that transmits the packet.   Destination:  The router or host to which a packet is finally      destined.  In case this router or host is outside of the routing      domain in which DFF is used, the destination is the router that      removes the DFF header (specified inSection 7) from the packet.      This case is described inSection 14.1.   Destination Address:  An address to which the packet is sent.   Next Hop:  An address of the Next Hop to which the packet is sent      along the path to the destination.   Previous Hop:  The address of the previous-hop router from which a      packet has been received.  In case the packet has been received by      a router from outside of the routing domain where DFF is used      (i.e., no DFF header is contained in the packet), the Originator      Address of the router adding the DFF header to the packet is used      as the Previous Hop.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 8]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   Hop Limit:  An upper bound denoting how many times the packet may be      forwarded.3.  Applicability Statement   This document specifies DFF, a packet-forwarding mechanism intended   for use in networks with dynamic topology and/or lossy links with the   purpose of increasing reliability of data delivery.  The protocol's   applicability is determined by its characteristics, which are that   this protocol:   o  Is applicable for use in IPv6 networks, either as a "route-over"      forwarding mechanism using IPv6 [RFC2460], or as a "mesh-under"      forwarding mechanism using the frame format for transmission of      IPv6 packets, as defined in [RFC4944].   o  Assumes addresses used in the network are either IPv6 addresses      (if the protocol is used as "route-over"), or 16-bit short or      EUI-64 link-layer addresses, as specified in [RFC4944], if the      protocol is used as "mesh-under".  In "mesh-under" mode, mixed      16-bit and EUI-64 addresses within one DFF routing domain are      allowed (if they conform with [RFC4944]), as long as DFF is      limited to use within one PAN (Personal Area Network).  It is      assumed that the "route-over" mode and "mesh-under" mode are      mutually exclusive in the same routing domain.   o  Assumes that the underlying link layer provides means to detect if      a packet has been successfully delivered to the Next Hop or not      (e.g., by L2 ACK messages).  Examples for such underlying link      layers are specified in IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11.   o  Is applicable in networks with lossy links and/or with a dynamic      topology.  In networks with very stable links and fixed topology,      DFF will not bring any benefit (but also will not be harmful,      other than the additional overhead for the packet header).   o  Works in a completely distributed manner and does not depend on      any central entity.   o  Is applicable for networks with little traffic in terms of numbers      of packets per second, since each recently forwarded packet      increases the state on a router.  The amount of traffic per time      that is supported by DFF depends on the memory resources of the      router running DFF, the density of the network, the loss rate of      the channel, and the maximum Hop Limit for each packet: for each      recently seen packet, a list of Next Hops that the packet has been      sent to is stored in memory.  The stored entries can be deleted      after an expiration time, so that only recently received packetsHerberg, et al.               Experimental                      [Page 9]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013      require storage on the router.  Implementations are advised to      measure and report rates of packets in the network, and also to      report memory usage.  Thus, operators can determine memory      exhaustion because of growing information sets or problems because      of too rapid sequence-number wrap-around.   o  Is applicable for dense topologies with multiple paths between      each source and each destination.  Certain topologies are less      suitable for DFF: topologies that can be partitioned by the      removal of a single router or link, topologies with multiple stub      routers that each have a single link to the network, topologies      with only a single path to a destination, or topologies where the      "detour" that a packet makes during the depth-first search in      order to reach the destination would be too long.  Note that the      number of retransmissions of a packet that stipulate a "too long"      path depends on the underlying link layer (capacity and      probability of packet loss), as well as how much bandwidth is      required for data traffic by applications running in the network.      In such topologies, the packet may never reach the destination;      therefore, unnecessary transmissions of data packets may occur      until the Hop Limit of the packet reaches zero, and the packet is      dropped.  This may consume channel and router resources.   o  Is used for unicast transmissions only (not for anycast or      multicast).   o  Is for use within stub networks and for traffic between a router      inside the routing domain in which DFF is used and a known border      router.  Examples of such networks are LoWPANs.  Scope limitations      are described inSection 14.4.  Protocol Overview and Functioning   When a packet is to be forwarded by a router using DFF, the router   creates a list of candidate Next Hops for that packet.  This list   (created per packet) is ordered, andSection 11 provides   recommendations on how to order the list, e.g., first listing Next   Hops listed in the RIB, if available, ordered in increasing cost,   followed by other neighbors provided by an external neighborhood   discovery.  DFF proceeds to forward the packet to the first Next Hop   in the list.  If the transmission was not successful (as determined   by the underlying link layer) or if the packet was "returned" by a   Next Hop to which it had been sent before, the router will try to   forward the packet to the subsequent Next Hop on the list.  A router   "returns" a packet to the router from which it was originally   received once it has unsuccessfully tried to forward the packet to   all elements in the candidate Next Hop list.  If the packet is   eventually returned to the Originator of the packet, and after theHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 10]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   Originator has exhausted all of its Next Hops for the packet, the   packet is dropped.   For each recently forwarded packet, a router running DFF stores   information about the packet as an entry in an information set,   denoted "Processed Set".  Each entry in the Processed Set contains a   sequence number, included in the packet header, identifying the   packet.  (Refer toSection 12 for further details on the sequence   number.)  Furthermore, the entry contains a list of Next Hops to   which the packet has been sent.  This list of recently forwarded   packets also allows for avoiding loops when forwarding a packet.   Entries in the Processed Set expire after a given expiration timeout   and are removed.4.1.  Overview of Information Sets   This specification requires a single set on each router, the   Processed Set.  The Processed Set stores the sequence number, the   Originator Address, the Previous Hop, and a list of Next Hops to   which the packet has been sent, for each recently seen packet.   Entries in the set are removed after a predefined timeout.  Each time   a packet is forwarded to a Next Hop, that Next Hop is added to the   list of Next Hops of the entry for the packet.   Note that an implementation of this protocol may maintain the   information of the Processed Set in the indicated form, or in any   other organization that offers access to this information.  In   particular, it is not necessary to remove tuples from a set at the   exact time indicated, only to behave as if the tuples were removed at   that time.   In addition to the Processed Set, a list of symmetric neighbors must   be provided by an external neighborhood discovery mechanism, or may   be determined from the RIB (e.g., if the RIB provides routes to   adjacent routers, and if these one-hop routes are verified to be   symmetric).4.2.  Signaling Overview   Information is needed on a per-packet basis by a router that is   running DFF and receives a packet.  This information is encoded in   the packet header that is specified in this document as the IPv6 Hop-   by-Hop Options header and LoWPAN header, respectively, for the   intended "route-over" and "mesh-under" Modes of Operation.  This DFF   header contains a sequence number used for uniquely identifying a   packet and two flags, RET (for "return") and DUP (for "duplicate").Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 11]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   While a router successively tries sending a data packet to one or   more of its neighbors, RET = 0.  If none of the transmissions of the   packet to the neighbors of a router have succeeded, the packet is   returned to the router from which the packet was first received,   indicated by setting the return flag (RET := 1).  The RET flag is   required to discern between a deliberately returned packet and a   looping packet: if a router receives a packet with RET = 1 (and DUP =   0 or DUP = 1) that it has already forwarded, the packet was   deliberately returned, and the router will continue to successively   send the packet to routers from the candidate Next Hop list.  If that   packet has RET = 0, the router assumes that the packet is looping and   returns it to the router from which it was last received.  An   external mechanism may use this information for increasing the route   cost of the route to the destination using the Next Hop that resulted   in the loop in the RIB or the routing protocol.  It is out of scope   of this document to specify such a mechanism.  Note that once DUP is   set to 1, loop detection is not possible any more as the flag is not   reset any more.  Therefore, a packet may loop if the RIBs of routers   in the domain are inconsistent, until the Hop Limit has reached 0.   Whenever a packet transmission to a neighbor has failed (as   determined by the underlying link layer, e.g., using L2 ACKs), the   DUP flag is set in the packet header for the following transmissions.   The rationale is that the packet may have been successfully received   by the neighbor and only the L2 ACK has been lost, resulting in   possible duplicates of the packet in the network.  The DUP flag tags   such a possible duplicate.  The DUP flag is required to discern   between a duplicated packet and a looping packet: if a router   receives a packet with DUP = 1 (and RET = 0) that it has already   forwarded, the packet is not considered looping and is successively   forwarded to the next router from the candidate Next Hop list.  If   the received packet has DUP = 0 (and RET = 0), the router assumes   that the packet is looping, sets RET := 1, and returns it to the   Previous Hop.  Again, an external mechanism may use this information   for increasing route costs and/or informing the routing protocol.   The reason for not dropping received duplicated packets (with DUP =   1) is that a duplicated packet may be duplicated again during its   path if another L2 ACK is lost.  However, when DUP is already set to   1, it is not possible to discern the duplicate from the duplicate of   the duplicate.  As a consequence, loop detection is not possible   after the second lost L2 ACK on the path of a packet.  However, if   duplicates are simply dropped, it is possible that the packet was   actually a looping packet (and not a duplicate), and so the depth-   first search would be interrupted.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 12]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 20135.  Protocol Dependencies   DFF MAY use information from the Routing Information Base (RIB),   specifically for determining an order of preference for which Next   Hops a packet should be forwarded to (e.g., the packet may be   forwarded first to neighbors that are listed in the RIB as Next Hops   to the destination, preferring those with the lowest route cost).Section 11 provides recommendations about the order of preference for   the Next Hops of a packet.   DFF MUST have access to a list of symmetric neighbors for each   router; this list is provided by a neighborhood discovery protocol,   such as the one defined in [RFC6130].  A neighborhood discovery   protocol is not specified in this document.6.  Information Sets   This section specifies the information sets used by DFF.6.1.  Symmetric Neighbor List   DFF MUST have access to a list of addresses of symmetric neighbors of   the router.  This list can be provided by an external neighborhood   discovery mechanism or, alternatively, may be determined from the RIB   (e.g., if the RIB provides routes to adjacent routers, and if these   one-hop routes are verified to be symmetric).  The list of addresses   of symmetric neighbors is not specified within this document.  The   addresses in the list are used to construct a list of candidate Next   Hops for a packet, as specified inSection 11.6.2.  Processed Set   Each router maintains a Processed Set in order to support the loop   detection functionality.  The Processed Set lists sequence numbers of   previously received packets, as well as a list of Next Hops to which   the packet has been sent successively as part of the depth-first   forwarding mechanism.  To protect against this situation, it is   recommended that an implementation retains the Processed Set in   non-volatile storage if such is provided by the router.   The set consists of Processed Tuples      (P_orig_address, P_seq_number, P_prev_hop,      P_next_hop_neighbor_list, P_time)   whereHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 13]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013      P_orig_address is the Originator Address of the received packet;      P_seq_number is the sequence number of the received packet;      P_prev_hop is the address of the Previous Hop of the packet;      P_next_hop_neighbor_list is a list of addresses of Next Hops to      which the packet has been sent previously, as part of the depth-      first forwarding mechanism, as specified inSection 9.2;      P_time specifies when this tuple expires and MUST be removed.   The consequences when no, or not enough, non-volatile storage is   available on a router (e.g., because of limited resources) or when an   implementation chooses not to make the Processed Set persistent are   that packets that are already in a loop caused by the routing   protocol may continue to loop until the Hop Limit is exhausted.   Non-looping packets may be sent to Next Hops that have already   received the packet previously and will return the packet, leading to   some unnecessary retransmissions.  This effect is only temporary and   applies only for packets already traversing the network.7.  Packet Header Fields   This section specifies the information required by DFF in the packet   header.  Note that, depending on whether DFF is used in the   "route-over" MoP or in the "mesh-under" MoP, the DFF header is either   an IPv6 Hop-by-Hop Options header (as specified inSection 13.1.2) or   a LoWPAN header (as specified inSection 13.2.2).  Sections13.1.2   and 13.2.2 specify the precise order, format, and encoding of the   fields that are listed in this section.   Version (VER)  - This 2-bit value indicates the version of DFF that      is used.  This specification defines value '00'.  Packets with      other values of the version MUST be forwarded using the route-over      MoP and mesh-under MoP as defined in [RFC2460] and [RFC4944],      respectively.   Duplicate (DUP) Packet Flag  - This 1-bit flag is set in the DFF      header of a packet when that packet is being retransmitted due to      a signal from the link layer that the original transmission      failed, as specified inSection 9.2.  Once the flag is set to 1,      it MUST NOT be modified by routers forwarding the packet.   Return (RET) Packet Flag  - This 1-bit flag MUST be set to 1 prior to      sending the packet back to the Previous Hop.  Upon receiving a      packet with RET = 1, and before sending it to a new candidate Next      Hop, that flag MUST be set to 0, as specified inSection 9.2.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 14]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   Sequence Number  - A 16-bit field, containing an unsigned integer      sequence number generated by the Originator, unique to each router      for each packet to which the DFF has been added, as specified inSection 12.  The Originator Address concatenated with the sequence      number represents an identifier of previously seen data packets.      Refer toSection 12 for further information about sequence      numbers.8.  Protocol Parameters   The parameters used in this specification are listed in this section.   These parameters are configurable, do not need to be stored in   non-volatile storage, and can be varied by implementations at run-   time.  Default values for the parameters depend on the network size,   topology, link layer, and traffic patterns.  Part of the   experimentation described inSection 1.2 is to determine suitable   default values.   P_HOLD_TIME  - Is the time period after which a newly created or      modified Processed Tuple expires and MUST be deleted.  An      implementation SHOULD use a value for P_HOLD_TIME that is high      enough that the Processed Tuple for a packet is still in memory on      all forwarding routers while the packet is transiting the routing      domain.  The value SHOULD at least be MAX_HOP_LIMIT times the      expected time to send a packet to a router on the same link.  The      value MUST be lower than the time it takes until the same sequence      number is reached again after a wrap-around on the router      identified by P_orig_address of the Processed Tuple.   MAX_HOP_LIMIT  - Is the initial value of Hop Limit, and therefore the      maximum number of times that a packet is forwarded in the routing      domain.  When choosing the value of MAX_HOP_LIMIT, the size of the      network, the distance between source and destination in number of      hops, and the maximum possible "detour" of a packet SHOULD be      considered (compared to the shortest path).  Such information MAY      be used from the RIB, if provided.9.  Data Packet Generation and Processing   The following sections specify the process of handling a packet   entering the DFF routing domain, i.e., without a DFF header   (Section 9.1), as well as forwarding a data packet from another   router running DFF (Section 9.2).Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 15]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 20139.1.  Data Packets Entering the DFF Routing Domain   This section applies for any data packets upon their first entry into   a routing domain in which DFF is used.  This occurs when a new data   packet is generated on this router, or when a data packet is   forwarded from outside the routing domain (i.e., from a host attached   to this router or from a router outside the routing domain in which   DFF is used).  Before such a data packet (henceforth denoted "current   packet") is transmitted, the following steps MUST be executed:   1.  If required, encapsulate the packet, as specified inSection 14.   2.  Add the DFF header to the current packet (to the outer header if       the packet has been encapsulated) with:       *  DUP := 0;       *  RET := 0;       *  Sequence Number := a new sequence number of the packet (as          specified inSection 12).   3.  Check that the packet does not exceed the MTU, as specified inSection 15.  In case it does, execute the procedures listed inSection 15 and do not further process the packet.   4.  Select the Next Hop (henceforth denoted "next_hop") for the       current packet, as specified inSection 11.   5.  Add a Processed Tuple to the Processed Set with:       *  P_orig_address := the Originator Address of the current          packet;       *  P_seq_number := the sequence number of the current packet;       *  P_prev_hop := the Originator Address of the current packet;       *  P_next_hop_neighbor_list := [next_hop];       *  P_time := current time + P_HOLD_TIME.   6.  Pass the current packet to the underlying link layer for       transmission to next_hop.  If the transmission fails (as       determined by the link layer), the procedures inSection 10 MUST       be executed.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 16]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 20139.2.  Data Packet Processing   When a packet (henceforth denoted the "current packet") is received   by a router, the following tasks MUST be performed:   1.  If the packet header is malformed (i.e., the header format is not       as expected by this specification), drop the packet.   2.  Otherwise, if the Destination Address of the packet matches an       address of an interface of this router, deliver the packet to       upper layers and do not further process the packet, as specified       below.   3.  Decrement the value of the Hop Limit field by one (1).   4.  Drop the packet if Hop Limit is decremented to zero and do not       further process the packet, as specified below.   5.  If no Processed Tuple (henceforth denoted the "current tuple")       exists in the Processed Set, where both of the following       conditions are true:       +  P_orig_address = the Originator Address of the current packet,          AND;       +  P_seq_number = the sequence number of the current packet.       Then:       1.  Add a Processed Tuple (henceforth denoted the "current           tuple") with:           +  P_orig_address := the Originator Address of the current              packet;           +  P_seq_number := the sequence number of the current packet;           +  P_prev_hop := the Previous Hop Address of the current              packet;           +  P_next_hop_neighbor_list := [];           +  P_time := current time + P_HOLD_TIME.       2.  Set RET to 0 in the DFF header.       3.  Select the Next Hop (henceforth denoted "next_hop") for the           current packet, as specified inSection 11.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 17]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013       4.  P_next_hop_neighbor_list := P_next_hop_neighbor_list@           [next_hop].       5.  Pass the current packet to the underlying link layer for           transmission to next_hop.  If the transmission fails (as           determined by the link layer), the procedures inSection 10           MUST be executed.   6.  Otherwise, if a tuple exists:       1.  If the return flag of the current packet is not set (RET = 0)           (i.e., a loop has been detected):           1.  Set RET := 1.           2.  Pass the current packet to the underlying link layer for               transmission to the Previous Hop.       2.  Otherwise, if the return flag of the current packet is set           (RET = 1):           1.  If the Previous Hop of the packet is not contained in               P_next_hop_neighbor_list of the current tuple, drop the               packet.           2.  If the Previous Hop of the packet (i.e., the address of               the router from which the current packet has just been               received) is equal to P_prev_hop of the current tuple               (i.e., the address of the router from which the current               packet has been first received), drop the packet.           3.  Set RET := 0.           4.  Select the Next Hop (henceforth denoted "next_hop") for               the current packet, as specified inSection 11.           5.  Modify the current tuple:               -  P_next_hop_neighbor_list := P_next_hop_neighbor_list@                  [next_hop];               -  P_time := current time + P_HOLD_TIME.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 18]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013           6.  If the selected Next Hop is equal to P_prev_hop of the               current tuple, as specified inSection 11 (i.e., all               candidate Next Hops have been unsuccessfully tried), set               RET := 1.  If this router (i.e., the router receiving the               current packet) has the same address as the Originator               Address of the current packet, drop the packet.           7.  Pass the current packet to the underlying link layer for               transmission to next_hop.  If transmission fails (as               determined by the link layer), the procedures inSection 10 MUST be executed.10.  Unsuccessful Packet Transmission   DFF requires that the underlying link layer provides information as   to whether a packet is successfully received by the Next Hop.   Absence of such a signal is interpreted as a delivery failure of the   packet (henceforth denoted the "current packet").  Note that the   underlying link layer MAY retry sending the packet multiple times   (e.g., using exponential back-off) before determining that the packet   has not been successfully received by the Next Hop.  The following   steps are executed when a delivery failure occurs andSection 9   requests that they be executed.   1.  Set the DUP flag of the DFF header of the current packet to 1.   2.  Select the Next Hop (henceforth denoted "next_hop") for the       current packet, as specified inSection 11.   3.  Find the Processed Tuple (the "current tuple") in the Processed       Set with:       +  P_orig_address = the Originator Address of the current packet,          AND;       +  P_seq_number = the sequence number of the current packet.   4.  If no current tuple is found, drop the packet.   5.  Otherwise, modify the current tuple:       *  P_next_hop_neighbor_list := P_next_hop_neighbor_list@          [next_hop];       *  P_time := current time + P_HOLD_TIME.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 19]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   6.  If the selected next_hop is equal to P_prev_hop of the current       tuple, as specified inSection 11 (i.e., all neighbors have been       unsuccessfully tried), then:       *  RET := 1       *  Decrement the value of the Hop Limit field by one (1).  Drop          the packet if the Hop Limit is decremented to zero.   7.  Otherwise       *  RET := 0   8.  Transmit the current packet to next_hop.  If transmission fails       (as determined by the link layer), and if the next_hop does not       equal P_prev_hop from the current tuple, the procedures inSection 10 MUST be executed.11.  Determining the Next Hop for a Packet   When forwarding a packet, a router determines a valid Next Hop for   that packet, as specified in this section.  As a Processed Tuple   either existed when receiving the packet (henceforth denoted the   "current packet") or was created, it can be assumed that the   Processed Tuple for that packet (henceforth denoted the "current   tuple") is available.   The Next Hop is chosen from a list of candidate Next Hops in order of   decreasing priority.  This list is created per packet.  The maximum   candidate Next Hop list for a packet contains all the neighbors of   the router (as determined from an external neighborhood discovery   process), except for the Previous Hop of the current packet.  A   smaller list MAY be used, if desired, and the exact selection of the   size of the candidate Next Hop list is a local decision that is made   in each router and does not affect interoperability.  Selecting a   smaller list may reduce the path length of a packet traversing the   network and reduce the required state in the Processed Set, but it   may result in valid paths that are not explored.  If information from   the RIB is used, then the candidate Next Hop list MUST contain at   least the Next Hop indicated in the RIB as the Next Hop on the   shortest path to the destination, and it SHOULD contain all Next Hops   indicated to the RIB as Next Hops on paths to the destination.  If a   Next Hop from the RIB equals the Previous Hop of the current packet,   it MUST NOT be added to the candidate Next Hop list.   The list MUST NOT contain addresses that are listed in   P_next_hop_neighbor_list of the current tuple, in order to avoid   sending the packet to the same neighbor multiple times.  Moreover, anHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 20]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   address MUST NOT appear more than once in the list, for the same   reason.  Also, addresses of an interface of this router MUST NOT be   added to the list.   The list has an order of preference, where packets are first sent to   the Next Hops at the top of the list during depth-first processing as   specified in Sections9.1 and9.2.  The following order is   RECOMMENDED, with the elements listed on top having the highest   preference:   1.  The neighbor that is indicated in the RIB as the Next Hop on the       shortest path to the destination of the current packet;   2.  Other neighbors indicated in the RIB as Next Hops on the path to       the destination of the current packet;   3.  All other symmetric neighbors (except the Previous Hop of the       current packet).   Additional information from the RIB or the list of symmetric   neighbors (such as route cost or link quality) MAY be used for   determining the order.   If the candidate Next Hop list created as specified in this section   is empty, the selected Next Hop MUST be P_prev_hop of the current   tuple; this case applies when returning the packet to the Previous   Hop.12.  Sequence Numbers   Whenever a router generates a packet or forwards a packet on behalf   of a host or a router outside the routing domain where DFF is used, a   sequence number MUST be created and included in the DFF header.  This   sequence number MUST be unique locally on each router where it is   created.  A sequence number MUST start at 0 for the first packet to   which the DFF header is added, and then increment by 1 for each new   packet.  The sequence number MUST NOT be greater than 65535 and MUST   wrap around to 0.13.  Modes of Operation   DFF can be used either as the "route-over" IPv6-forwarding protocol,   or alternatively as the "mesh-under" data-forwarding protocol for the   LoWPAN adaptation layer [RFC4944].  Previous sections have specified   the DFF mechanism in general; specific differences for each MoP are   specified in this section.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 21]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 201313.1.  Route-Over   This section maps the general terminology fromSection 2.2 to the   specific terminology when using the "route-over" MoP.13.1.1.  Mapping of DFF Terminology to IPv6 Terminology   The following terms are those listed inSection 2.2, and their   meaning is explicitly defined when DFF is used in the "route-over"   MoP:   Packet  - An IPv6 packet, as specified in [RFC2460].   Packet Header  - An IPv6 extension header, as specified in [RFC2460].   Address  - An IPv6 address, as specified in [RFC4291].   Originator Address  - The Originator Address corresponds to the      Source Address field of the IPv6 header, as specified in      [RFC2460].   Destination Address  - The Destination Address corresponds to the      destination field of the IPv6 header, as specified in [RFC2460].   Next Hop  - The Next Hop is the IPv6 address of the node to which the      packet is sent; the link-layer address from that IP address is      resolved by a mechanism such as Neighbor Discovery (ND) [RFC4861].      The link-layer address is then used by L2 as the destination.   Previous Hop  - The Previous Hop is the IPv6 address from the      interface of the node from which the packet has been received.   Hop Limit  - The Hop Limit corresponds to the Hop Limit field in the      IPv6 header, as specified in [RFC2460].13.1.2.  Packet Format   In the "route-over" MoP, all IPv6 packets MUST conform with the   format specified in [RFC2460].   The DFF header, as specified below, is an IPv6 Hop-by-Hop Options   header, and is depicted in Figure 1 (where DUP is abbreviated to D,   and RET is abbreviated to R because of the limited space in the   figure).  This document specifies a new option to be used inside the   Hop-by-Hop Options header, which contains the DFF fields (DUP and RET   flags and sequence number, as specified inSection 7).Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 22]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   [RFC6564] specifies:      New options for the existing Hop-by-Hop Header SHOULD NOT be      created or specified unless no alternative solution is feasible.      Any proposal to create a new option for the existing Hop-by-Hop      Header MUST include a detailed explanation of why the hop-by-hop      behavior is absolutely essential in the document proposing the new      option with hop-by-hop behavior.   [RFC6564] recommends to use destination headers instead of Hop-by-Hop   Options headers.  Destination headers are only read by the   destination of an IPv6 packet, not by intermediate routers.  However,   the mechanism specified in this document relies on intermediate   routers reading and editing the header.  Specifically, the sequence   number and the DUP and RET flags are read by each router running the   DFF protocol.  Modifying the DUP and RET flags is essential for this   protocol to tag duplicate or returned packets.  Without the DUP flag,   a duplicate packet cannot be discerned from a looping packet, and   without the RET flag, a returned packet cannot be discerned from a   looping packet.                          1                   2                   3      0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+     |  Next Header  |  Hdr Ext Len  |  OptTypeDFF   | OptDataLenDFF |     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+     |VER|D|R|0|0|0|0|        Sequence Number        |      Pad1     |     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                         Figure 1: IPv6 DFF Header   Field definitions of the DFF header are as follows:   Next Header  - 8-bit selector.  Identifies the type of header      immediately following the Hop-by-Hop Options header, as specified      in [RFC2460].   Hdr Ext Len  - 8-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the Hop-by-Hop      Options header in 8-octet units, not including the first 8 octets,      as specified in [RFC2460].  This value is set to 0 (zero).   OptTypeDFF  - 8-bit identifier of the type of option, as specified in      [RFC2460].  This value is set to IP_DFF.  The two high-order bits      of the option type MUST be set to '11', and the third bit is equal      to '1'.  With these bits, according to [RFC2460], routers that do      not understand this option on a received packet discard the packet      and, only if the packet's Destination Address was not a multicast      address, send an ICMP Parameter Problem (Code 2) message to theHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 23]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013      packet's Source Address, pointing to the unrecognized option type.      Also, according to [RFC2460], the values within the option are      expected to change en route.   OptDataLenDFF  - 8-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the option data      field of this option, in octets, as specified in [RFC2460].  This      value is set to 2 (two).   DFF fields  - A 2-bit version field (abbreviated as VER); the DUP      (abbreviated as D) and RET (abbreviated as R) flags follow after      Mesh Forw, as specified inSection 13.2.2.  The version specified      in this document is '00'.  All other bits (besides VER, DUP, and      RET) of this octet are reserved and MUST be set to 0.   Sequence Number  - A 16-bit field, containing an unsigned integer      sequence number, as specified inSection 7.   Pad1  - Since the Hop-by-Hop Options header must have a length that      is a multiple of 8 octets, a Pad1 option is used, as specified in      [RFC2460].  All bits of this octet are 0.13.2.  Mesh-Under   This section maps the general terminology fromSection 2.2 to the   specific terminology when using the "mesh-under" MoP.13.2.1.  Mapping of DFF Terminology to LoWPAN Terminology   The following terms are those listed inSection 2.2 (besides "Mode of   Operation"), and their meaning is explicitly defined when DFF is used   in the "mesh-under" MoP.   Packet  - A "LoWPAN-encapsulated packet" (as specified in [RFC4944]),      which contains an IPv6 packet as payload.   Packet Header  - A LoWPAN header, as specified in [RFC4944].   Address  - A 16-bit short or EUI-64 link-layer address, as specified      in [RFC4944].   Originator Address  - The Originator Address corresponds to the      Originator Address field of the Mesh Addressing header, as      specified in [RFC4944].   Destination Address  - The Destination Address corresponds to the      Final Destination field of the Mesh Addressing header, as      specified in [RFC4944].Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 24]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   Next Hop  - The Next Hop is the Destination Address of a frame      containing a LoWPAN-encapsulated packet, as specified in      [RFC4944].   Previous Hop  - The Previous Hop is the Source Address of the frame      containing a LoWPAN-encapsulated packet, as specified in      [RFC4944].   Hop Limit  - The Hop Limit corresponds to the Deep Hops Left field in      the Mesh Addressing header, as specified in [RFC4944].13.2.2.  Packet Format   In the "mesh-under" MoP, all IPv6 packets MUST conform with the   format specified in [RFC4944].  All data packets exchanged by routers   using this specification MUST contain the Mesh Addressing header as   part of the LoWPAN encapsulation, as specified in [RFC4944].   The DFF header, as specified below, MUST follow the Mesh Addressing   header.  After these two headers, any other LoWPAN header, e.g.,   header compression or fragmentation headers, MAY also be added before   the actual payload.  Figure 2 depicts the Mesh Addressing header   defined in [RFC4944], and Figure 3 depicts the DFF header.                          1                   2                   3      0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+     |1 0|V|F|HopsLft| DeepHopsLeft  |orig. address, final address...     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                     Figure 2: Mesh Addressing Header                          1                   2                   3      0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+     |0 1| Mesh Forw |VER|D|R|0|0|0|0|        sequence number        |     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                   Figure 3: Header for DFF Data Packets   Field definitions of the Mesh Addressing header are as specified in   [RFC4944].  When adding that header to the LoWPAN encapsulation on   the Originator, the fields of the Mesh Addressing header MUST be set   to the following values:Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 25]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   o  V := 0 if the Originator Address is an IEEE extended 64-bit      address (EUI-64); otherwise, V := 1 if it is a short 16-bit      address.   o  F := 0 if the Final Destination Address is an IEEE extended 64-bit      address (EUI-64); otherwise, F := 1 if it is a short 16-bit      address.   o  Hops Left := 0xF (i.e., reserved value indicating that the Deep      Hops Left field follows);   o  Deep Hops Left := MAX_HOP_LIMIT.   Field definitions of the DFF header are as follows:   Mesh Forw  - A 6-bit identifier that allows for the use of different      mesh-forwarding mechanisms.  As specified in [RFC4944], additional      mesh-forwarding mechanisms should use the reserved dispatch byte      values following LOWPAN_BC0; therefore, '0 1' MUST precede Mesh      Forw.  The value of Mesh Forw is LOWPAN_DFF.   DFF fields  - A 2-bit version (abbreviated as VER) field; the DUP      (abbreviated as D) and RET (abbreviated as R) flags follow after      Mesh Forw, as specified inSection 13.2.2.  The version specified      in this document is '00'.  All other bits (besides VER, DUP, and      RET) of this octet are reserved and MUST be set to 0.   Sequence Number  - A 16-bit field, containing an unsigned integer      sequence number, as specified inSection 7.14.  Scope Limitation of DFF   The forwarding mechanism specified in this document MUST be limited   in scope to the routing domain in which DFF is used.  That also   implies that any headers specific to DFF do not traverse the   boundaries of the routing domain.  This section specifies, both for   the "route-over" MoP and the "mesh-under" MoP, how to limit the scope   of DFF to the routing domain in which it is used.   Figures 4 to 7 depict four different cases for source and destination   of traffic with regards to the scope of the routing domain in which   DFF is used.  Sections14.1 and14.2 specify how routers limit the   scope of DFF for the "route-over" MoP and the "mesh-under" MoP,   respectively, for these cases.  In these sections, all nodes "inside   the routing domain" are routers and use DFF, and may also be sources   or destinations.  Sources or destinations "outside the routingHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 26]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   domain" do not run DFF; either they are hosts attached to a router in   the routing domain that is running DFF, or they are themselves   routers but outside the routing domain and not running DFF.                        +-----------------+                        |                 |                        |  (S) ----> (D)  |                        |                 |                        +-----------------+                        Routing Domain         Figure 4: Traffic within the Routing Domain (from S to D)                        +-----------------+                        |                 |                        |  (S) --------> (R) --------> (D)                        |                 |                        +-----------------+                        Routing Domain            Figure 5: Traffic from Within the Routing Domain to                    Outside of the Domain (from S to D)                        +-----------------+                        |                 |         (S) --------> (R) --------> (D)  |                        |                 |                        +-----------------+                        Routing Domain           Figure 6: Traffic from Outside the Routing Domain to                      Inside the Domain (from S to D)                        +-----------------+                        |                 |         (S) --------> (R1) -----------> (R2) --------> (D)                        |                 |                        +-----------------+                        Routing Domain     Figure 7: Traffic from Outside the Routing Domain, Traversing the        Domain and Then to the Outside of the Domain (from S to D)              Key:                  (S) = source router                  (D) = destination router                  (R), (R1), (R2) = other routersHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 27]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 201314.1.  Route-Over MoP   In Figure 4, both the source and destination of the traffic are   routers within the routing domain.  If traffic is originated at S,   the DFF header is added to the IPv6 header (as specified inSection 13.1.2).  The Originator Address is set to S and the   Destination Address is set to D.  The packet is forwarded to D using   this specification.  When router D receives the packet, it processes   the payload of the IPv6 packet in upper layers.  This case assumes   that S has knowledge that D is in the routing domain, e.g., because   of the administrative setting based on the IP address of the   destination.  If S has no knowledge about whether D is in the routing   domain, IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnels as specified in [RFC2473] MUST be used.   These cases are described in the following paragraphs.   In Figure 5, the source of the traffic (S) is within the routing   domain, and the destination (D) is outside of the routing domain.   The IPv6 packet, originated at S, MUST be encapsulated according to   [RFC2473] (IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnels) and the DFF header MUST be added to   the outer IPv6 header.  S chooses the next router that should process   the packet as the tunnel exit-point (R).  Administrative settings, as   well as information from a routing protocol, may be used to determine   the tunnel exit-point.  If no information is available for which   router to choose as the tunnel exit-point, the Next Hop MUST be used   as the tunnel exit-point.  In some cases, the tunnel exit-point will   be the final router along a path towards the packet's destination,   and the packet will only traverse a single tunnel (e.g., if R is a   known border router then S can choose R as the tunnel exit-point).   In other cases, the tunnel exit-point will not be the final router   along the path to D, and the packet may traverse multiple tunnels to   reach the destination; note that in this case, the DFF mechanism is   only used inside each IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnel.  The Originator Address of   the packet is set to S and the Destination Address is set to the   tunnel exit-point (in the outer IPv6 header).  The packet is   forwarded to the tunnel exit-point using this specification   (potentially using multiple consecutive IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnels).  When   router R receives the packet, it decapsulates the IPv6 packet and   forwards the inner IPv6 packet to D, using normal IPv6 forwarding as   specified in [RFC2460].   In Figure 6, the source of the traffic (S) is outside of the routing   domain, and the destination (D) is inside of the routing domain.  The   IPv6 packet, originated at S, is forwarded to R using normal IPv6   forwarding as specified in [RFC2460].  Router R MUST encapsulate the   IPv6 packet according to [RFC2473] and add the DFF header (as   specified inSection 13.1.2) to the outer IPv6 header.  Like in the   previous case, R has to select a tunnel exit-point; if it knows that   D is in the routing domain (e.g., based on administrative settings),Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 28]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   it SHOULD select D as the tunnel exit-point.  In case it does not   have any information as to which exit-point to select, it MUST use   the Next Hop as the tunnel exit-point, limiting the effectiveness of   DFF to inside each IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnel.  The Originator Address of   the packet is set to R, the Destination Address to the tunnel exit-   point (both in the outer IPv6 header), and the sequence number in the   DFF header is generated locally on R.  The packet is forwarded to D   using this specification.  When router D receives the packet, it   decapsulates the inner IPv6 packet and processes the payload of the   inner IPv6 packet in upper layers.   This mechanism is typically not used in transit networks; therefore,   this case is discouraged, but described nevertheless for   completeness.  In Figure 7, both the source of the traffic (S) and   the destination (D) are outside of the routing domain.  The IPv6   packet, originated at S, is forwarded to R1 using normal IPv6   forwarding, as specified in [RFC2460].  Router R1 MUST encapsulate   the IPv6 packet according to [RFC2473] and add the DFF header (as   specified inSection 13.1.2).  R1 selects a tunnel exit-point like in   the previous cases; if R2 is, e.g., a known border router, then R1   can select R2 as the tunnel exit-point.  The Originator Address is   set to R1, the Destination Address is set to the tunnel exit-point   (both in the outer IPv6 header), and the sequence number in the DFF   header is generated locally on R1.  The packet is forwarded to the   tunnel exit-point using this specification (potentially traversing   multiple consecutive IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnels).  When router R2 receives   the packet, it decapsulates the inner IPv6 packet and forwards the   inner IPv6 packet to D, using normal IPv6 forwarding as specified in   [RFC2460].14.2.  Mesh-Under MoP   In Figure 4, both the source and destination of the traffic are   routers within the routing domain.  If traffic is originated at   router S, the LoWPAN-encapsulated packet is created from the IPv6   packet, as specified in [RFC4944].  Then, the Mesh Addressing header   and the DFF header (as specified inSection 13.2.2) are added to the   LoWPAN encapsulation on router S.  The Originator Address is set to S   and the Destination Address is set to D.  The packet is then   forwarded using this specification.  When router D receives the   packet, it processes the payload of the packet in upper layers.   In Figure 5, the source of the traffic (S) is within the routing   domain, and the destination (D) is outside of the routing domain   (which is known by S to be outside the routing domain because D uses   a different IP prefix from the PAN).  The LoWPAN-encapsulated packet,   originated at router S, is created from the IPv6 packet as specified   in [RFC4944].  Then, the Mesh Addressing header and the DFF headerHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 29]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   (as specified inSection 13.2.2) are added to the LoWPAN   encapsulation on router S.  The Originator Address is set to S and   the Destination Address is set to R, which is a known border router   of the PAN.  The packet is then forwarded using this specification.   When router R receives the packet, it restores the IPv6 packet from   the LoWPAN-encapsulated packet and forwards it to D, using normal   IPv6 forwarding, as specified in [RFC2460].   In Figure 6, the source of the traffic (S) is outside of the routing   domain, and the destination (D) is inside of the routing domain.  The   IPv6 packet, originated at S, is forwarded to R using normal IPv6   forwarding, as specified in [RFC2460].  Router R (which is a known   border router to the PAN) creates the LoWPAN-encapsulated packet from   the IPv6 packet, as specified in [RFC4944].  Then, R adds the Mesh   Addressing header and the DFF header (as specified inSection 13.2.2).  The Originator Address is set to R, the Destination   Address to D, and the sequence number in the DFF header is generated   locally on R.  The packet is forwarded to D using this specification.   When router D receives the packet, it restores the IPv6 packet from   the LoWPAN-encapsulated packet and processes the payload in upper   layers.   As LoWPANs are typically not transit networks, the following case is   discouraged, but described nevertheless for completeness: In   Figure 7, both the source of the traffic (S) and the destination (D)   are outside of the routing domain.  The IPv6 packet, originated at S,   is forwarded to R1 using normal IPv6 forwarding, as specified in   [RFC2460].  Router R1 (which is a known border router of the PAN)   creates the LoWPAN-encapsulated packet from the IPv6 packet, as   specified in [RFC4944].  Then, it adds the Mesh Addressing header and   the DFF header (as specified inSection 13.2.2).  The Originator   Address is set to R1, the Destination Address is set to R2 (which is   another border router towards the destination), and the sequence   number in the DFF header is generated locally on R1.  The packet is   forwarded to R2 using this specification.  When router R2 receives   the packet, it restores the IPv6 packet from the LoWPAN-encapsulated   packet and forwards the IPv6 packet to D, using normal IPv6   forwarding, as specified in [RFC2460].15.  MTU Exceedance   When adding the DFF header, as specified inSection 9.1, or when   encapsulating the packet, as specified inSection 14, the packet size   may exceed the MTU.  This is described inSection 5 of [RFC2460].   When the packet size of a packet to be forwarded by DFF exceeds the   MTU, the following steps apply.   1.  The router MUST discard the packet.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 30]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   2.  The router MAY log the event locally (depending on the storage       capabilities of the router).   3.  The router MUST send back an ICMP "Packet Too Big" message to the       source of the packet and report back the Next Hop MTU, which       includes the overhead of adding the headers.16.  Security Considerations   Based on the recommendations in [RFC3552], this section describes   security threats to DFF and lists which attacks are out of scope,   which attacks DFF is susceptible to, and which attacks DFF protects   against.16.1.  Attacks That Are Out of Scope   As DFF is a data-forwarding protocol, any security issues concerning   the payload of the packets are not considered in this section.   It is the responsibility of upper layers to use appropriate security   mechanisms (IPsec, Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc.) according to   application requirements.  As DFF does not modify the contents of IP   datagrams, other than the DFF header (which is a Hop-by-Hop Options   extension header in the "route-over" MoP, and therefore not protected   by IPsec), no special considerations for IPsec have to be addressed.   Any attack that is not specific to DFF but that applies in general to   the link layer (e.g., wireless, Power Line Communication (PLC)) is   out of scope.  In particular, these attacks are: eavesdropping,   packet insertion, packet replay, packet deletion, and man-in-the-   middle attacks.  Appropriate link-layer encryption can mitigate part   of these attacks and is therefore RECOMMENDED.16.2.  Protection Mechanisms of DFF   DFF itself does not provide any additional integrity,   confidentiality, or authentication.  Therefore, the level of   protection of DFF depends on the underlying link-layer security, as   well as protection of the payload by upper-layer security (e.g.,   IPsec).   In the following sections, whenever encrypting or digitally signing   packets is suggested for protecting DFF, it is assumed that routers   are not compromised.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 31]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 201316.3.  Attacks That Are in Scope   This section discusses security threats to DFF, and for each,   describes whether (and how) DFF is affected by the threat.  DFF is   designed to be used in lossy and unreliable networks.  Predominant   examples of lossy networks are wireless networks, where routers send   packets via broadcast.  The attacks listed below are easier to   exploit in wireless media but can also be observed in wired networks.16.3.1.  Denial of Service   Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks are possible when using DFF by either   exceeding the storage on a router or exceeding the available   bandwidth of the channel.  As DFF does not contain any algorithms   with high complexity, it is unlikely that the processing power of the   router could be exhausted by an attack on DFF.   The storage of a router can be exhausted by increasing the size of   the Processed Set, i.e., by adding new tuples, or by increasing the   size of each tuple.  New tuples can be added by injecting new packets   in the network or by forwarding overheard packets.   Another possible DoS attack is to send packets to a non-existing   address in the network.  DFF would perform a depth-first search until   the Hop Limit has reached zero.  It is therefore RECOMMENDED to set   the Hop Limit to a value that limits the path length.   If security provided by the link layer is used, this attack can be   mitigated if the malicious router does not possess valid credentials,   since other routers would not forward data through the malicious   router.16.3.2.  Packet Header Modification   The following attacks can be exploited by modifying the packet header   information, unless additional security (such as link-layer security)   is used.16.3.2.1.  Return Flag Tampering   A malicious router may tamper with the "return" flag of a DFF packet   and send it back to the Previous Hop, but only if the malicious   router has been selected as the Next Hop by the receiving router (as   specified inSection 9.2).  If the malicious router had not been   selected as the Next Hop, then a returned packet is dropped by the   receiving router.  Otherwise (i.e., the malicious router had been   selected as the Next Hop by the receiving router, and the malicious   router has set the return flag), the receiving router then triesHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 32]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013   alternative neighbors.  This may lead to packets never reaching their   destination, as well as an unnecessary depth-first search in the   network (bandwidth exhaustion / energy drain).   This attack can be mitigated by using appropriate security of the   underlying link layer.16.3.2.2.  Duplicate Flag Tampering   A malicious router may modify the Duplicate Flag of a packet that it   forwards.   If it changes the flag from 0 to 1, the packet would be detected as a   duplicate by other routers in the network and not as a looping   packet.   If the Duplicate Flag is changed from 1 to 0, and a router receives   that packet for the second time (i.e., it has already received a   packet with the same Originator Address and sequence number before),   it will wrongly detect a loop.   This attack can be mitigated by using appropriate security of the   underlying link layer.16.3.2.3.  Sequence Number Tampering   A malicious router may modify the sequence number of a packet that it   forwards.   In particular, if the sequence number is modified to a number of   another, previously sent packet of the same Originator, this packet   may be wrongly perceived as a looping packet.   This attack can be mitigated by using appropriate security of the   underlying link layer.17.  IANA Considerations   IANA has allocated the value 01 000011 for LOWPAN_DFF from the   Dispatch Type Field registry.   IANA has allocated the value 0xEE for IP_DFF from the Destination   Options and Hop-by-Hop Options registry.  The first 3 bits of that   value are 111.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 33]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 201318.  Acknowledgments   Jari Arkko (Ericsson), Abdussalam Baryun (University of Glamorgan),   Antonin Bas (Ecole Polytechnique), Thomas Clausen (Ecole   Polytechnifque), Yuichi Igarashi (Hitachi), Kazuya Monden (Hitachi),   Geoff Mulligan (Proto6), Hiroki Satoh (Hitachi), Ganesh Venkatesh   (Mobelitix), and Jiazi Yi (Ecole Polytechnique) provided useful   reviews of the draft and discussions, which helped to improve this   document.   The authors also would like to thank Ralph Droms, Adrian Farrel,   Stephen Farrell, Ted Lemon, Alvaro Retana, Dan Romascanu, and Martin   Stiemerling for their reviews during IETF LC and IESG evaluation.19.  References19.1.  Normative References   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate              Requirement Levels",BCP 14,RFC 2119, March 1997.   [RFC2460]  Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6              (IPv6) Specification",RFC 2460, December 1998.   [RFC2473]  Conta, A. and S. Deering, "Generic Packet Tunneling in              IPv6 Specification",RFC 2473, December 1998.   [RFC4291]  Hinden, R. and S. Deering, "IP Version 6 Addressing              Architecture",RFC 4291, February 2006.   [RFC4944]  Montenegro, G., Kushalnagar, N., Hui, J., and D. Culler,              "Transmission of IPv6 Packets over IEEE 802.15.4              Networks",RFC 4944, September 2007.   [RFC6130]  Clausen, T., Dearlove, C., and J. Dean, "Mobile Ad Hoc              Network (MANET) Neighborhood Discovery Protocol (NHDP)",RFC 6130, April 2011.   [RFC6564]  Krishnan, S., Woodyatt, J., Kline, E., Hoagland, J., and              M. Bhatia, "A Uniform Format for IPv6 Extension Headers",RFC 6564, April 2012.   [RFC6724]  Thaler, D., Draves, R., Matsumoto, A., and T. Chown,              "Default Address Selection for Internet Protocol Version 6              (IPv6)",RFC 6724, September 2012.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 34]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 201319.2.  Informative References   [DFF_paper1]              Cespedes, S., Cardenas, A., and T. Iwao, "Comparison of              Data Forwarding Mechanisms for AMI Networks",  2012 IEEE              Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT),              January 2012.   [DFF_paper2]              Iwao, T., Iwao, T., Yura, M., Nakaya, Y., Cardenas, A.,              Lee, S., and R. Masuoka, "Dynamic Data Forwarding in              Wireless Mesh Networks",  First IEEE International              Conference on Smart Grid Communications (SmartGridComm),              October 2010.   [DFS_wikipedia]              Wikipedia, "Depth-first search", May 2013,              <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Depth-first_search&oldid=555203731>.   [KCEC_press_release]              Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC), "DFF deployed by              KCEC", Press Release, 2011, <http://www.kitcarson.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=1>.   [RFC3552]  Rescorla, E. and B. Korver, "Guidelines for Writing RFC              Text on Security Considerations",BCP 72,RFC 3552,              July 2003.   [RFC4861]  Narten, T., Nordmark, E., Simpson, W., and H. Soliman,              "Neighbor Discovery for IP version 6 (IPv6)",RFC 4861,              September 2007.   [RFC6775]  Shelby, Z., Chakrabarti, S., Nordmark, E., and C. Bormann,              "Neighbor Discovery Optimization for IPv6 over Low-Power              Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPANs)",RFC 6775,              November 2012.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 35]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013Appendix A.  Examples   In this section, some example network topologies are depicted, using   the DFF mechanism for data forwarding.  In these examples, it is   assumed there is a routing protocol running that adds or inserts   entries into the RIB.A.1.  Example 1: Normal Delivery   Example 1 depicts a network topology with seven routers, A to G, with   links between them as indicated by lines.  It is assumed that router   A sends a packet to G, through B and D, according to the routing   protocol.                                        +---+                                    +---+ D +-----+                                    |   +---+     |                            +---+   |             |                        +---+ B +---+             |                        |   +---+   |             |                      +-+-+         |   +---+   +-+-+                      | A |         +---+ E +---+ G +                      +-+-+             +---+   +-+-+                        |   +---+                 |                        +---+ C +---+             |                            +---+   |             |                                    |   +---+     |                                    +---+ F +-----+                                        +---+                        Example 1: Normal Delivery   If no link fails in this topology, and no loop occurs, then DFF   forwards the packet along the Next Hops listed in the RIB of each of   the routers along the path towards the destination.  Each router adds   a Processed Tuple for the incoming packet and selects the Next Hop,   as specified inSection 11, i.e., it will first select the Next Hop   for router G, as determined by the routing protocol.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 36]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013A.2.  Example 2: Forwarding with Link Failure   Example 2 depicts the same topology as Example 1, but both links   between B and D and between B and E are unavailable (e.g., because of   wireless link characteristics).                                        +---+                                    XXXX+ D +-----+                                    X   +---+     |                            +---+   X             |                        +---+ B +---+             |                        |   +---+   X             |                      +-+-+         X   +---+   +-+-+                      | A |         XXXX+ E +---+ G +                      +-+-+             +---+   +-+-+                        |   +---+                 |                        +---+ C +---+             |                            +---+   |             |                                    |   +---+     |                                    +---+ F +-----+                                        +---+                          Example 2: Link Failure   When B receives the packet from router A, it adds a Processed Tuple   and then tries to forward the packet to D.  Once B detects that the   packet cannot be successfully delivered to D because it does not   receive link-layer ACKs, it will follow the procedures listed inSection 10 by setting the DUP flag to 1, selecting E as the new Next   Hop, adding E to the list of Next Hops in the Processed Tuple, and   then forwarding the packet to E.   As the link to E also fails, B will again follow the procedure inSection 10.  As all possible Next Hops (D and E) are listed in the   Processed Tuple, B will set the RET flag in the packet and return it   to A.   A determines that it already has a Processed Tuple for the returned   packet, resets the RET flag of the packet, and selects a new Next Hop   for the packet.  As B is already in the list of Next Hops in the   Processed Tuple, it will select C as the Next Hop and forward the   packet to it.  C will then forward the packet to F, and F delivers   the packet to its destination G.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 37]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013A.3.  Example 3: Forwarding with Missed Link-Layer Acknowledgment   Example 3 depicts the same topology as Example 1, but the link-layer   acknowledgments from C to A are lost (e.g., because the link is   unidirectional).  It is assumed that A prefers a path to G through C   and F.                                        +---+                                    +---+ D +-----+                                    |   +---+     |                            +---+   |             |                        +---+ B +---+             |                        |   +---+   |             |                      +-+-+         |   +---+   +-+-+                      | A |         +---+ E +---+ G +                      +-+-+             +---+   +-+-+                        .   +---+                 |                        +...+ C +---+             |                            +---+   |             |                                    |   +---+     |                                    +---+ F +-----+                                        +---+                Example 3: Missed Link-Layer Acknowledgment   While C successfully receives the packet from A, A does not receive   the L2 ACK and assumes the packet has not been delivered to C.   Therefore, it sets the DUP flag of the packet to 1, in order to   indicate that this packet may be a duplicate.  Then, it forwards the   packet to B.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 38]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013A.4.  Example 4: Forwarding with a Loop   Example 4 depicts the same topology as Example 1, but there is a loop   from D to A, and A sends the packet to G through B and D.                        +-----------------+                        |                 |                        |               +-+-+                        |           +---+ D +                        |           |   +---+                       \|/  +---+   |                        +---+ B +---+                        |   +---+   |                      +-+-+         |   +---+   +-+-+                      | A |         +---+ E +---+ G +                      +-+-+             +---+   +-+-+                        |   +---+                 |                        +---+ C +---+             |                            +---+   |             |                                    |   +---+     |                                    +---+ F +-----+                                        +---+                              Example 4: Loop   When A receives the packet through the loop from D, it will find a   Processed Tuple for the packet.  Router A will set the RET flag and   return the packet to D, which in turn will return it to B.  B will   then select E as the Next Hop, which will then forward it to G.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 39]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013Appendix B.  Deployment Experience   DFF has been deployed and experimented with both in real deployments   and in network simulations, as described below.B.1.  Deployments in Japan   The majority of the large Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)   deployments using DFF are located in Japan, but the data of these   networks is the property of Japanese utilities and cannot be   disclosed.B.2.  Kit Carson Electric Cooperative   DFF has been deployed at Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC), a   non-profit organization distributing electricity to about 30,000   customers in New Mexico.  As described in a press release   [KCEC_press_release], DFF is running on currently about 2000 electric   meters.  All meters are connected through a mesh network using an   unreliable, wireless medium.  DFF is used together with a distance-   vector routing protocol.  Metering data from each meter is sent   towards a gateway periodically (every 15 minutes).  The data delivery   reliability is over 99%.B.3.  Simulations   DFF has been evaluated in Ns2 (http://nsnam.isi.edu/nsnam) and OMNEST   (http://www.omnest.com) simulations, in conjuction with a distance-   vector routing protocol.  The performance of DFF has been compared to   using only the routing protocol without DFF.  The results published   in peer-reviewed academic papers [DFF_paper1] [DFF_paper2] show   significant improvements of the packet delivery ratio compared to   using only the distance-vector protocol.B.4.  Open-Source Implementation   Fujitsu Laboratories of America is currently working on an open-   source implementation of DFF, which will be released in 2013 and will   allow for interoperability testings of different DFF implementations.   The implementation is written in Java and can be used both on real   machines and in the Ns2 simulator.Herberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 40]

RFC 6971                           DFF                         June 2013Authors' Addresses   Ulrich Herberg (editor)   Fujitsu   1240 E. Arques Avenue, M/S 345   Sunnyvale, CA  94085   USA   Phone: +1 408 530 4528   EMail: ulrich.herberg@us.fujitsu.com   Alvaro A. Cardenas   University of Texas at Dallas   School of Computer Science, 800 West Campbell Rd, EC 31   Richardson, TX  75080-3021   USA   EMail: alvaro.cardenas@me.com   Tadashige Iwao   Fujitsu   Shiodome City Center, 5-2, Higashi-shimbashi 1-chome, Minato-ku   Tokyo,   JP   Phone: +81-44-754-3343   EMail: smartnetpro-iwao_std@ml.css.fujitsu.com   Michael L. Dow   Freescale   6501 William Cannon Drive West   Austin, TX  78735   USA   Phone: +1 512 895 4944   EMail: m.dow@freescale.com   Sandra L. Cespedes   Icesi University   Calle 18 #122-135, Pance   Cali,   Colombia   Phone: +57 (2) 5552334   EMail: scespedes@icesi.edu.coHerberg, et al.               Experimental                     [Page 41]

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