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Network Working Group                                         S. DeeringRequest for Comments: 2460                                         CiscoObsoletes:1883                                                R. HindenCategory: Standards Track                                          Nokia                                                           December 1998Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6)SpecificationStatus of this Memo   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.Copyright Notice   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.Abstract   This document specifies version 6 of the Internet Protocol (IPv6),   also sometimes referred to as IP Next Generation or IPng.Table of Contents1. Introduction..................................................22. Terminology...................................................33. IPv6 Header Format............................................44. IPv6 Extension Headers........................................64.1 Extension Header Order...................................74.2 Options..................................................94.3 Hop-by-Hop Options Header...............................114.4 Routing Header..........................................124.5 Fragment Header.........................................184.6 Destination Options Header..............................234.7 No Next Header..........................................245. Packet Size Issues...........................................246. Flow Labels..................................................257. Traffic Classes..............................................258. Upper-Layer Protocol Issues..................................278.1 Upper-Layer Checksums...................................278.2 Maximum Packet Lifetime.................................288.3 Maximum Upper-Layer Payload Size........................288.4 Responding to Packets Carrying Routing Headers..........29Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 1]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998Appendix A. Semantics and Usage of the Flow Label Field.........30Appendix B. Formatting Guidelines for Options...................32   Security Considerations.........................................35   Acknowledgments.................................................35   Authors' Addresses..............................................35   References......................................................35   Changes SinceRFC-1883..........................................36   Full Copyright Statement........................................391.  Introduction   IP version 6 (IPv6) is a new version of the Internet Protocol,   designed as the successor to IP version 4 (IPv4) [RFC-791].  The   changes from IPv4 to IPv6 fall primarily into the following   categories:      o  Expanded Addressing Capabilities         IPv6 increases the IP address size from 32 bits to 128 bits, to         support more levels of addressing hierarchy, a much greater         number of addressable nodes, and simpler auto-configuration of         addresses.  The scalability of multicast routing is improved by         adding a "scope" field to multicast addresses.  And a new type         of address called an "anycast address" is defined, used to send         a packet to any one of a group of nodes.      o  Header Format Simplification         Some IPv4 header fields have been dropped or made optional, to         reduce the common-case processing cost of packet handling and         to limit the bandwidth cost of the IPv6 header.      o  Improved Support for Extensions and Options         Changes in the way IP header options are encoded allows for         more efficient forwarding, less stringent limits on the length         of options, and greater flexibility for introducing new options         in the future.      o  Flow Labeling Capability         A new capability is added to enable the labeling of packets         belonging to particular traffic "flows" for which the sender         requests special handling, such as non-default quality of         service or "real-time" service.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 2]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998      o  Authentication and Privacy Capabilities         Extensions to support authentication, data integrity, and         (optional) data confidentiality are specified for IPv6.   This document specifies the basic IPv6 header and the initially-   defined IPv6 extension headers and options.  It also discusses packet   size issues, the semantics of flow labels and traffic classes, and   the effects of IPv6 on upper-layer protocols.  The format and   semantics of IPv6 addresses are specified separately in [ADDRARCH].   The IPv6 version of ICMP, which all IPv6 implementations are required   to include, is specified in [ICMPv6].2.  Terminology   node        - a device that implements IPv6.   router      - a node that forwards IPv6 packets not explicitly                 addressed to itself.  [See Note below].   host        - any node that is not a router.  [See Note below].   upper layer - a protocol layer immediately above IPv6.  Examples are                 transport protocols such as TCP and UDP, control                 protocols such as ICMP, routing protocols such as OSPF,                 and internet or lower-layer protocols being "tunneled"                 over (i.e., encapsulated in) IPv6 such as IPX,                 AppleTalk, or IPv6 itself.   link        - a communication facility or medium over which nodes can                 communicate at the link layer, i.e., the layer                 immediately below IPv6.  Examples are Ethernets (simple                 or bridged); PPP links; X.25, Frame Relay, or ATM                 networks; and internet (or higher) layer "tunnels",                 such as tunnels over IPv4 or IPv6 itself.   neighbors   - nodes attached to the same link.   interface   - a node's attachment to a link.   address     - an IPv6-layer identifier for an interface or a set of                 interfaces.   packet      - an IPv6 header plus payload.   link MTU    - the maximum transmission unit, i.e., maximum packet                 size in octets, that can be conveyed over a link.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 3]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   path MTU    - the minimum link MTU of all the links in a path between                 a source node and a destination node.   Note: it is possible, though unusual, for a device with multiple   interfaces to be configured to forward non-self-destined packets   arriving from some set (fewer than all) of its interfaces, and to   discard non-self-destined packets arriving from its other interfaces.   Such a device must obey the protocol requirements for routers when   receiving packets from, and interacting with neighbors over, the   former (forwarding) interfaces.  It must obey the protocol   requirements for hosts when receiving packets from, and interacting   with neighbors over, the latter (non-forwarding) interfaces.3.  IPv6 Header Format   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |Version| Traffic Class |           Flow Label                  |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |         Payload Length        |  Next Header  |   Hop Limit   |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +                         Source Address                        +   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +                      Destination Address                      +   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Version              4-bit Internet Protocol version number = 6.   Traffic Class        8-bit traffic class field.  Seesection 7.   Flow Label           20-bit flow label.  Seesection 6.   Payload Length       16-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the IPv6                        payload, i.e., the rest of the packet following                        this IPv6 header, in octets.  (Note that anyDeering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 4]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998                        extension headers [section 4] present are                        considered part of the payload, i.e., included                        in the length count.)   Next Header          8-bit selector.  Identifies the type of header                        immediately following the IPv6 header.  Uses the                        same values as the IPv4 Protocol field [RFC-1700                        et seq.].   Hop Limit            8-bit unsigned integer.  Decremented by 1 by                        each node that forwards the packet. The packet                        is discarded if Hop Limit is decremented to                        zero.   Source Address       128-bit address of the originator of the packet.                        See [ADDRARCH].   Destination Address  128-bit address of the intended recipient of the                        packet (possibly not the ultimate recipient, if                        a Routing header is present).  See [ADDRARCH]                        andsection 4.4.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 5]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 19984.  IPv6 Extension Headers   In IPv6, optional internet-layer information is encoded in separate   headers that may be placed between the IPv6 header and the upper-   layer header in a packet.  There are a small number of such extension   headers, each identified by a distinct Next Header value.  As   illustrated in these examples, an IPv6 packet may carry zero, one, or   more extension headers, each identified by the Next Header field of   the preceding header:   +---------------+------------------------   |  IPv6 header  | TCP header + data   |               |   | Next Header = |   |      TCP      |   +---------------+------------------------   +---------------+----------------+------------------------   |  IPv6 header  | Routing header | TCP header + data   |               |                |   | Next Header = |  Next Header = |   |    Routing    |      TCP       |   +---------------+----------------+------------------------   +---------------+----------------+-----------------+-----------------   |  IPv6 header  | Routing header | Fragment header | fragment of TCP   |               |                |                 |  header + data   | Next Header = |  Next Header = |  Next Header =  |   |    Routing    |    Fragment    |       TCP       |   +---------------+----------------+-----------------+-----------------   With one exception, extension headers are not examined or processed   by any node along a packet's delivery path, until the packet reaches   the node (or each of the set of nodes, in the case of multicast)   identified in the Destination Address field of the IPv6 header.   There, normal demultiplexing on the Next Header field of the IPv6   header invokes the module to process the first extension header, or   the upper-layer header if no extension header is present.  The   contents and semantics of each extension header determine whether or   not to proceed to the next header.  Therefore, extension headers must   be processed strictly in the order they appear in the packet; a   receiver must not, for example, scan through a packet looking for a   particular kind of extension header and process that header prior to   processing all preceding ones.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 6]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   The exception referred to in the preceding paragraph is the Hop-by-   Hop Options header, which carries information that must be examined   and processed by every node along a packet's delivery path, including   the source and destination nodes.  The Hop-by-Hop Options header,   when present, must immediately follow the IPv6 header.  Its presence   is indicated by the value zero in the Next Header field of the IPv6   header.   If, as a result of processing a header, a node is required to proceed   to the next header but the Next Header value in the current header is   unrecognized by the node, it should discard the packet and send an   ICMP Parameter Problem message to the source of the packet, with an   ICMP Code value of 1 ("unrecognized Next Header type encountered")   and the ICMP Pointer field containing the offset of the unrecognized   value within the original packet.  The same action should be taken if   a node encounters a Next Header value of zero in any header other   than an IPv6 header.   Each extension header is an integer multiple of 8 octets long, in   order to retain 8-octet alignment for subsequent headers.  Multi-   octet fields within each extension header are aligned on their   natural boundaries, i.e., fields of width n octets are placed at an   integer multiple of n octets from the start of the header, for n = 1,   2, 4, or 8.   A full implementation of IPv6 includes implementation of the   following extension headers:           Hop-by-Hop Options           Routing (Type 0)           Fragment           Destination Options           Authentication           Encapsulating Security Payload   The first four are specified in this document; the last two are   specified in [RFC-2402] and [RFC-2406], respectively.4.1  Extension Header Order   When more than one extension header is used in the same packet, it is   recommended that those headers appear in the following order:           IPv6 header           Hop-by-Hop Options header           Destination Options header (note 1)           Routing header           Fragment headerDeering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 7]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998           Authentication header (note 2)           Encapsulating Security Payload header (note 2)           Destination Options header (note 3)           upper-layer header           note 1: for options to be processed by the first destination                   that appears in the IPv6 Destination Address field                   plus subsequent destinations listed in the Routing                   header.           note 2: additional recommendations regarding the relative                   order of the Authentication and Encapsulating                   Security Payload headers are given in [RFC-2406].           note 3: for options to be processed only by the final                   destination of the packet.   Each extension header should occur at most once, except for the   Destination Options header which should occur at most twice (once   before a Routing header and once before the upper-layer header).   If the upper-layer header is another IPv6 header (in the case of IPv6   being tunneled over or encapsulated in IPv6), it may be followed by   its own extension headers, which are separately subject to the same   ordering recommendations.   If and when other extension headers are defined, their ordering   constraints relative to the above listed headers must be specified.   IPv6 nodes must accept and attempt to process extension headers in   any order and occurring any number of times in the same packet,   except for the Hop-by-Hop Options header which is restricted to   appear immediately after an IPv6 header only.  Nonetheless, it is   strongly advised that sources of IPv6 packets adhere to the above   recommended order until and unless subsequent specifications revise   that recommendation.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 8]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 19984.2  Options   Two of the currently-defined extension headers -- the Hop-by-Hop   Options header and the Destination Options header -- carry a variable   number of type-length-value (TLV) encoded "options", of the following   format:      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- - - - - - - - -      |  Option Type  |  Opt Data Len |  Option Data      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- - - - - - - - -      Option Type          8-bit identifier of the type of option.      Opt Data Len         8-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the Option                           Data field of this option, in octets.      Option Data          Variable-length field.  Option-Type-specific                           data.   The sequence of options within a header must be processed strictly in   the order they appear in the header; a receiver must not, for   example, scan through the header looking for a particular kind of   option and process that option prior to processing all preceding   ones.   The Option Type identifiers are internally encoded such that their   highest-order two bits specify the action that must be taken if the   processing IPv6 node does not recognize the Option Type:      00 - skip over this option and continue processing the header.      01 - discard the packet.      10 - discard the packet and, regardless of whether or not the           packet's Destination Address was a multicast address, send an           ICMP Parameter Problem, Code 2, message to the packet's           Source Address, pointing to the unrecognized Option Type.      11 - 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 the packet's Source Address,           pointing to the unrecognized Option Type.   The third-highest-order bit of the Option Type specifies whether or   not the Option Data of that option can change en-route to the   packet's final destination.  When an Authentication header is presentDeering & Hinden            Standards Track                     [Page 9]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   in the packet, for any option whose data may change en-route, its   entire Option Data field must be treated as zero-valued octets when   computing or verifying the packet's authenticating value.      0 - Option Data does not change en-route      1 - Option Data may change en-route   The three high-order bits described above are to be treated as part   of the Option Type, not independent of the Option Type.  That is, a   particular option is identified by a full 8-bit Option Type, not just   the low-order 5 bits of an Option Type.   The same Option Type numbering space is used for both the Hop-by-Hop   Options header and the Destination Options header.  However, the   specification of a particular option may restrict its use to only one   of those two headers.   Individual options may have specific alignment requirements, to   ensure that multi-octet values within Option Data fields fall on   natural boundaries.  The alignment requirement of an option is   specified using the notation xn+y, meaning the Option Type must   appear at an integer multiple of x octets from the start of the   header, plus y octets.  For example:      2n    means any 2-octet offset from the start of the header.      8n+2  means any 8-octet offset from the start of the header,            plus 2 octets.   There are two padding options which are used when necessary to align   subsequent options and to pad out the containing header to a multiple   of 8 octets in length.  These padding options must be recognized by   all IPv6 implementations:   Pad1 option  (alignment requirement: none)      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      |       0       |      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      NOTE! the format of the Pad1 option is a special case -- it does            not have length and value fields.      The Pad1 option is used to insert one octet of padding into the      Options area of a header.  If more than one octet of padding is      required, the PadN option, described next, should be used, rather      than multiple Pad1 options.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 10]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   PadN option  (alignment requirement: none)      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- - - - - - - - -      |       1       |  Opt Data Len |  Option Data      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- - - - - - - - -      The PadN option is used to insert two or more octets of padding      into the Options area of a header.  For N octets of padding, the      Opt Data Len field contains the value N-2, and the Option Data      consists of N-2 zero-valued octets.Appendix B contains formatting guidelines for designing new options.4.3  Hop-by-Hop Options Header   The Hop-by-Hop Options header is used to carry optional information   that must be examined by every node along a packet's delivery path.   The Hop-by-Hop Options header is identified by a Next Header value of   0 in the IPv6 header, and has the following format:    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |  Next Header  |  Hdr Ext Len  |                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                               +    |                                                               |    .                                                               .    .                            Options                            .    .                                                               .    |                                                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Next Header          8-bit selector.  Identifies the type of header                        immediately following the Hop-by-Hop Options                        header.  Uses the same values as the IPv4                        Protocol field [RFC-1700 et seq.].   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.   Options              Variable-length field, of length such that the                        complete Hop-by-Hop Options header is an integer                        multiple of 8 octets long.  Contains one or more                        TLV-encoded options, as described insection4.2.   The only hop-by-hop options defined in this document are the Pad1 and   PadN options specified insection 4.2.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 11]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 19984.4  Routing Header   The Routing header is used by an IPv6 source to list one or more   intermediate nodes to be "visited" on the way to a packet's   destination.  This function is very similar to IPv4's Loose Source   and Record Route option.  The Routing header is identified by a Next   Header value of 43 in the immediately preceding header, and has the   following format:    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |  Next Header  |  Hdr Ext Len  |  Routing Type | Segments Left |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |                                                               |    .                                                               .    .                       type-specific data                      .    .                                                               .    |                                                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Next Header          8-bit selector.  Identifies the type of header                        immediately following the Routing header.  Uses                        the same values as the IPv4 Protocol field                        [RFC-1700 et seq.].   Hdr Ext Len          8-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the Routing                        header in 8-octet units, not including the first                        8 octets.   Routing Type         8-bit identifier of a particular Routing header                        variant.   Segments Left        8-bit unsigned integer.  Number of route                        segments remaining, i.e., number of explicitly                        listed intermediate nodes still to be visited                        before reaching the final destination.   type-specific data   Variable-length field, of format determined by                        the Routing Type, and of length such that the                        complete Routing header is an integer multiple                        of 8 octets long.   If, while processing a received packet, a node encounters a Routing   header with an unrecognized Routing Type value, the required behavior   of the node depends on the value of the Segments Left field, as   follows:Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 12]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998      If Segments Left is zero, the node must ignore the Routing header      and proceed to process the next header in the packet, whose type      is identified by the Next Header field in the Routing header.      If Segments Left is non-zero, the node must discard the packet and      send an ICMP Parameter Problem, Code 0, message to the packet's      Source Address, pointing to the unrecognized Routing Type.   If, after processing a Routing header of a received packet, an   intermediate node determines that the packet is to be forwarded onto   a link whose link MTU is less than the size of the packet, the node   must discard the packet and send an ICMP Packet Too Big message to   the packet's Source Address.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 13]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   The Type 0 Routing header has the following format:    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |  Next Header  |  Hdr Ext Len  | Routing Type=0| Segments Left |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |                            Reserved                           |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |                                                               |    +                                                               +    |                                                               |    +                           Address[1]                          +    |                                                               |    +                                                               +    |                                                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |                                                               |    +                                                               +    |                                                               |    +                           Address[2]                          +    |                                                               |    +                                                               +    |                                                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    .                               .                               .    .                               .                               .    .                               .                               .    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |                                                               |    +                                                               +    |                                                               |    +                           Address[n]                          +    |                                                               |    +                                                               +    |                                                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Next Header          8-bit selector.  Identifies the type of header                        immediately following the Routing header.  Uses                        the same values as the IPv4 Protocol field                        [RFC-1700 et seq.].   Hdr Ext Len          8-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the Routing                        header in 8-octet units, not including the first                        8 octets.  For the Type 0 Routing header, Hdr                        Ext Len is equal to two times the number of                        addresses in the header.   Routing Type         0.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 14]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   Segments Left        8-bit unsigned integer.  Number of route                        segments remaining, i.e., number of explicitly                        listed intermediate nodes still to be visited                        before reaching the final destination.   Reserved             32-bit reserved field.  Initialized to zero for                        transmission; ignored on reception.   Address[1..n]        Vector of 128-bit addresses, numbered 1 to n.   Multicast addresses must not appear in a Routing header of Type 0, or   in the IPv6 Destination Address field of a packet carrying a Routing   header of Type 0.   A Routing header is not examined or processed until it reaches the   node identified in the Destination Address field of the IPv6 header.   In that node, dispatching on the Next Header field of the immediately   preceding header causes the Routing header module to be invoked,   which, in the case of Routing Type 0, performs the following   algorithm:Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 15]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   if Segments Left = 0 {      proceed to process the next header in the packet, whose type is      identified by the Next Header field in the Routing header   }   else if Hdr Ext Len is odd {         send an ICMP Parameter Problem, Code 0, message to the Source         Address, pointing to the Hdr Ext Len field, and discard the         packet   }   else {      compute n, the number of addresses in the Routing header, by      dividing Hdr Ext Len by 2      if Segments Left is greater than n {         send an ICMP Parameter Problem, Code 0, message to the Source         Address, pointing to the Segments Left field, and discard the         packet      }      else {         decrement Segments Left by 1;         compute i, the index of the next address to be visited in         the address vector, by subtracting Segments Left from n         if Address [i] or the IPv6 Destination Address is multicast {            discard the packet         }         else {            swap the IPv6 Destination Address and Address[i]            if the IPv6 Hop Limit is less than or equal to 1 {               send an ICMP Time Exceeded -- Hop Limit Exceeded in               Transit message to the Source Address and discard the               packet            }            else {               decrement the Hop Limit by 1               resubmit the packet to the IPv6 module for transmission               to the new destination            }         }      }   }Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 16]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   As an example of the effects of the above algorithm, consider the   case of a source node S sending a packet to destination node D, using   a Routing header to cause the packet to be routed via intermediate   nodes I1, I2, and I3.  The values of the relevant IPv6 header and   Routing header fields on each segment of the delivery path would be   as follows:   As the packet travels from S to I1:        Source Address = S                  Hdr Ext Len = 6        Destination Address = I1            Segments Left = 3                                            Address[1] = I2                                            Address[2] = I3                                            Address[3] = D   As the packet travels from I1 to I2:        Source Address = S                  Hdr Ext Len = 6        Destination Address = I2            Segments Left = 2                                            Address[1] = I1                                            Address[2] = I3                                            Address[3] = D   As the packet travels from I2 to I3:        Source Address = S                  Hdr Ext Len = 6        Destination Address = I3            Segments Left = 1                                            Address[1] = I1                                            Address[2] = I2                                            Address[3] = D   As the packet travels from I3 to D:        Source Address = S                  Hdr Ext Len = 6        Destination Address = D             Segments Left = 0                                            Address[1] = I1                                            Address[2] = I2                                            Address[3] = I3Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 17]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 19984.5  Fragment Header   The Fragment header is used by an IPv6 source to send a packet larger   than would fit in the path MTU to its destination.  (Note: unlike   IPv4, fragmentation in IPv6 is performed only by source nodes, not by   routers along a packet's delivery path -- seesection 5.)  The   Fragment header is identified by a Next Header value of 44 in the   immediately preceding header, and has the following format:   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |  Next Header  |   Reserved    |      Fragment Offset    |Res|M|   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         Identification                        |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Next Header          8-bit selector.  Identifies the initial header                        type of the Fragmentable Part of the original                        packet (defined below).  Uses the same values as                        the IPv4 Protocol field [RFC-1700 et seq.].   Reserved             8-bit reserved field.  Initialized to zero for                        transmission; ignored on reception.   Fragment Offset      13-bit unsigned integer.  The offset, in 8-octet                        units, of the data following this header,                        relative to the start of the Fragmentable Part                        of the original packet.   Res                  2-bit reserved field.  Initialized to zero for                        transmission; ignored on reception.   M flag               1 = more fragments; 0 = last fragment.   Identification       32 bits.  See description below.   In order to send a packet that is too large to fit in the MTU of the   path to its destination, a source node may divide the packet into   fragments and send each fragment as a separate packet, to be   reassembled at the receiver.   For every packet that is to be fragmented, the source node generates   an Identification value. The Identification must be different than   that of any other fragmented packet sent recently* with the same   Source Address and Destination Address.  If a Routing header is   present, the Destination Address of concern is that of the final   destination.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 18]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998      * "recently" means within the maximum likely lifetime of a packet,        including transit time from source to destination and time spent        awaiting reassembly with other fragments of the same packet.        However, it is not required that a source node know the maximum        packet lifetime.  Rather, it is assumed that the requirement can        be met by maintaining the Identification value as a simple, 32-        bit, "wrap-around" counter, incremented each time a packet must        be fragmented.  It is an implementation choice whether to        maintain a single counter for the node or multiple counters,        e.g., one for each of the node's possible source addresses, or        one for each active (source address, destination address)        combination.   The initial, large, unfragmented packet is referred to as the   "original packet", and it is considered to consist of two parts, as   illustrated:   original packet:   +------------------+----------------------//-----------------------+   |  Unfragmentable  |                 Fragmentable                  |   |       Part       |                     Part                      |   +------------------+----------------------//-----------------------+      The Unfragmentable Part consists of the IPv6 header plus any      extension headers that must be processed by nodes en route to the      destination, that is, all headers up to and including the Routing      header if present, else the Hop-by-Hop Options header if present,      else no extension headers.      The Fragmentable Part consists of the rest of the packet, that is,      any extension headers that need be processed only by the final      destination node(s), plus the upper-layer header and data.   The Fragmentable Part of the original packet is divided into   fragments, each, except possibly the last ("rightmost") one, being an   integer multiple of 8 octets long.  The fragments are transmitted in   separate "fragment packets" as illustrated:   original packet:   +------------------+--------------+--------------+--//--+----------+   |  Unfragmentable  |    first     |    second    |      |   last   |   |       Part       |   fragment   |   fragment   | .... | fragment |   +------------------+--------------+--------------+--//--+----------+Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 19]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   fragment packets:   +------------------+--------+--------------+   |  Unfragmentable  |Fragment|    first     |   |       Part       | Header |   fragment   |   +------------------+--------+--------------+   +------------------+--------+--------------+   |  Unfragmentable  |Fragment|    second    |   |       Part       | Header |   fragment   |   +------------------+--------+--------------+                         o                         o                         o   +------------------+--------+----------+   |  Unfragmentable  |Fragment|   last   |   |       Part       | Header | fragment |   +------------------+--------+----------+   Each fragment packet is composed of:      (1) The Unfragmentable Part of the original packet, with the          Payload Length of the original IPv6 header changed to contain          the length of this fragment packet only (excluding the length          of the IPv6 header itself), and the Next Header field of the          last header of the Unfragmentable Part changed to 44.      (2) A Fragment header containing:               The Next Header value that identifies the first header of               the Fragmentable Part of the original packet.               A Fragment Offset containing the offset of the fragment,               in 8-octet units, relative to the start of the               Fragmentable Part of the original packet.  The Fragment               Offset of the first ("leftmost") fragment is 0.               An M flag value of 0 if the fragment is the last               ("rightmost") one, else an M flag value of 1.               The Identification value generated for the original               packet.      (3) The fragment itself.   The lengths of the fragments must be chosen such that the resulting   fragment packets fit within the MTU of the path to the packets'   destination(s).Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 20]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   At the destination, fragment packets are reassembled into their   original, unfragmented form, as illustrated:   reassembled original packet:   +------------------+----------------------//------------------------+   |  Unfragmentable  |                 Fragmentable                   |   |       Part       |                     Part                       |   +------------------+----------------------//------------------------+   The following rules govern reassembly:      An original packet is reassembled only from fragment packets that      have the same Source Address, Destination Address, and Fragment      Identification.      The Unfragmentable Part of the reassembled packet consists of all      headers up to, but not including, the Fragment header of the first      fragment packet (that is, the packet whose Fragment Offset is      zero), with the following two changes:         The Next Header field of the last header of the Unfragmentable         Part is obtained from the Next Header field of the first         fragment's Fragment header.         The Payload Length of the reassembled packet is computed from         the length of the Unfragmentable Part and the length and offset         of the last fragment.  For example, a formula for computing the         Payload Length of the reassembled original packet is:           PL.orig = PL.first - FL.first - 8 + (8 * FO.last) + FL.last           where           PL.orig  = Payload Length field of reassembled packet.           PL.first = Payload Length field of first fragment packet.           FL.first = length of fragment following Fragment header of                      first fragment packet.           FO.last  = Fragment Offset field of Fragment header of                      last fragment packet.           FL.last  = length of fragment following Fragment header of                      last fragment packet.      The Fragmentable Part of the reassembled packet is constructed      from the fragments following the Fragment headers in each of the      fragment packets.  The length of each fragment is computed by      subtracting from the packet's Payload Length the length of theDeering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 21]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998      headers between the IPv6 header and fragment itself; its relative      position in Fragmentable Part is computed from its Fragment Offset      value.      The Fragment header is not present in the final, reassembled      packet.   The following error conditions may arise when reassembling fragmented   packets:      If insufficient fragments are received to complete reassembly of a      packet within 60 seconds of the reception of the first-arriving      fragment of that packet, reassembly of that packet must be      abandoned and all the fragments that have been received for that      packet must be discarded.  If the first fragment (i.e., the one      with a Fragment Offset of zero) has been received, an ICMP Time      Exceeded -- Fragment Reassembly Time Exceeded message should be      sent to the source of that fragment.      If the length of a fragment, as derived from the fragment packet's      Payload Length field, is not a multiple of 8 octets and the M flag      of that fragment is 1, then that fragment must be discarded and an      ICMP Parameter Problem, Code 0, message should be sent to the      source of the fragment, pointing to the Payload Length field of      the fragment packet.      If the length and offset of a fragment are such that the Payload      Length of the packet reassembled from that fragment would exceed      65,535 octets, then that fragment must be discarded and an ICMP      Parameter Problem, Code 0, message should be sent to the source of      the fragment, pointing to the Fragment Offset field of the      fragment packet.   The following conditions are not expected to occur, but are not   considered errors if they do:      The number and content of the headers preceding the Fragment      header of different fragments of the same original packet may      differ.  Whatever headers are present, preceding the Fragment      header in each fragment packet, are processed when the packets      arrive, prior to queueing the fragments for reassembly.  Only      those headers in the Offset zero fragment packet are retained in      the reassembled packet.      The Next Header values in the Fragment headers of different      fragments of the same original packet may differ.  Only the value      from the Offset zero fragment packet is used for reassembly.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 22]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 19984.6  Destination Options Header   The Destination Options header is used to carry optional information   that need be examined only by a packet's destination node(s).  The   Destination Options header is identified by a Next Header value of 60   in the immediately preceding header, and has the following format:    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+    |  Next Header  |  Hdr Ext Len  |                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                               +    |                                                               |    .                                                               .    .                            Options                            .    .                                                               .    |                                                               |    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Next Header          8-bit selector.  Identifies the type of header                        immediately following the Destination Options                        header.  Uses the same values as the IPv4                        Protocol field [RFC-1700 et seq.].   Hdr Ext Len          8-bit unsigned integer.  Length of the                        Destination Options header in 8-octet units, not                        including the first 8 octets.   Options              Variable-length field, of length such that the                        complete Destination Options header is an                        integer multiple of 8 octets long.  Contains one                        or  more TLV-encoded options, as described insection 4.2.   The only destination options defined in this document are the Pad1   and PadN options specified insection 4.2.   Note that there are two possible ways to encode optional destination   information in an IPv6 packet: either as an option in the Destination   Options header, or as a separate extension header.  The Fragment   header and the Authentication header are examples of the latter   approach.  Which approach can be used depends on what action is   desired of a destination node that does not understand the optional   information:      o  If the desired action is for the destination node to discard         the packet and, only if the packet's Destination Address is not         a multicast address, send an ICMP Unrecognized Type message to         the packet's Source Address, then the information may be         encoded either as a separate header or as an option in theDeering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 23]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998         Destination Options header whose Option Type has the value 11         in its highest-order two bits.  The choice may depend on such         factors as which takes fewer octets, or which yields better         alignment or more efficient parsing.      o  If any other action is desired, the information must be encoded         as an option in the Destination Options header whose Option         Type has the value 00, 01, or 10 in its highest-order two bits,         specifying the desired action (seesection 4.2).4.7 No Next Header   The value 59 in the Next Header field of an IPv6 header or any   extension header indicates that there is nothing following that   header.  If the Payload Length field of the IPv6 header indicates the   presence of octets past the end of a header whose Next Header field   contains 59, those octets must be ignored, and passed on unchanged if   the packet is forwarded.5. Packet Size Issues   IPv6 requires that every link in the internet have an MTU of 1280   octets or greater.  On any link that cannot convey a 1280-octet   packet in one piece, link-specific fragmentation and reassembly must   be provided at a layer below IPv6.   Links that have a configurable MTU (for example, PPP links [RFC-   1661]) must be configured to have an MTU of at least 1280 octets; it   is recommended that they be configured with an MTU of 1500 octets or   greater, to accommodate possible encapsulations (i.e., tunneling)   without incurring IPv6-layer fragmentation.   From each link to which a node is directly attached, the node must be   able to accept packets as large as that link's MTU.   It is strongly recommended that IPv6 nodes implement Path MTU   Discovery [RFC-1981], in order to discover and take advantage of path   MTUs greater than 1280 octets.  However, a minimal IPv6   implementation (e.g., in a boot ROM) may simply restrict itself to   sending packets no larger than 1280 octets, and omit implementation   of Path MTU Discovery.   In order to send a packet larger than a path's MTU, a node may use   the IPv6 Fragment header to fragment the packet at the source and   have it reassembled at the destination(s).  However, the use of such   fragmentation is discouraged in any application that is able to   adjust its packets to fit the measured path MTU (i.e., down to 1280   octets).Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 24]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   A node must be able to accept a fragmented packet that, after   reassembly, is as large as 1500 octets.  A node is permitted to   accept fragmented packets that reassemble to more than 1500 octets.   An upper-layer protocol or application that depends on IPv6   fragmentation to send packets larger than the MTU of a path should   not send packets larger than 1500 octets unless it has assurance that   the destination is capable of reassembling packets of that larger   size.   In response to an IPv6 packet that is sent to an IPv4 destination   (i.e., a packet that undergoes translation from IPv6 to IPv4), the   originating IPv6 node may receive an ICMP Packet Too Big message   reporting a Next-Hop MTU less than 1280.  In that case, the IPv6 node   is not required to reduce the size of subsequent packets to less than   1280, but must include a Fragment header in those packets so that the   IPv6-to-IPv4 translating router can obtain a suitable Identification   value to use in resulting IPv4 fragments.  Note that this means the   payload may have to be reduced to 1232 octets (1280 minus 40 for the   IPv6 header and 8 for the Fragment header), and smaller still if   additional extension headers are used.6.  Flow Labels   The 20-bit Flow Label field in the IPv6 header may be used by a   source to label sequences of packets for which it requests special   handling by the IPv6 routers, such as non-default quality of service   or "real-time" service.  This aspect of IPv6 is, at the time of   writing, still experimental and subject to change as the requirements   for flow support in the Internet become clearer.  Hosts or routers   that do not support the functions of the Flow Label field are   required to set the field to zero when originating a packet, pass the   field on unchanged when forwarding a packet, and ignore the field   when receiving a packet.Appendix A describes the current intended semantics and usage of the   Flow Label field.7.  Traffic Classes   The 8-bit Traffic Class field in the IPv6 header is available for use   by originating nodes and/or forwarding routers to identify and   distinguish between different classes or priorities of IPv6 packets.   At the point in time at which this specification is being written,   there are a number of experiments underway in the use of the IPv4   Type of Service and/or Precedence bits to provide various forms of   "differentiated service" for IP packets, other than through the use   of explicit flow set-up.  The Traffic Class field in the IPv6 header   is intended to allow similar functionality to be supported in IPv6.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 25]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   It is hoped that those experiments will eventually lead to agreement   on what sorts of traffic classifications are most useful for IP   packets.  Detailed definitions of the syntax and semantics of all or   some of the IPv6 Traffic Class bits, whether experimental or intended   for eventual standardization, are to be provided in separate   documents.   The following general requirements apply to the Traffic Class field:      o  The service interface to the IPv6 service within a node must         provide a means for an upper-layer protocol to supply the value         of the Traffic Class bits in packets originated by that upper-         layer protocol.  The default value must be zero for all 8 bits.      o  Nodes that support a specific (experimental or eventual         standard) use of some or all of the Traffic Class bits are         permitted to change the value of those bits in packets that         they originate, forward, or receive, as required for that         specific use.  Nodes should ignore and leave unchanged any bits         of the Traffic Class field for which they do not support a         specific use.      o  An upper-layer protocol must not assume that the value of the         Traffic Class bits in a received packet are the same as the         value sent by the packet's source.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 26]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 19988. Upper-Layer Protocol Issues8.1 Upper-Layer Checksums   Any transport or other upper-layer protocol that includes the   addresses from the IP header in its checksum computation must be   modified for use over IPv6, to include the 128-bit IPv6 addresses   instead of 32-bit IPv4 addresses.  In particular, the following   illustration shows the TCP and UDP "pseudo-header" for IPv6:   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +                         Source Address                        +   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +                      Destination Address                      +   |                                                               |   +                                                               +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                   Upper-Layer Packet Length                   |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                      zero                     |  Next Header  |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+      o  If the IPv6 packet contains a Routing header, the Destination         Address used in the pseudo-header is that of the final         destination.  At the originating node, that address will be in         the last element of the Routing header; at the recipient(s),         that address will be in the Destination Address field of the         IPv6 header.      o  The Next Header value in the pseudo-header identifies the         upper-layer protocol (e.g., 6 for TCP, or 17 for UDP).  It will         differ from the Next Header value in the IPv6 header if there         are extension headers between the IPv6 header and the upper-         layer header.      o  The Upper-Layer Packet Length in the pseudo-header is the         length of the upper-layer header and data (e.g., TCP header         plus TCP data).  Some upper-layer protocols carry their ownDeering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 27]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998         length information (e.g., the Length field in the UDP header);         for such protocols, that is the length used in the pseudo-         header.  Other protocols (such as TCP) do not carry their own         length information, in which case the length used in the         pseudo-header is the Payload Length from the IPv6 header, minus         the length of any extension headers present between the IPv6         header and the upper-layer header.      o  Unlike IPv4, when UDP packets are originated by an IPv6 node,         the UDP checksum is not optional.  That is, whenever         originating a UDP packet, an IPv6 node must compute a UDP         checksum over the packet and the pseudo-header, and, if that         computation yields a result of zero, it must be changed to hex         FFFF for placement in the UDP header.  IPv6 receivers must         discard UDP packets containing a zero checksum, and should log         the error.   The IPv6 version of ICMP [ICMPv6] includes the above pseudo-header in   its checksum computation; this is a change from the IPv4 version of   ICMP, which does not include a pseudo-header in its checksum.  The   reason for the change is to protect ICMP from misdelivery or   corruption of those fields of the IPv6 header on which it depends,   which, unlike IPv4, are not covered by an internet-layer checksum.   The Next Header field in the pseudo-header for ICMP contains the   value 58, which identifies the IPv6 version of ICMP.8.2 Maximum Packet Lifetime   Unlike IPv4, IPv6 nodes are not required to enforce maximum packet   lifetime.  That is the reason the IPv4 "Time to Live" field was   renamed "Hop Limit" in IPv6.  In practice, very few, if any, IPv4   implementations conform to the requirement that they limit packet   lifetime, so this is not a change in practice.  Any upper-layer   protocol that relies on the internet layer (whether IPv4 or IPv6) to   limit packet lifetime ought to be upgraded to provide its own   mechanisms for detecting and discarding obsolete packets.8.3 Maximum Upper-Layer Payload Size   When computing the maximum payload size available for upper-layer   data, an upper-layer protocol must take into account the larger size   of the IPv6 header relative to the IPv4 header.  For example, in   IPv4, TCP's MSS option is computed as the maximum packet size (a   default value or a value learned through Path MTU Discovery) minus 40   octets (20 octets for the minimum-length IPv4 header and 20 octets   for the minimum-length TCP header).  When using TCP over IPv6, the   MSS must be computed as the maximum packet size minus 60 octets,Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 28]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   because the minimum-length IPv6 header (i.e., an IPv6 header with no   extension headers) is 20 octets longer than a minimum-length IPv4   header.8.4 Responding to Packets Carrying Routing Headers   When an upper-layer protocol sends one or more packets in response to   a received packet that included a Routing header, the response   packet(s) must not include a Routing header that was automatically   derived by "reversing" the received Routing header UNLESS the   integrity and authenticity of the received Source Address and Routing   header have been verified (e.g., via the use of an Authentication   header in the received packet).  In other words, only the following   kinds of packets are permitted in response to a received packet   bearing a Routing header:      o  Response packets that do not carry Routing headers.      o  Response packets that carry Routing headers that were NOT         derived by reversing the Routing header of the received packet         (for example, a Routing header supplied by local         configuration).      o  Response packets that carry Routing headers that were derived         by reversing the Routing header of the received packet IF AND         ONLY IF the integrity and authenticity of the Source Address         and Routing header from the received packet have been verified         by the responder.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 29]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998Appendix A. Semantics and Usage of the Flow Label Field   A flow is a sequence of packets sent from a particular source to a   particular (unicast or multicast) destination for which the source   desires special handling by the intervening routers.  The nature of   that special handling might be conveyed to the routers by a control   protocol, such as a resource reservation protocol, or by information   within the flow's packets themselves, e.g., in a hop-by-hop option.   The details of such control protocols or options are beyond the scope   of this document.   There may be multiple active flows from a source to a destination, as   well as traffic that is not associated with any flow.  A flow is   uniquely identified by the combination of a source address and a   non-zero flow label.  Packets that do not belong to a flow carry a   flow label of zero.   A flow label is assigned to a flow by the flow's source node.  New   flow labels must be chosen (pseudo-)randomly and uniformly from the   range 1 to FFFFF hex.  The purpose of the random allocation is to   make any set of bits within the Flow Label field suitable for use as   a hash key by routers, for looking up the state associated with the   flow.   All packets belonging to the same flow must be sent with the same   source address, destination address, and flow label.  If any of those   packets includes a Hop-by-Hop Options header, then they all must be   originated with the same Hop-by-Hop Options header contents   (excluding the Next Header field of the Hop-by-Hop Options header).   If any of those packets includes a Routing header, then they all must   be originated with the same contents in all extension headers up to   and including the Routing header (excluding the Next Header field in   the Routing header).  The routers or destinations are permitted, but   not required, to verify that these conditions are satisfied.  If a   violation is detected, it should be reported to the source by an ICMP   Parameter Problem message, Code 0, pointing to the high-order octet   of the Flow Label field (i.e., offset 1 within the IPv6 packet).   The maximum lifetime of any flow-handling state established along a   flow's path must be specified as part of the description of the   state-establishment mechanism, e.g., the resource reservation   protocol or the flow-setup hop-by-hop option.  A source must not re-   use a flow label for a new flow within the maximum lifetime of any   flow-handling state that might have been established for the prior   use of that flow label.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 30]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   When a node stops and restarts (e.g., as a result of a "crash"), it   must be careful not to use a flow label that it might have used for   an earlier flow whose lifetime may not have expired yet.  This may be   accomplished by recording flow label usage on stable storage so that   it can be remembered across crashes, or by refraining from using any   flow labels until the maximum lifetime of any possible previously   established flows has expired.  If the minimum time for rebooting the   node is known, that time can be deducted from the necessary waiting   period before starting to allocate flow labels.   There is no requirement that all, or even most, packets belong to   flows, i.e., carry non-zero flow labels.  This observation is placed   here to remind protocol designers and implementors not to assume   otherwise.  For example, it would be unwise to design a router whose   performance would be adequate only if most packets belonged to flows,   or to design a header compression scheme that only worked on packets   that belonged to flows.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 31]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998Appendix B. Formatting Guidelines for Options   This appendix gives some advice on how to lay out the fields when   designing new options to be used in the Hop-by-Hop Options header or   the Destination Options header, as described insection 4.2.  These   guidelines are based on the following assumptions:      o  One desirable feature is that any multi-octet fields within the         Option Data area of an option be aligned on their natural         boundaries, i.e., fields of width n octets should be placed at         an integer multiple of n octets from the start of the Hop-by-         Hop or Destination Options header, for n = 1, 2, 4, or 8.      o  Another desirable feature is that the Hop-by-Hop or Destination         Options header take up as little space as possible, subject to         the requirement that the header be an integer multiple of 8         octets long.      o  It may be assumed that, when either of the option-bearing         headers are present, they carry a very small number of options,         usually only one.   These assumptions suggest the following approach to laying out the   fields of an option: order the fields from smallest to largest, with   no interior padding, then derive the alignment requirement for the   entire option based on the alignment requirement of the largest field   (up to a maximum alignment of 8 octets).  This approach is   illustrated in the following examples:   Example 1   If an option X required two data fields, one of length 8 octets and   one of length 4 octets, it would be laid out as follows:                                   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                                   | Option Type=X |Opt Data Len=12|   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                         8-octet field                         +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 32]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   Its alignment requirement is 8n+2, to ensure that the 8-octet field   starts at a multiple-of-8 offset from the start of the enclosing   header.  A complete Hop-by-Hop or Destination Options header   containing this one option would look as follows:   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |  Next Header  | Hdr Ext Len=1 | Option Type=X |Opt Data Len=12|   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                         8-octet field                         +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Example 2   If an option Y required three data fields, one of length 4 octets,   one of length 2 octets, and one of length 1 octet, it would be laid   out as follows:                                                   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+                                                   | Option Type=Y |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |Opt Data Len=7 | 1-octet field |         2-octet field         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   Its alignment requirement is 4n+3, to ensure that the 4-octet field   starts at a multiple-of-4 offset from the start of the enclosing   header.  A complete Hop-by-Hop or Destination Options header   containing this one option would look as follows:   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |  Next Header  | Hdr Ext Len=1 | Pad1 Option=0 | Option Type=Y |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |Opt Data Len=7 | 1-octet field |         2-octet field         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   | PadN Option=1 |Opt Data Len=2 |       0       |       0       |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 33]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   Example 3   A Hop-by-Hop or Destination Options header containing both options X   and Y from Examples 1 and 2 would have one of the two following   formats, depending on which option appeared first:   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |  Next Header  | Hdr Ext Len=3 | Option Type=X |Opt Data Len=12|   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                         8-octet field                         +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   | PadN Option=1 |Opt Data Len=1 |       0       | Option Type=Y |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |Opt Data Len=7 | 1-octet field |         2-octet field         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   | PadN Option=1 |Opt Data Len=2 |       0       |       0       |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |  Next Header  | Hdr Ext Len=3 | Pad1 Option=0 | Option Type=Y |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |Opt Data Len=7 | 1-octet field |         2-octet field         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   | PadN Option=1 |Opt Data Len=4 |       0       |       0       |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |       0       |       0       | Option Type=X |Opt Data Len=12|   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                         4-octet field                         |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   |                                                               |   +                         8-octet field                         +   |                                                               |   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 34]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998Security Considerations   The security features of IPv6 are described in the Security   Architecture for the Internet Protocol [RFC-2401].Acknowledgments   The authors gratefully acknowledge the many helpful suggestions of   the members of the IPng working group, the End-to-End Protocols   research group, and the Internet Community At Large.Authors' Addresses   Stephen E. Deering   Cisco Systems, Inc.   170 West Tasman Drive   San Jose, CA 95134-1706   USA   Phone: +1 408 527 8213   Fax:   +1 408 527 8254   EMail: deering@cisco.com   Robert M. Hinden   Nokia   232 Java Drive   Sunnyvale, CA 94089   USA   Phone: +1 408 990-2004   Fax:   +1 408 743-5677   EMail: hinden@iprg.nokia.comReferences   [RFC-2401]   Kent, S. and R. Atkinson, "Security Architecture for the                Internet Protocol",RFC 2401, November 1998.   [RFC-2402]   Kent, S. and R. Atkinson, "IP Authentication Header",RFC 2402, November 1998.   [RFC-2406]   Kent, S. and R. Atkinson, "IP Encapsulating Security                Protocol (ESP)",RFC 2406, November 1998.   [ICMPv6]     Conta, A. and S. Deering, "ICMP for the Internet                Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)",RFC 2463, December 1998.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 35]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998   [ADDRARCH]   Hinden, R. and S. Deering, "IP Version 6 Addressing                Architecture",RFC 2373, July 1998.   [RFC-1981]   McCann, J., Mogul, J. and S. Deering, "Path MTU                Discovery for IP version 6",RFC 1981, August 1996.   [RFC-791]    Postel, J., "Internet Protocol", STD 5,RFC 791,                September 1981.   [RFC-1700]   Reynolds, J. and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2,RFC 1700, October 1994.  See also:http://www.iana.org/numbers.html   [RFC-1661]   Simpson, W., "The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)", STD                51,RFC 1661, July 1994.CHANGES SINCERFC-1883   This memo has the following changes fromRFC-1883.  Numbers identify   the Internet-Draft version in which the change was made.    02) Removed all references to jumbograms and the Jumbo Payload        option (moved to a separate document).    02) Moved most of Flow Label description fromsection 6 to (new)Appendix A.    02) In Flow Label description, now inAppendix A, corrected maximum        Flow Label value from FFFFFF to FFFFF (i.e., one less "F") due        to reduction of size of Flow Label field from 24 bits to 20        bits.    02) Renumbered (relettered?) the previousAppendix A to beAppendixB.    02) Changed the wording of the Security Considerations section to        avoid dependency loop between this spec and the IPsec specs.    02) Updated R. Hinden's email address and company affiliation.        --------------------------------------------------------    01) Insection 3, changed field name "Class" to "Traffic Class" and        increased its size from 4 to 8 bits.  Decreased size of Flow        Label field from 24 to 20 bits to compensate for increase in        Traffic Class field.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 36]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998    01) Insection 4.1, restored the order of the Authentication Header        and the ESP header, which were mistakenly swapped in the 00        version of this memo.    01) Insection 4.4, deleted the Strict/Loose Bit Map field and the        strict routing functionality from the Type 0 Routing header, and        removed the restriction on number of addresses that may be        carried in the Type 0 Routing header (was limited to 23        addresses, because of the size of the strict/loose bit map).    01) Insection 5, changed the minimum IPv6 MTU from 576 to 1280        octets, and added a recommendation that links with configurable        MTU (e.g., PPP links) be configured to have an MTU of at least        1500 octets.    01) Insection 5, deleted the requirement that a node must not send        fragmented packets that reassemble to more than 1500 octets        without knowledge of the destination reassembly buffer size, and        replaced it with a recommendation that upper-layer protocols or        applications should not do that.    01) Replaced reference to the IPv4 Path MTU Discovery spec (RFC-1191) with reference to the IPv6 Path MTU Discovery spec (RFC-1981), and deleted the Notes at the end ofsection 5 regarding        Path MTU Discovery, since those details are now covered byRFC-1981.    01) Insection 6, deleted specification of "opportunistic" flow        set-up, and removed all references to the 6-second maximum        lifetime for opportunistically established flow state.    01) Insection 7, deleted the provisional description of the        internal structure and semantics of the Traffic Class field, and        specified that such descriptions be provided in separate        documents.        --------------------------------------------------------    00) Insection 4, corrected the Code value to indicate "unrecognized        Next Header type encountered" in an ICMP Parameter Problem        message (changed from 2 to 1).    00) In the description of the Payload Length field insection 3, and        of the Jumbo Payload Length field insection 4.3, made it        clearer that extension headers are included in the payload        length count.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 37]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998    00) Insection 4.1, swapped the order of the Authentication header        and the ESP header.  (NOTE: this was a mistake, and the change        was undone in version 01.)    00) Insection 4.2, made it clearer that options are identified by        the full 8-bit Option Type, not by the low-order 5 bits of an        Option Type.  Also specified that the same Option Type numbering        space is used for both Hop-by-Hop Options and Destination        Options headers.    00) Insection 4.4, added a sentence requiring that nodes processing        a Routing header must send an ICMP Packet Too Big message in        response to a packet that is too big to fit in the next hop link        (rather than, say, performing fragmentation).    00) Changed the name of the IPv6 Priority field to "Class", and        replaced the previous description of Priority insection 7 with        a description of the Class field.  Also, excluded this field        from the set of fields that must remain the same for all packets        in the same flow, as specified insection 6.    00) In the pseudo-header insection 8.1, changed the name of the        "Payload Length" field to "Upper-Layer Packet Length".  Also        clarified that, in the case of protocols that carry their own        length info (like non-jumbogram UDP), it is the upper-layer-        derived length, not the IP-layer-derived length, that is used in        the pseudo-header.    00) Addedsection 8.4, specifying that upper-layer protocols, when        responding to a received packet that carried a Routing header,        must not include the reverse of the Routing header in the        response packet(s) unless the received Routing header was        authenticated.    00) Fixed some typos and grammatical errors.    00) Authors' contact info updated.        --------------------------------------------------------Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 38]

RFC 2460                   IPv6 Specification              December 1998Full Copyright Statement   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.   This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to   others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it   or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published   and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any   kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are   included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this   document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing   the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other   Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of   developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for   copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be   followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than   English.   The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be   revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.   This document and the information contained herein is provided on an   "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING   TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING   BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION   HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF   MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.Deering & Hinden            Standards Track                    [Page 39]

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