File formats:

Status:

INFORMATIONAL

Authors:

S. Previdi, Ed.
C. Filsfils, Ed.
B. Decraene
S. Litkowski
M. Horneffer
R. Shakir

Stream:

IETF

Source:

spring (rtg)

Cite this RFC: TXT  |  XML  |   BibTeX

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC7855

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Abstract

The ability for a node to specify a forwarding path, other than the normal shortest path, that a particular packet will traverse, benefits a number of network functions. Source-based routing mechanisms have previously been specified for network protocols but have not seen widespread adoption. In this context, the term "source" means "the point at which the explicit route is imposed"; therefore, it is not limited to the originator of the packet (i.e., the node imposing the explicit route may be the ingress node of an operator's network).

This document outlines various use cases, with their requirements, that need to be taken into account by the Source Packet Routing in Networking (SPRING) architecture for unicast traffic. Multicast use cases and requirements are out of scope for this document.

For the definition of Status, see RFC 2026.

For the definition of Stream, see RFC 8729.