BCP 145

RFC 8085

UDP Usage Guidelines, March 2017

File formats:
icon for text file icon for PDF icon for HTML icon for inline errata
Status:
BEST CURRENT PRACTICE
Obsoletes:
RFC 5405
Updated by:
RFC 8899
Authors:
L. Eggert
G. Fairhurst
G. Shepherd
Stream:
IETF
Source:
tsvwg (wit)

Cite this RFC: TXT  |  XML  |   BibTeX

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC8085

Discuss this RFC: Send questions or comments to the mailing list tsvwg@ietf.org

Other actions: View Errata  |  Submit Errata  |  Find IPR Disclosures from the IETF  |  View History of RFC 8085


Abstract

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) provides a minimal message-passing transport that has no inherent congestion control mechanisms. This document provides guidelines on the use of UDP for the designers of applications, tunnels, and other protocols that use UDP. Congestion control guidelines are a primary focus, but the document also provides guidance on other topics, including message sizes, reliability, checksums, middlebox traversal, the use of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), Differentiated Services Code Points (DSCPs), and ports.

Because congestion control is critical to the stable operation of the Internet, applications and other protocols that choose to use UDP as an Internet transport must employ mechanisms to prevent congestion collapse and to establish some degree of fairness with concurrent traffic. They may also need to implement additional mechanisms, depending on how they use UDP.

Some guidance is also applicable to the design of other protocols (e.g., protocols layered directly on IP or via IP-based tunnels), especially when these protocols do not themselves provide congestion control.

This document obsoletes RFC 5405 and adds guidelines for multicast UDP usage.


For the definition of Status, see RFC 2026.

For the definition of Stream, see RFC 8729.




Advanced Search