Editor's Note: These minutes have not been edited.
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol BOF
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April 1997
Memphis IETF
Bob Hinden / Co-Chair
Peter Kline / Co-Chair
Meeting notes prepared by Bob Hinden.
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Agenda
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- Introduction
- Requirements for a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
- Review of current internet drafts of VRRP
- Discuss the need for a Standard
- Intellectual Property Issues
- Review Draft Charter
- Assess consensus for creating VRRP w.g.
Introduction
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Bob Hinden welcomed people to the BOF. He gave a brief intro to VRRP.
Also announced that co-chair Peter Kline was not able to attend the BOF.
The purpose of this working group is to define and develop a standard
virtual router redundancy protocol for IPv4 and IPv6. The BOF is to
determine if there is interest in forming a VRRP working group.
91 one people attended the VRRP BOF.
VRRP Overview
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Presented charts showing examples about how VRRP worked.
A virtual router redundancy protocol is a protocol which allows several
routers on a multi-access link to utilize the same virtual IP address.
One router will be elected as a master with the other routers acting as
backups in case of the failure of the master router. The primary
motivation to using a virtual router redundancy protocol is that host
systems may be configured (manually or via DHCP) with a single default
gateway, rather than running an active routing protocol. The protocol
should also support the ability to load share traffic when both routers
are up.
Current VRRP Drafts
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- <draft-whipple-vrrp-00.txt>, November 1996
o Original VRRP Draft
- <draft-hinden-vrrp-00.txt>, March 1997
o Run VRRP directly under IP (instead of directly over wire).
o VRRP messages sent to an IP Multicast address (instead of to
Multicast MAC).
o Use Unicast MAC address as the Virtual MAC (instead of multicasting
all host -> router traffic).
o Simplified the protocol to sue one message type and fewer states in
finite state machine.
o Fully specified all state transitions and actions.
o Added capability for IPSEC authentication.
Issues
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- Use New or Original Draft?
- Use IPSEC or add MD5 Authentication?
- Control over when switch back happens?
- Separate Protocol or ICMP
- Approach for IPv6?
- Other changes?
General agreement to use new internet draft.
Discussion about need for VRRP for IPv6. IPv6 neighbor unreachability
detection (NUD) function might suffice.
Need for Standard
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- Users need fast switch over to backup router
- Existing Host implementations work slowly or not at all
- Web Farms are important application for VRRP
o Useful any time servers are co-located
Question was raised that VRRP should not be a standard because it was
really a hack because hosts do not implement router discovery correctly.
Ross Callon noted that it was actually considerably more efficient to
have a protocol like VRRP were the control traffic is between the routers
instead of every hosts on a link sending lots of messages to each router
determining if the router was still up. Router discovery (or IPv6
neighbor unreachably detection) was not intended to be used for this
kind of quick switch over.
IPR Issues
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- Cisco has proprietary protocol called HSRP
- Cisco may have IPR relating to VRRP redundancy mechanisms
- Issue could be resolved by:
o Cisco making IPR available to IETF
o Licensing IPR to organizations implementing VRRP IETF standard.
Jeff Burgan (Internet AD) announced that Cisco had sent a letter to the
IESG stating that they believed that VRRP infringed with the patent they
hold. It said that cisco would be willing license the technology for a
one time fee in a non-discriminatory manner. They also said that they
would submit an internet draft to the VRRP group by the end of April.
Goals for Charter
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1. Define and develop a standard virtual router redundancy protocol
for IPv4 and IPv6.
2. Develop VRRP MIB(s).
3. Separate specifications will be developed for IPv4 and IPv6.
4. The internet draft "Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol"
<draft-whipple-vrrp-00.txt> and <draft-hinden-vrrp-00.txt> will be
use as the basis of virtual router redundancy protocol.
5. Intellectual property issues regarding the technology to
develop a virtual router redundancy protocol will be identified
and addressed.
Schedule
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April 97 Hold BOF to determine if working group should be formed.
April 97 Charter Working Group
May 97 Issue new Internet Drafts for IPv4 and IPv6 versions of
the protocol.
July 97 Resolve any intellectual property issues regarding protocol.
August 97 Finalize Internet Drafts and submit to the IESG for proposed
standard status.
Need to add a MIB to schedule.
Create VRRP W.G. ?
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There was a discussion about need for a standard and if a formal working
group was required. The impact of intellectual property made this more
complicated increases the need for a working group and a standard.
The chair took a poll of the attendees and there was a consensus that a
working group should be formed.
The chair will update the charter and submit it to the IESG for approval.