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IETF RFC 4811
OSPF Out-of-Band Link State Database (LSDB) Resynchronization
Last modified on Monday, March 19th, 2007
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Network Working Group L. Nguyen
Request for Comments: 4811 A. Roy
Category: Informational Cisco Systems
A. Zinin
Alcatel-Lucent
March 2007
OSPF Out-of-Band Link State Database (LSDB) Resynchronization
 Status of This Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright © The IETF Trust (2007).
Abstract
OSPF is a link-state intra-domain routing protocol used in IP
networks. Link State Database (LSDB) synchronization in OSPF is
achieved via two methods -- initial LSDB synchronization when an OSPF
router has just been connected to the network and asynchronous
flooding that ensures continuous LSDB synchronization in the presence
of topology changes after the initial procedure was completed. It
may sometime be necessary for OSPF routers to resynchronize their
LSDBs. The OSPF standard, however, does not allow routers to do so
without actually changing the topology view of the network.
This memo describes a vendor-specific mechanism to perform such a
form of out-of-band LSDB synchronization. The mechanism described in
this document was proposed before Graceful OSPF Restart, as described
in RFC 3623, came into existence. It is implemented/supported by at
least one major vendor and is currently deployed in the field. The
purpose of this document is to capture the details of this mechanism
for public use. This mechanism is not an IETF standard.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 1 
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................2
2. Proposed Solution ...............................................2
2.1. The LR-Bit .................................................3
2.2. OSPF Neighbor Data Structure ...............................3
2.3. Hello Packets ..............................................4
2.4. DBD Packets ................................................4
2.5. Neighbor State Treatment ...................................7
2.6. Initiating OOB LSDB Resynchronization ......................7
3. Backward Compatibility ..........................................7
4. Security Considerations .........................................7
5. IANA Considerations .............................................7
6. References ......................................................8
6.1. Normative References .......................................8
6.2. Informative References .....................................8
Appendix A. Acknowledgements ......................................9
1. Introduction
According to the OSPF standard [RFC 2328], after two OSPF routers have
established an adjacency (the neighbor Finite State Machines (FSMs)
have reached Full state), routers announce the adjacency states in
their router-Link State Advertisements (LSAs). Asynchronous flooding
algorithm ensures that routers' LSDBs stay in sync in the presence of
topology changes. However, if routers need (for some reason) to
resynchronize their LSDBs, they cannot do that without actually
putting the neighbor FSMs into the ExStart state. This effectively
causes the adjacencies to be removed from the router-LSAs, which may
not be acceptable if the desire is to prevent routing table flaps
during database resynchronization. In this document, we provide the
means for so-called out-of-band (OOB) LSDB resynchronization.
The described mechanism can be used in a number of situations
including those where the routers are picking up the adjacencies
after a reload. The process of adjacency preemption is outside the
scope of this document. Only the details related to LSDB
resynchronization are mentioned herein.
2. Proposed Solution
With this Out-of-Band Resynchronization Solution, the format of the
OSPF Database Description (DBD) packet is changed to include a new
R-bit indicating OOB LSDB resynchronization. All DBD packets sent
during the OOB resynchronization procedure are sent with the R-bit
set.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 2
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
Also, two new fields are added to the neighbor data structure. The
first field indicates a neighbor's OOB resynchronization capability.
The second indicates that OOB LSDB resynchronization is in process.
The latter field allows OSPF implementations to utilize the existing
neighbor FSM code.
A bit is occupied in the Extended Options (EO) TLV (see [RFC 4813]).
Routers set this bit to indicate their capability to support the
described technique.
2.1. The LR-Bit
A new bit, called LR (LR stands for LSDB Resynchronization), is
introduced to the LLS Extended Options TLV (see [RFC 4813]). The
value of the bit is 0x00000001; see Figure 1. See the "IANA
Considerations" section of [RFC 4813] for more information on the
Extended Options bit definitions. Routers set the LR-bit to announce
OOB LSDB resynchronization capability.
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+- -+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| * | * | * | * | * | * | * |...| * | * | * | * | * | * | * | LR|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+- -+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Figure 1. The Options Field
Routers supporting the OOB LSDB resynchronization technique set the
LR-bit in the EO-TLV in the LLS block attached to both Hello and DBD
packets. Note that no bit is set in the standard OSPF Options field,
neither in OSPF packets nor in LSAs.
2.2. OSPF Neighbor Data Structure
A field is introduced into OSPF neighbor data structure, as described
below. The name of the field is OOBResync, and it is a flag
indicating that the router is currently performing OOB LSDB
resynchronization with the neighbor.
The OOBResync flag is set when the router is initiating OOB LSDB
resynchronization (see Section 2.6 for more details).
Routers clear the OOBResync flag on the following conditions:
o The neighbor data structure is first created.
o The neighbor FSM transitions to any state lower than ExStart.
o The neighbor FSM transitions to the ExStart state because a DBD
packet with the R-bit clear has been received.
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RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
o The neighbor FSM reaches the state Full.
Note that the OOBResync flag may have a TRUE value only if the
neighbor FSM is in states ExStart, Exchange, or Loading. As
indicated above, if the FSM transitions to any other state, the
OOBResync flag should be cleared.
It is important to mention that operation of the OSPF neighbor FSM is
not changed by this document. However, depending on the state of the
OOBResync flag, the router sends either normal DBD packets or DBD
packets with the R-bit set.
2.3. Hello Packets
Routers capable of performing OOB LSDB resynchronization should
always set the LR-bit in their Hello packets.
2.4. DBD Packets
Routers supporting the described technique should always set the LR-
bit in the DBD packets. Since the Options field of the initial DBD
packet is stored in corresponding neighbor data structure, the LR-bit
may be used later to check if a neighbor is capable of performing OOB
LSDB resynchronization.
The format of type 2 (DBD) OSPF packets is changed to include a flag
indicating the OOB LSDB resynchronization procedure. Figure 2
illustrates the new packet format.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 4
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Version # | 2 | Packet length |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Router ID |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Area ID |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Checksum | AuType |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Authentication |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Authentication |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Interface MTU | Options |0|0|0|0|R|I|M|MS
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| DD sequence number |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |
+- -+
| |
+- An LSA Header -+
| |
+- -+
| |
+- -+
| |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| ... |
Figure 2. Modified DBD Packet
The R-bit in OSPF type 2 packets is set when the OOBResync flag for
the specific neighbor is set to TRUE. If a DBD packets with the R-
bit clear is received for a neighbor with active OOBResync flag, the
OOB LSDB resynchronization process is canceled and normal LSDB
synchronization procedure is initiated.
When a DBD packet is received with the R-bit set and the sender is
known to be OOB-incapable, the packet should be dropped and a
SeqNumber-Mismatch event should be generated for the neighbor.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 5
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
Processing of DBD packets is modified as follows:
1. If the OOBResync flag for the neighbor is set (the LSDB
resynchronization process has been started) and the received DBD
packet does not have the R-bit set, ignore the packet and
generate a SeqNumberMismatch event for the neighbor FSM.
2. Otherwise, if the OOBResync flag for the neighbor is clear and
the received DBD packet has the R-bit set, perform the following
steps:
* If the neighbor FSM is in state Full and bits I, M, and MS
are set in the DBD packet, set the OOBResync flag for the
neighbor, put the FSM in ExStart state, and continue
processing the DBD packet as described in [RFC 2328].
* Otherwise, ignore received DBD packet (no OOB DBD packets are
allowed with OOBResync flag clear and FSM in state other than
Full). Also, if the state of the FSM is Exchange or higher,
generate a SeqNumberMismatch event for the neighbor FSM.
3. Otherwise, process the DBD packet as described in [RFC 2328].
During normal processing of the initial OOB DBD packet (with bits R,
I, M, and MS set), if the receiving router is selected to be the
Master, it may speed up the resynchronization process by immediately
replying to the received packet.
It is also necessary to limit the time an adjacency can spend in
ExStart, Exchange, and Loading states with OOBResync flag set to a
finite period of time (e.g., by limiting the number of times DBD and
link state request packets can be retransmitted). If the adjacency
does not proceed to Full state before the timeout, it is indicative
that the neighboring router cannot resynchronize its LSDB with the
local router. The requesting router may decide to stop trying to
resynchronize the LSDB over this adjacency (if, for example, it can
be resynchronized via another neighbor on the same segment) or to
resynchronize using the legacy method by clearing the OOBResync flag
and leaving the FSM in ExStart state. The neighboring router may
decide to cancel the OOB procedure for the neighbor.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 6
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
2.5. Neighbor State Treatment
An OSPF implementation supporting the described technique should
modify the logic consulting the state of a neighbor FSM as described
below.
o FSM state transitioning from and to the Full state with the
OOBResync flag set should not cause origination of a new version
of router-LSA or network-LSA.
o Any explicit checks for the Full state of a neighbor FSM for the
purposes other than LSDB synchronization and flooding should
treat states ExStart, Exchange, and Loading as state Full,
provided that OOBResync flag is set for the neighbor. (Flooding
and MaxAge-LSA-specific procedures should not check the state of
the OOBResync flag, but should continue consulting only the FSM
state.)
2.6. Initiating OOB LSDB Resynchronization
To initiate out-of-band LSDB resynchronization, the router must first
make sure that the corresponding neighbor supports this technology
(by checking the LR-bit in the Options field of the neighbor data
structure). If the neighboring router is capable, the OOBResync flag
for the neighbor should be set to TRUE and the FSM state should be
forced to ExStart.
3. Backward Compatibility
Because OOB-capable routers explicitly indicate their capability by
setting the corresponding bit in the Options field, no DBD packets
with the R-bit set are sent to OOB-incapable routers.
The LR-bit itself is transparent for OSPF implementations and does
not affect communication between routers.
4. Security Considerations
The described technique does not introduce any new security issues
into the OSPF protocol.
5. IANA Considerations
Please refer to the "IANA Considerations" section of [RFC 4813] for
more information on the Extended Options bit definitions.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 7
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
6. References
6.1. Normative References
[RFC 2328] Moy, J., "OSPF Version 2", STD 54, RFC 2328, April 1998.
[RFC 3623] Moy, J., Pillay-Esnault, P., and A. Lindem, "Graceful OSPF
Restart", RFC 3623, November 2003.
6.2. Informative References
[RFC 4813] Friedman, B., Nguyen, L., Roy, A., Yeung, D., and A.
Zinin, "OSPF Link-Local Signaling", RFC 4813, March 2007.
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 8
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
Appendix A. Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Acee Lindem, Russ White, Don Slice,
and Alvaro Retana for their valuable comments.
Authors' Addresses
Liem Nguyen
Cisco Systems
225 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
EMail: lhnguyen@cisco.com
Abhay Roy
Cisco Systems
225 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
EMail: akr@cisco.com
Alex Zinin
Alcatel-Lucent
Mountain View, CA
USA
EMail: alex.zinin@alcatel-lucent.com
Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 9
RFC 4811 OSPF Out-of-Band LSDB Resynchronization March 2007
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Copyright © The IETF Trust (2007).
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contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
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Nguyen, et al. Informational PAGE 10
OSPF Out-of-Band Link State Database (LSDB) Resynchronization
RFC TOTAL SIZE: 18976 bytes
PUBLICATION DATE: Monday, March 19th, 2007
LEGAL RIGHTS: The IETF Trust (see BCP 78)
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