RFC 1136 (rfc1136) - Page 1 of 10
Administrative Domains and Routing Domains: A model for routing in the Internet
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group S. Hares
Request for Comments: 1136 D. Katz
Merit/NSFNET
December 1989
Administrative Domains and Routing Domains
A Model for Routing in the Internet
1) Status of this Memo
This RFC proposes a model for describing routing within the Internet.
The model is an adaptation of the "OSI Routeing Framework" [1]. This
memo does not specify an Internet standard. Comments are welcome.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
2) Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank Guy Almes of Rice University for his
contributions and insight.
3) Overview
The "core" model of Autonomous Systems [2] formed the basis for the
routing model used in the Internet. Due to massive growth and
topology changes, the "core" model no longer is in harmony with the
reality of today's Internet. Indeed, this situation was foreseen at
the outset:
"Ultimately, however, the internet may consist of a number of co-
equal autonomous systems, any of which may be used...as a
transport medium for traffic originating in any system and
destined for any system. When this more complex configuration
comes into being, it will be inappropriate to regard any one
autonomous system as a "core" system" [2].
Furthermore, the Autonomous System concept has been outgrown in
certain parts of the Internet, in which the complexity of regional
routing has exceeded the limits of the definition of Autonomous
Systems.
A model which can provide a better match to the Internet can be found
in the "OSI Routeing Framework" [1].
This framework proposes a structure of Routing Domains within
Administrative Domains. This paper is intended to briefly describe
this framework, to outline how this model better fits the reality of
Hares & Katz