RFC 1454 (rfc1454) - Page 2 of 15
Comparison of Proposals for Next Version of IP
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 1454 Comparison of Next Version IP Proposals May 1993
Although the IESG requirements for a new Internet Protocol go further
than simply routing and addressing issues, it is these issues that
make extension of the current protocol an impractical option.
Consequently, most of the discussion and development of the various
proposed protocols has concentrated on these specific problems.
Near term remedies for these problems include the CIDR proposals
(which permit the aggregation of Class C networks for routing
purposes) and assignment policies which will allocate Class C network
numbers in a fashion which CIDR can take advantage of. Routing
protocols supporting CIDR are OSPF and BGP4. None of these are pre-
requisites for the new IP (IPng), but are necessary to prolong the
life of the current Internet long enough to work on longer-term
solutions. Ross Callon points out that there are other options for
prolonging the life of IP and that some ideas have been distributed
on the TUBA list.
Longer term proposals are being sought which ultimately allow for
further growth of the Internet. The timescale for considering these
proposals is as follows:
- Dec 15 Issue selection criteria as RFC.
- Feb 12 Two interoperable implementations available.
- Feb 26 Second draft of proposal documents available.
The (ambitious) target is for a decision to be made at the 26th IETF
(Columbus, Ohio in March 1993) on which proposals to pursue.
The current likely candidates for selection are:
- PIP ('P' Internet Protocol - an entirely new protocol).
- TUBA (TCP/UDP with Big Addresses - uses ISO CLNP).
- SIP (Simple IP - IP with larger addresses and fewer options).
There is a further proposal from Robert Ullman of which I don't claim
to have much knowledge. Associated with each of the candidates are
transition plans, but these are largely independent of the protocol
itself and contain elements which could be adopted separately, even
with IP v4, to further extend the life of current implementations and
systems.
Dixon