RFC 2004 (rfc2004) - Page 1 of 6
Minimal Encapsulation within IP
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group C. Perkins
Request for Comments: 2004 IBM
Category: Standards Track October 1996
Minimal Encapsulation within IP
Status of This Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
This document specifies a method by which an IP datagram may be
encapsulated (carried as payload) within an IP datagram, with less
overhead than "conventional" IP encapsulation that adds a second IP
header to each encapsulated datagram. Encapsulation is suggested as
a means to alter the normal IP routing for datagrams, by delivering
them to an intermediate destination that would otherwise not be
selected by the (network part of the) IP Destination Address field in
the original IP header. Encapsulation may be serve a variety of
purposes, such as delivery of a datagram to a mobile node using
Mobile IP.
1. Introduction
This document specifies a method by which an IP datagram may be
encapsulated (carried as payload) within an IP datagram, with less
overhead than "conventional" IP encapsulation [4] that adds a second
IP header to each encapsulated datagram. Encapsulation is suggested
as a means to alter the normal IP routing for datagrams, by
delivering them to an intermediate destination that would otherwise
not be selected by the (network part of the) IP Destination Address
field in the original IP header. The process of encapsulation and
decapsulation of a datagram is frequently referred to as "tunneling"
the datagram, and the encapsulator and decapsulator are then
considered to be the the "endpoints" of the tunnel; the encapsulator
node is refered to as the "entry point" of the tunnel, and the
decapsulator node is refered to as the "exit point" of the tunnel.
Perkins Standards Track