RFC 3319 (rfc3319) - Page 2 of 7
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCPv6) Options for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Servers
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 3319 DHCPv6 Options for SIP Servers July 2003
In this document, the key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED",
"SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY",
and "OPTIONAL" are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14, RFC 2119
[4].
2. Introduction
The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) [2] is an application-layer
control protocol that can establish, modify and terminate multimedia
sessions or calls. A SIP system has a number of logical components:
user agents, proxy servers, redirect servers and registrars. User
agents MAY contain SIP clients, proxy servers always do.
This document specifies two DHCPv6 options [1] that allow SIP clients
to locate a local SIP server that is to be used for all outbound SIP
requests, a so-called outbound proxy server. (SIP clients MAY
contact the address identified in the SIP URL directly, without
involving a local SIP server. However in some circumstances, such as
when firewalls are present, or local dialing plans, local emergency
and other services need to be provided, SIP clients need to use a
local server for outbound requests.) This is one of many possible
solutions for locating the outbound SIP server; manual configuration
is an example of another.
3. SIP Server DHCPv6 Option
This document defines two DHCPv6 options that describe a local
outbound SIP proxy: one carries a list of domain names (Section 3.1),
the other a list of 128-bit (binary) IPv6 addresses (Section 3.2).
Since DHCPv6 does not suffer from a shortage of option codes, we
avoid the encoding byte found in the IPv4 DHCP option for SIP
servers [6]. This makes the option shorter, easier to parse,
simplifies appropriate word alignment for the numeric addresses
and allows the client to request either numeric or domain name
options using the "option request option".
An implementation implementing this specification MUST support both
options.
3.1 SIP Servers Domain Name List
The option length is followed by a sequence of labels, encoded
according to Section 3.1 of RFC 1035 [5], quoted below:
"Domain names in messages are expressed in terms of a sequence of
labels. Each label is represented as a one octet length field
followed by that number of octets. Since every domain name ends
Schulzrinne & Volz Standards Track