RFC 3077 (rfc3077) - Page 1 of 25

A Link-Layer Tunneling Mechanism for Unidirectional Links

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Network Working Group                                           E. Duros
Request for Comments: 3077                                        UDcast
Category: Standards Track                                     W. Dabbous
                                                  INRIA Sophia-Antipolis
                                                            H. Izumiyama
                                                                N. Fujii
                                                                    WIDE
                                                                Y. Zhang
                                                                     HRL
                                                              March 2001


       A Link-Layer Tunneling Mechanism for Unidirectional Links

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.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This document describes a mechanism to emulate full bidirectional
   connectivity between all nodes that are directly connected by a
   unidirectional link.  The "receiver" uses a link-layer tunneling
   mechanism to forward datagrams to "feeds" over a separate
   bidirectional IP (Internet Protocol) network.  As it is implemented
   at the link-layer, protocols in addition to IP may also be supported
   by this mechanism.

1. Introduction

   Internet routing and upper layer protocols assume that links are
   bidirectional, i.e., directly connected hosts can communicate with
   each other over the same link.

   This document describes a link-layer tunneling mechanism that allows
   a set of nodes (feeds and receivers, see Section 2 for terminology)
   which are directly connected by a unidirectional link to send
   datagrams as if they were all connected by a bidirectional link.  We
   present a generic topology in section 3 with a tunneling mechanism




Duros, et al.               Standards Track
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