Subject: WG Review: Babel routing protocol (babel)

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 07 Jun 2016 10:57:56 -0700

The Babel routing protocol (babel) WG in the Routing Area of the IETF is
undergoing rechartering. The IESG has not made any determination yet. The
following draft charter was submitted, and is provided for informational
purposes only. Please send your comments to the IESG mailing list
([email-masked]) by 2016-06-14.

Babel routing protocol (babel)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Current status: BOF WG

Chairs:
  Donald Eastlake <[email-masked]>
  Russ White <[email-masked]>

Assigned Area Director:
  Alia Atlas <[email-masked]>

Routing Area Directors:
  Alia Atlas <[email-masked]>
  Alvaro Retana <[email-masked]>
  Deborah Brungard <[email-masked]>
 
Mailing list:
  Address: [email-masked]
  To subscribe: https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/babel
  Archive: https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/babel/

Charter: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/charter-ietf-babel/

Babel is a loop-avoiding, distance vector routing protocol with good
provisions for dynamically computed link metrics. It is robust even in
the presence of link metric oscillations and the failure of
transitivity. The core of the Babel protocol and security extensions
are described in Experimental Independent Stream RFCs 6126, 7557, and
7298.

These RFCs are the basis of three independent, open source
implementations. There is some production deployment of these
implementations, notably in hybrid networks (networks that include
classical, wired parts with meshy radio bits) and in global overlay
networks (networks built out of large numbers of tunnels spanning
continents).

The Working Group will focus on moving the Babel protocol to IETF
Proposed Standard with IETF review.  This includes clarifying RFC 6126
and integrating RFC 7557 and feedback provided by independent
implementations, and resolving comments. It is not a requirement that
the Babel protocol produced is backwards compatible with RFC 6126.  It
is a requirement that Babel support at least one profile that is
auto-configuring.  Other documents that are relevant to the above work
can also be produced. Particular emphasis will be placed
on work needed for a Proposed Standard routing protocol, such as
ensuring manageability and strong security. Link metric measurement or
link metric calculation procedures significantly more complex that
those currently in Babel are out of scope.

Work Items:

- Produce a revision of RFC 6126 suitable for publication as a
Proposed Standard
-- incorporate in the revision developments since RFC 6126
-- resolve technical issues found
-- include in the base specification the extensibility work in
RFC 7557
-- support auto-configuration
-- consider any important changes based on experience with Babel to
date.

- Address security needs for BABEL. This may include using the
techniques in RFC 7298, or other alternatives. Security may be
included in the base spec or the base spec may normatively reference a
separate Proposed Standard specification. This is required as part of
moving Babel to Proposed Standard.

- Address manageability of Babel by producing an informational model
for use by other network management such as the Broadband Forum
TR-069, and a YANG data module based on that information model.   The
former supports the case where the Customer-Premise Equipment (CPE)
is managed by the Service Provider (SP) as is done today.  The latter
YANG
model supports management of home gateway routers and is  consistent 
with the ongoing effort to use YANG data modules in the Routing Area. 
This work is required as part of moving Babel to Proposed Standard.

- As the Proposed Standard version of Babel is completed, an
Applicability Statement should be finalized to guide those potentially
interested in deploying Babel. This Applicability Statement may
include deployment advice and will be published as an RFC.

- Coordinate with other Working Groups, such as the HOMENET WG for
likely applicability, the RTGWG and V6OPS WG about Source-Specific
Routing to support IPv6 multihoming, the PIM WG for discussion around
multicast, and the MANET WG for considerations around wireless.

- Liaise as necessary with the Broadband Forum to facilitate use of the 
Babel management Information Model for TR-069.

- The Working Group should document its ongoing implementation
experience with Babel, so that new WG participants can understand the
state that is driving this work and the experience driving changes.
This documentation may be on the Working Group's wiki, in 
an internet-draft that isn't expected to be published as an RFC, or a
combination. 

- As a secondary focus, the Working Group may work on multicast
aspects of Babel.  This may include discussion of any potential issues
for supporting Babel running with PIM-SM in an auto-configuration
profile.  It may include exploring Babel carrying separate metrics for
multicast.  It may include discussion and consultation with the PIM
WG about Babel providing the ability to build multicast routing
tables.  With AD and WG agreement, once an approach is understood,
then a milestone may be added for an associated document targeted as
Proposed Standard.

- As a secondary focus, the Working Group may work on documents
defining source specific routing extensions for Babel as a way of
handling
IPv6 multihoming.

Thus, the Working Group will produce a Proposed Standard Babel
specification, including or paired with a suitable Proposed Standard
specification covering the security mechanism(s) for BABEL. It will
also produce a management information and data model for BABEL as a
Proposed Standard RFC. An applicability statement will be produced as
an Informational RFC.

Milestones:
  Jul 2016 - WG adoption of Babel Applicability draft
  Jul 2016 - WG adoption of RFC6126bis
  Oct 2016 - WG adoption of Babel Management (Info Model & YANG Model)
draft
  Jul 2017 - IESG Submission of RFC6126bis and potentially companion
security mechanisms draft
  Jul 2017 - IESG Submission of Babel Management draft 
  Aug 2017 - IESG Submission of Babel Applicability draft