Subject: [Pals] Last Call: <draft-ietf-pals-ethernet-cw-06.txt> (Use of Ethernet Control Word RECOMMENDED) to Proposed Standard

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2018 11:42:30 -0700

The IESG has received a request from the Pseudowire And LDP-enabled Services
WG (pals) to consider the following document: - 'Use of Ethernet Control Word
RECOMMENDED'
  <draft-ietf-pals-ethernet-cw-06.txt> as Proposed Standard

The IESG plans to make a decision in the next few weeks, and solicits final
comments on this action. Please send substantive comments to the
[email-masked] mailing lists by 2018-06-15. Exceptionally, comments may be
sent to [email-masked] instead. In either case, please retain the beginning of
the Subject line to allow automated sorting.

Abstract

   The pseudowire (PW) encapsulation of Ethernet, as defined in RFC
   4448, specifies that the use of the control word (CW) is optional.
   In the absence of the CW an Ethernet pseudowire packet can be
   misidentified as an IP packet by a label switching router (LSR).
   This in turn may lead to the selection of the wrong equal-cost-multi-
   path (ECMP) path for the packet, leading in turn to the misordering
   of packets.  This problem has become more serious due to the
   deployment of equipment with Ethernet MAC addresses that start with
   0x4 or 0x6.  The use of the Ethernet PW CW addresses this problem.
   This document recommends the use of the Ethernet pseudowire control
   word in all but exceptional circumstances.

   This document updates RFC 4448.

The file can be obtained via
https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-pals-ethernet-cw/

IESG discussion can be tracked via
https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-pals-ethernet-cw/ballot/

No IPR declarations have been submitted directly on this I-D.