Status of This Memo

This is an Internet Standards Track document.¶

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

"Path Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP) Extensions for Stateful PCE" [RFC8231] specifies a set of extensions to PCEP [RFC5440] to enable stateful control of Traffic Engineering Label Switched Paths (TE LSPs) between and across PCEP sessions in compliance with [RFC4657]. It includes mechanisms to synchronize LSP state between Path Computation Clients (PCCs) and PCEs, delegate control of LSPs to PCEs, and allow PCEs to control the timing and sequence of path computations within and across PCEP sessions. The stateful PCEP defines the following two useful network operations:¶

Delegation:

As per [RFC8051], an operation to grant a PCE temporary rights to modify a subset of LSP parameters on one or more LSPs of a PCC. LSPs are delegated from a PCC to a PCE and are referred to as "delegated" LSPs.¶

Revocation:

As per [RFC8231], an operation performed by a PCC on a previously delegated LSP. Revocation revokes the rights granted to the PCE in the delegation operation.¶

For redundant stateful PCEs (Section 5.7.4 of [RFC8231]), during a PCE failure, one of the redundant PCEs might want to request to take control over an LSP. The redundant PCEs may use a local policy or a proprietary election mechanism to decide which PCE would take control. In this case, a mechanism is needed for a stateful PCE to request control of one or more LSPs from a PCC so that a newly elected primary PCE can request to take over control.¶

In case of virtualized PCEs (vPCEs) running in virtual network function (VNF) mode, as the computation load in the network increases, a new instance of vPCE could be instantiated to balance the current load. The PCEs could use a proprietary algorithm to decide which LSPs can be assigned to the new vPCE. Thus, having a mechanism for the PCE to request control of some LSPs is needed.¶

In some deployments, the operator would like to use stateful PCE for global optimization algorithms but would still like to keep the control of the LSP at the PCC. In such cases, a stateful PCE could request to take control during the global optimization and return the delegation once done.¶

Note that [RFC8231] specifies a mechanism for a PCC to delegate an orphaned LSP to another PCE. The mechanism defined in this document can be used in conjunction with [RFC8231]. Ultimately, it is the PCC that decides which PCE to delegate the orphaned LSP to.¶

This specification provides a simple extension that allows a PCE to request control of one or more LSPs from any PCC over the stateful PCEP session. The procedures for granting and relinquishing control of the LSPs are specified in accordance with [RFC8231] unless explicitly set aside in this document.¶

3. LSP Control Request Flag

The Stateful PCE Request Parameters (SRP) object is defined in Section 7.2 of [RFC8231] and includes a Flags field.¶

A new "LSP-Control Request" flag (30), also called the C flag, is introduced in the SRP object. In a PCUpd message, a PCE sets the C flag to 1 to indicate that it wishes to gain control of LSPs. The LSPs are identified by the PLSP-ID in the LSP object following the SRP object. A PLSP-ID value other than 0 and 0xFFFFF is used to identify the LSP for which the PCE requests control. A PLSP-ID value of 0 indicates that the PCE is requesting control of all LSPs originating from the PCC that it wishes to delegate. The C flag has no meaning in other PCEP messages that carry SRP objects and for which the C flag MUST be set to 0 on transmission and MUST be ignored on receipt.¶

The C flag is ignored in case the R flag [RFC8281] in the SRP object is set.¶

4. Operation

During normal operation, a PCC that wishes to delegate the control of an LSP sets the Delegate (D) flag (Section 7.3 of [RFC8231]) to 1 in all PCRpt messages pertaining to the LSP. The PCE confirms the delegation by setting the D flag to 1 in all PCUpd messages pertaining to the LSP. The PCC revokes the control of the LSP from the PCE by setting the D flag to 0 in PCRpt messages pertaining to the LSP. If the PCE wishes to relinquish the control of the LSP, it sets the D flag to 0 in all PCUpd messages pertaining to the LSP.¶

If a PCE wishes to gain control over an LSP, it sends a PCUpd message with the C flag set to 1 in the SRP object. The LSP for which the PCE requests control is identified by the PLSP-ID in the associated LSP object. A PLSP-ID value of 0 indicates that the PCE wants control over all LSPs originating from the PCC. An implementation of this feature needs to make sure to check for the LSP control feature (C flag set to 1) before any check for PLSP-ID (as per [RFC8231]). The D flag and C flag are mutually exclusive in a PCUpd message. The PCE MUST NOT send a control request for the LSP that is already delegated to the PCE, i.e., if the D flag is set in the PCUpd message, then the C flag MUST NOT be set. If a PCC receives a PCUpd message with the D flag set in the LSP object (i.e., LSP is already delegated) and the C flag is also set (i.e., PCE is making a control request), the PCC MUST ignore the C flag. A PCC can decide to delegate the control of the LSP at its own discretion. If the PCC grants or denies the control, it sends a PCRpt message with the D flag set to 1 and 0, respectively, in accordance with stateful PCEP [RFC8231]. If the PCC does not grant the control, it MAY choose to not respond, and the PCE MAY choose to retry requesting the control, preferably using an exponentially increasing timer. Note that, if the PCUpd message with the C flag set is received for a currently non-delegated LSP (for which the PCE is requesting delegation), this MUST NOT trigger the error handling as specified in [RFC8231] (a PCErr with Error-type=19 (Invalid Operation) and error-value 1 (Attempted LSP Update Request for a non-delegated LSP)).¶

As per [RFC8231], a PCC cannot delegate an LSP to more than one PCE at any time. If a PCE requests control of an LSP that has already been delegated by the PCC to another PCE, the PCC MAY ignore the request or MAY revoke the delegation to the first PCE before delegating it to the second. This choice is a matter of local policy.¶

It should be noted that a legacy implementation of PCC that does not support this extension may receive an LSP control request: a PCUpd message with the C flag set and the D flag unset. The legacy implementation would ignore the C flag and trigger the error condition for the D flag, as specified in [RFC8231] (i.e., a PCErr with Error-type=19 (Invalid Operation) and error-value 1 (Attempted LSP Update Request for a non-delegated LSP)). Further, in case of a PLSP-ID value of 0, the error condition, as specified in [RFC8231], (i.e., a PCErr with Error-type=19 (Invalid Operation) and error-value 3 (Attempted LSP Update Request for an LSP identified by an unknown PSP-ID)) would be triggered.¶

[RFC8281] describes the setup, maintenance, and teardown of PCE-initiated LSPs under the stateful PCE model. It also specifies how a PCE may obtain control over an orphaned LSP that was PCE-initiated. A PCE implementation can apply the mechanism described in this document in conjunction with those in [RFC8281].¶

5. Security Considerations

The security considerations listed in [RFC8231] and [RFC8281] apply to this document as well. However, this document also introduces a new attack vector. An attacker may flood the PCC with requests to delegate all of its LSPs at a rate that exceeds the PCC's ability to process them, either by spoofing messages or by compromising the PCE itself. The PCC SHOULD be configured with a threshold rate for the delegation requests received from the PCE. If the threshold is reached, it is RECOMMENDED to log the issue.¶

A PCC is the ultimate arbiter of delegation. As per [RFC8231], a local policy at the PCC is used to influence the delegation. A PCC can also revoke the delegation at any time. A PCC need not blindly trust the control requests and SHOULD take local policy and other factors into consideration before honoring the request.¶

Note that a PCE may not be sure if a PCC supports this feature. A PCE would try sending a control request to a 'legacy' PCC that would in turn respond with an error, as described in Section 4. So, a PCE would learn this fact only when it wants to take control over an LSP. A PCE might also be susceptible to downgrade attacks by falsifying the error condition.¶

As per [RFC8231], it is RECOMMENDED that these PCEP extensions only be activated on authenticated and encrypted sessions across PCEs and PCCs belonging to the same administrative authority, using Transport Layer Security (TLS) [RFC8253], as per the recommendations and best current practices in BCP 195 [RFC7525] (unless explicitly excluded in [RFC8253]).¶

6. IANA Considerations

IANA has allocated the following code point in the "SRP Object Flag Field" subregistry in the "Path Computation Element Protocol (PCEP) Numbers" registry.¶

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jonathan Hardwick for reminding the authors to not use suggested values in IANA section.¶

Thanks to Adrian Farrel, Haomian Zheng, and Tomonori Takeda for their valuable comments.¶

Thanks to Shawn M. Emery for his Security Directorate review.¶

Thanks to Francesca Palombini for GENART review.¶

Thanks to Benjamin Kaduk, Martin Vigoureux, Alvaro Retana, and Barry Leiba for IESG reviews.¶

Contributors

The following people contributed substantially to the content of this document and should be considered coauthors:¶

Authors' Addresses