The AERO Address
Boeing Research & Technology
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fltemplin@acm.org
I-D
Internet-Draft
IPv6 interfaces are required to have a link-local address that is
unique on the link. Nodes normally derive a link local address through
the use of IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) along with
Duplicate Address Detection (DAD). This document presents a method for a
node to construct a link-local address that is assured to be unique on
the link when the node has already received a delegated prefix. This is
through the construction of a link-local address format known as the
AERO address.
IPv6 interfaces are required to have a link-local address that is
unique on the link .
Nodes normally derive a link local address through the use of IPv6
StateLess Address Auto Configuration (SLAAC) along with Duplicate
Address Detection (DAD) . This document presents
a method for a node to construct a link-local address that is assured to
be unique on the link when the node has already received a delegated
prefix. This is through the construction of a link-local address format
known as the AERO address.
The terminology in the normative references applies.
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in .
Lower case uses of these words are not to be interpreted as carrying
RFC2119 significance.
An AERO address is an IPv6 link-local address with an interface
identifier based on a prefix that has been delegated to a node for its
own exclusive use. AERO addresses begin with the prefix fe80::/64 and
include in the interface identifier (i.e., the lower 64 bits) a 64-bit
prefix taken from one of the node's delegated prefixes. For example, if
the node receives the IPv6 prefix:
2001:db8:1000:2000::/64
it constructs its corresponding AERO addresses as:
fe80::2001:db8:1000:2000
After constructing the AERO address, the node can assign the address
to the interface over which it received the prefix delegation. Since the
prefix delegation is already known to be unique, the node need not use
Duplicate Address Detection (DAD) to test the AERO address for
uniqueness since no other node on the link will configure the same
address.
AERO addresses can be constructed for any IPv6 prefix that is no
longer than /64. For prefixes shorter than /64, the AERO address is
constructed based on the lowest-numbered /64 prefix taken from the
shorter prefix. For example, if the node received the IPv6 prefix:
2001:db8:1000:2000::/56
it constructs its corresponding AERO addresses as:
fe80::2001:db8:1000:2000
The AERO address is intended for use by mobile networks that comprise
a mobile router and a tethered network of "Internet of Things" devices
that travel together with the router as a single unit. The mobile router
assigns the AERO address to its upstream interface over which it
receives a prefix delegation from a delegating router. The manner for
receiving the delegated prefix could be through static configuration or
some automated prefix delegation service.
Many other use case scenarios are possible (e.g., home networks) but
the above case extends to multitudes of applications, e.g., a cell phone
and its associated devices, an airplane and its on-board network,
etc.
Public domain implementations exist that use the AERO address format
as described in this document.
This document introduces no IANA considerations.
This work was sponsored through several ongoing initiatives,
including 1) the NASA Safe Autonomous Systems Operation (SASO) program
under NASA contract number NNA16BD84C, 2) the FAA SE2025 contract number
DTFAWA-15-D-00030, 3) the Boeing Information Technology (BIT) MobileNet
program, and 4) the Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T)
enterprise autonomy program.