RFC 9866 on Root Node Failure Detector (RNFD): Fast Detection of Border Router Crashes in the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL)

A new Request for Comments is now available in online RFC libraries.

        RFC 9866

        Title:      Root Node Failure Detector (RNFD): 
                    Fast Detection of Border Router Crashes 
                    in the Routing Protocol for Low-Power 
                    and Lossy Networks (RPL) 
        Author:     K. Iwanicki
        Status:     Standards Track
        Stream:     IETF
        Date:       October 2025
        Mailbox:    iwanicki@mimuw.edu.pl
        Pages:      22
        Updates/Obsoletes/SeeAlso:   None

        I-D Tag:    draft-ietf-roll-rnfd-07.txt

        URL:        https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9866

        DOI:        10.17487/RFC9866

By and large, correct operation of a network running the Routing
Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) requires border
routers to be up.  In many applications, it is beneficial for the
nodes to detect a failure of a border router as soon as possible to
trigger fallback actions.  This document specifies the Root Node
Failure Detector (RNFD), an extension to RPL that expedites detection
of border router crashes by having nodes collaboratively monitor the
status of a given border router.  The extension introduces an
additional state at each node, a new type of RPL Control Message
Option for synchronizing this state among different nodes, and the
coordination algorithm itself.

This document is a product of the Routing Over Low power and Lossy networks Working Group of the IETF.

This is now a Proposed Standard.

STANDARDS TRACK: 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 Official
Internet Protocol Standards (https://www.rfc-editor.org/standards) for the 
standardization state and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this 
memo is unlimited.

This announcement is sent to the IETF-Announce and rfc-dist lists.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, see
  https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf-announce
  https://mailman.rfc-editor.org/mailman/listinfo/rfc-dist

For searching the RFC series, see https://www.rfc-editor.org/search
For downloading RFCs, see https://www.rfc-editor.org/retrieve/bulk

Requests for special distribution should be addressed to either the
author of the RFC in question, or to rfc-editor@rfc-editor.org.  Unless
specifically noted otherwise on the RFC itself, all RFCs are for
unlimited distribution.

The RFC Editor Team