Re: [Int-area] IPv6 fragmentation for IPv4

Joe Touch <touch@isi.edu> Tue, 23 May 2017 20:21 UTC

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To: "Templin, Fred L" <Fred.L.Templin@boeing.com>, "int-area@ietf.org" <int-area@ietf.org>
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From: Joe Touch <touch@isi.edu>
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Date: Tue, 23 May 2017 13:17:21 -0700
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Subject: Re: [Int-area] IPv6 fragmentation for IPv4
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On 5/23/2017 11:49 AM, Templin, Fred L wrote:
> Hi Joe,
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Joe Touch [mailto:touch@isi.edu]
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 11:01 AM
>> To: Templin, Fred L <Fred.L.Templin@boeing.com>; int-area@ietf.org
>> Subject: Re: IPv6 fragmentation for IPv4
>>
>> Hi, Fred (et al.),
>>
>> On 5/23/2017 9:17 AM, Templin, Fred L wrote:
>>> Joe, I wanted to run an idea by you. We all know that IPv4 fragmentation has
>>> problems because of the 16-bit ID field. So, why not insert an IPv6 Fragment
>>> Header between the IPv4 header and the upper layer protocol data, then
>>> use IPv6-style fragmentation instead of IPv4 fragmentation?
>> IPv4 fragmentation has several impediments:
>>     - small ID field
>>     - lack of a reassembly checksum
>>     - lack of a fixed-location flow ID
>>
>> Using IPv6-Frag as the next header solves only the first of these. The
>> last is significant - putting a new header would defeat IPv4 flow ECMP
>> even for the first fragment.
> ECMP gateways could be updated to look at the ULP headers
> following the IPv6 Frag header in the first fragment.
They could, but...

>> IPv6 includes a flow field that serves this
>> purpose.
> How does it work for plain-old IPv4 fragmentation? 
It doesn't. That's part of the problem.

> I would think
> that ECMP gateways would look at the IP ID and try to associate
> the fragments so they all get equal ECMP treatment, i.e., the
> same as for vanilla IPv4.
AFAICT, they largely either drop fragments or send them based on the
base IPv4 header.

I wonder whether NATs deal with this issue correctly. I doubt either one
keeps per-ID state.

(FWIW, IMO, anything that needs to look past the IP header really ought
to reassemble - if you think that's not something an IP router should
do, neither do I - but then I don't think routers should be looking past
the IP header either).

Joe