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rfc:rfc6397

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) T. Manderson Request for Comments: 6397 ICANN Category: Standards Track October 2011 ISSN: 2070-1721

 Multi-Threaded Routing Toolkit (MRT) Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
   Routing Information Export Format with Geo-Location Extensions

Abstract

 This document updates the Multi-threaded Routing Toolkit (MRT) export
 format for Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing information by
 extending it to include optional terrestrial coordinates of a BGP
 collector and its BGP peers.

Status of This Memo

 This is an Internet Standards Track document.
 This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
 (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
 received public review and has been approved for publication by the
 Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
 Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.
 Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
 and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
 http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6397.

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (c) 2011 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
 document authors.  All rights reserved.
 This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
 Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
 (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
 publication of this document.  Please review these documents
 carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
 to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
 include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
 the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
 described in the Simplified BSD License.

Manderson Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

Table of Contents

 1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
 2.  Requirements Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
 3.  Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
 4.  Geo-Location-Aware MRT Routing Information Subtype  . . . . . . 3
   4.1.  GEO_PEER_TABLE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   4.2.  GEO_PEER_TABLE and Peer Entry Values  . . . . . . . . . . . 5
 5.  BGP Collector Construction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
 6.  Privacy Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
 7.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
 8.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
 9.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
 10. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   10.1. Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   10.2. Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1. Introduction

 Researchers and engineers often wish to analyze network behavior by
 studying routing protocol transactions and routing information base
 snapshots in relation to geographical topologies.  Usually, the
 Border Gateway Protocol [RFC4271] is the subject of study, and the
 analysis can be significantly aided by the availability and extension
 of the "Multi-Threaded Routing Toolkit (MRT) Routing Information
 Export Format" [RFC6396].  The MRT format was originally defined in
 the MRT Programmer's Guide [MRT-GUIDE].
 The addition of geo-location coordinates (longitude and latitude)
 pertaining to the geographical location of both the BGP collector and
 its BGP peers to BGP export data enables a researcher or enquiring
 individual to gain a terrestrial insight to the routes seen by a BGP
 speaker.  Such data may ultimately aid researchers in understanding
 any disparity between the geographical location of networks and the
 topological location of networks in addition to the relationships
 between geographical position and routing anomalies.  Such insight
 could provide future input into network design and network security.
 This memo documents an optional extension to the MRT format [RFC6396]
 and introduces an additional definition of an MRT Subtype field that
 includes the terrestrial coordinates of a BGP collector and its BGP
 peers.

2. Requirements Notation

 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 [RFC2119].

Manderson Standards Track [Page 2] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

3. Definitions

 Coordinates: The geographic latitude and longitude specifying a
 location on the earth.
 BGP Speaker: A network device that exchanges network routing
 information using BGP.
 Geo-location: Assigning a set of coordinates to a specific artifact,
 in this case a BGP speaker.
 BGP Collector: A BGP speaker (usually passive) that stores and
 archives BGP routing data from active BGP peers for analysis.
 BGP Peer: Either an internal or external BGP peer [RFC4271].
 Not A Number (NAN): Numeric data type representing an undefined or
 unrepresentable value, as defined in the IEEE Standard for Floating-
 Point Arithmetic [IEEE754].

4. Geo-Location-Aware MRT Routing Information Subtype

 An additional subtype (GEO_PEER_TABLE) is defined for the
 TABLE_DUMP_V2 format, extending TABLE_DUMP_V2 Type.

4.1. GEO_PEER_TABLE

 The GEO_PEER_TABLE Subtype updates the TABLE_DUMP_V2 Types to include
 geo-location information in the form of the World Geodetic System
 1984 (WGS84) [WGS-84] formatted coordinates.
 The document adds the 7th subtype number and name below.  The first 6
 subtypes are defined by the MRT format [RFC6396].
 Subtype Number       Subtype Name
 ----------------------------------
     7               GEO_PEER_TABLE
 The GEO_PEER_TABLE MRT record provides the BGP ID of the collector,
 its latitude and longitude in WGS84 [WGS-84] format, and a list of
 indexed peers and their respective latitudes and longitudes in WGS84
 [WGS-84] format.
 The format and function of the Collector BGP ID and Peer Count are as
 defined by the TABLE_DUMP_V2, PEER_INDEX_TABLE format [RFC6396].

Manderson Standards Track [Page 3] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

 The Collector Latitude and Collector Longitude are the geographical
 coordinates of the collector in WGS84 [WGS-84] datum decimal degrees
 format stored as a single precision float in the 32 bits allocated to
 the Collector Latitude and Collector Longitude.  The latitude and
 longitude MAY be a Not A Number (NAN) [IEEE754] for situations where
 the geo-location of the collector is considered private.  The
 Collector Latitude and Collector Longitude MUST NOT be a mix of WGS84
 [WGS-84] datum coordinates and NAN values.
  0                   1                   2                   3
  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |                      Collector BGP ID                         |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |                      Collector Latitude                       |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |                      Collector Longitude                      |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |          Peer Count           |  Peer Entries (variable)
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
                     Format of the GEO_PEER_TABLE
 The format of the Peer Entries is shown below.  The Peer Type and the
 Peer BGP ID are as defined in the TABLE_DUMP_V2 MRT, PEER_INDEX_TABLE
 format [RFC6396].  The order of the Peer Entries in the
 GEO_PEER_TABLE MUST match the order and number as existing in the
 PEER_INDEX_TABLE.
  0                   1                   2                   3
  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |   Peer Type   |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |                         Peer BGP ID                           |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |                         Peer Latitude                         |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 |                         Peer Longitude                        |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
                        Format of Peer Entries
 The Peer Latitude and Peer Longitude are the geographical coordinates
 of the peer in WGS84 [WGS-84] datum decimal degrees format stored as
 a single precision float in the 32 bits allocated to the Peer
 Latitude and Peer Longitude.  The latitude and longitude MAY be a Not
 A Number (NAN) [IEEE754] for situations where the geo-location of the

Manderson Standards Track [Page 4] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

 peer is considered private.  The Peer Latitude and Peer Longitude
 MUST NOT be a mix of WGS84 [WGS-84] datum coordinates and NAN values
 for a single peer.

4.2. GEO_PEER_TABLE and Peer Entry Values

 Collector BGP ID: Defined in the MRT format [RFC6396].
 Collector Latitude: Geographic latitude of the BGP collector in WGS84
 [WGS-84] datum decimal degrees format stored as a single precision
 float.
 Collector Longitude: Geographic longitude of the BGP collector in
 WGS84 [WGS-84] datum decimal degrees format stored as a single
 precision float.
 Peer Count: Defined in the MRT format [RFC6396].
 Peer Entries: Defined in the MRT format [RFC6396].
 Peer Type: Defined in the MRT format [RFC6396].
 Peer BGP ID: Defined in the MRT format [RFC6396].
 Peer Latitude: Geographic latitude of the BGP peer in WGS84 [WGS-84]
 datum decimal degrees format stored as a single precision float.
 Peer Longitude: Geographic longitude of the BGP peer in WGS84
 [WGS-84] datum decimal degrees format stored as a single precision
 float.

5. BGP Collector Construction

 This section aids the reader in understanding the function of a BGP
 collector.
 The BGP collector is a hardware- or software-based device that speaks
 the Border Gateway Protocol.  Its intended function is to store (and
 archive) the BGP routing data it receives from other BGP speakers
 with which it has peering relationships, providing data for later
 analysis.  The general nature of a BGP collector is that it is a
 passive device in that it listens to route updates and does not
 announce or propagate any information it knows or receives.  It
 should be noted that this is not always the case; network operators
 sometimes enable the collection of BGP routing data on active BGP
 speakers to obtain a situational view of the routing system as they
 see it at a particular point in time.

Manderson Standards Track [Page 5] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

 As a fully fledged BGP speaker, the BGP collector can fit into any
 BGP topology including Internal BGP (iBGP), External BGP (eBGP), and
 so on.  The implementation of a BGP collector in a network topology
 is therefore limited by that network's use of BGP.

6. Privacy Considerations

 The GEOPRIV [RFC6280] architecture requires that privacy rules
 attached to a location object be transmitted alongside the location
 information in the object.  If a BGP collector adds location
 coordinates to an MRT record based on GEOPRIV location objects, then
 it would have to include privacy rules as well.  Since the MRT geo-
 location format does not support the provision of privacy rules, each
 location entry in an MRT object is assigned the following default
 privacy rules [RFC4119]:
  1. - retransmission-allowed: True
  2. - retention-expires: 100 years from timestamp of the MRT object
  3. - ruleset-reference: Empty
  4. - note-well: Empty
 Location information derived from a location object with more
 restrictive privacy rules MUST NOT be included in an MRT geo-location
 record unless there are non-technical measures in place that enforce
 and communicate the constraints on the use of the location
 information in the MRT geo-location format (e.g., contractual
 agreements between peers).

7. Acknowledgements

 Thanks to Andrew Clark, Ernest Foo, Dave Meyer, Larry Blunk, Richard
 Barnes, and Jeffrey Haas for reviewing this document.
 This document describes a small portion of the research towards the
 author's Ph.D.

8. IANA Considerations

 Per this section, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has
 registered the additional Subtype code value as:
     7    GEO_PEER_TABLE
 in the MRT format [RFC6396] and Subtype code values related to the
 TABLE_DUMP_V2 Type in the MRT namespace.

Manderson Standards Track [Page 6] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

9. Security Considerations

 This extension to the MRT format [RFC6396] defines fields that are of
 a descriptive nature and provides information that is useful in the
 analysis of routing systems.  As such, the author believes that they
 do not constitute an additional network-based security risk.  It is
 recommended that the operators of the BGP collector and BGP peers
 consider their own privacy and security concerns before supplying
 geographical coordinates to BGP data collection systems.  Special
 attention should be given to the physical security of an organization
 before supplying geographical coordinates, especially if the
 resulting BGP data with geo-location extensions is made public.
 Entities that operate BGP collectors, and users of data provided by
 BGP collectors, should be aware that the geo-location data supplied
 by a peer can only be taken at face value.  It is possible that a BGP
 peer may supply coordinates that are purposefully misleading or
 inaccurate.  It is therefore up to the BGP collector whether or not
 to include this information or use its own methods to either trust or
 validate the data provided.  It is not recommended that a BGP
 collector use geographical coordinates not supplied by a BGP peer.

10. References

10.1. Normative References

 [RFC2119]    Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
 [RFC4119]    Peterson, J., "A Presence-based GEOPRIV Location Object
              Format", RFC 4119, December 2005.
 [RFC4271]    Rekhter, Y., Li, T., and S. Hares, "A Border Gateway
              Protocol 4 (BGP-4)", RFC 4271, January 2006.
 [RFC6280]    Barnes, R., Lepinski, M., Cooper, A., Morris, J.,
              Tschofenig, H., and H. Schulzrinne, "An Architecture for
              Location and Location Privacy in Internet Applications",
              BCP 160, RFC 6280, July 2011.
 [RFC6396]    Blunk, L., Karir, M., and C. Labovitz, "Multi-Threaded
              Routing Toolkit (MRT) Routing Information Export
              Format", RFC 6396, October 2011.

Manderson Standards Track [Page 7] RFC 6397 Geo-Location Extensions in MRT October 2011

10.2. Informative References

 [IEEE754]    IEEE 754, "IEEE Standard for Floating-Point Arithmetic",
              August 2008, <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/servlet/
              opac?punumber=4610933>.
 [MRT-GUIDE]  Labovitz, C., "MRT Programmer's Guide", November 1999,
              <http://www.merit.edu/networkresearch/
              mrtprogrammer.pdf>.
 [WGS-84]     Geodesy and Geophysics Department, DoD., "World Geodetic
              System 1984", January 2000, <http://earth-info.nga.mil/
              GandG/publications/tr8350.2/wgs84fin.pdf>.

Author's Address

 Terry Manderson
 ICANN
 EMail: terry.manderson@icann.org

Manderson Standards Track [Page 8]

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