Re: IPv6 Router Solicitation Send

[JINMEI Tatuya / 神明達哉 <jinmei%wide.ad.jp@localhost>]

At Sat, 1 Mar 2008 12:59:17 +0530,
"Dutta Dwaip" <dwaipayand%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:

> Yes, I was looking for some function like rs_output() which would be
> called when interface comes up (or other conditions as described in
> RFC). But looks like, such
> implementation is not there.
> Is there any specific reason for not having it as part of Kernel?

Just like DHCP or routing daemons are running in the user space.  In
general, we wanted to implement as many things as possible there,
rather than making the kernel super rich.  We actually wanted to
implement the processing of incoming RAs in the user space, too, but
we ended up leaving it in the kernel because it's so tightly to layer
2 information, which is hard to access from normal applications.

> RFC
> marks router solicitation requirement  as "SHOULD" .

> Does this mean that most of the IPV6 implementation at hosts doesn't
> send router solicitation by default when interface comes UP?

You seem to be confused about implementation issues and operational
issues.  In general, and in my understanding, RFCs'
SHOULD/MUST/whatever are implementation requirements.  And whether
it's implemented in the kernel or in the user space is just a matter
of design choice (where different people often have different
opinions, of course).  Whether the implemented feature is enabled or
not is an operational issue, for which IETF basically has no business.

---
JINMEI, Tatuya
Internet Systems Consortium, Inc.