MANET

IETF 125 Session Minutes

Summary

The MANET Working Group met at IETF 125 to discuss the status of active DLEP extensions, address potential new work regarding MANET internetworking, and evaluate an update for responsive use in OLSRv2. The chairs reported that three DLEP extensions have completed Last Call and are nearing submission to the IESG. The session featured technical presentations on bridging disjoint MANET clouds via an internet overlay and improving convergence in OLSRv2. The group also discussed its current charter status and the need for increased mailing list activity.

Key Discussion Points

Working Group Document Status

DLEP Extensions: The chairs (Don Fedyk and Ronald in't Velt) noted that the following drafts have completed Working Group Last Call and were recently updated to address comments:
Next Steps for DLEP: Formal IPR calls will be issued for these three drafts. Pending the resolution of any final comments on the mailing list, they will be submitted to the IESG in the coming weeks.
MANET Awareness Model: Ronald in't Velt reported that work on the YANG model for MANET awareness and a potential update to RFC 8175 (DLEP) is progressing slowly due to a lack of contributors.

MANET Internetworking

Presentation: MANET Internetworking (2) Presenters: Fred Templin and Daniel Jacobyson

Overview: The presenters discussed a gap analysis and a proposed solution (OMNI/AERO) for bridging disjoint local MANET regions over the global internet as a virtual overlay.
Technical Detail:
- The solution utilizes Multilink Local Addresses (MLA) based on RFC 9374 (IPv6 addresses with cryptographic identifiers).
- It proposes using BGP as an inter-MANET routing protocol to exchange host routes (/128s) between gateways (e.g., GNodeBs).
- To address scaling and mobility churn beyond BGP's limits, a DNS-based next-hop resolution mechanism was suggested.
Discussion:
- Don Fedyk suggested that the gap analysis (draft-templin-manet-inet-gaps) should include a broader comparison with other historical or existing technologies such as LISP, HIP, and various VPN/overlay models.
- Ronald in't Velt raised concerns regarding the allocation of Autonomous System (AS) numbers for MANET gateways and how the architecture handles partitioned MANETs with multiple gateways.
- A question was raised regarding the charter scope; the requirements/gap analysis draft is likely within scope, but the solution drafts (draft-templin-manet-inet-omni) may require AD consultation or a charter update.

Responsive Use of OLSRv2

Presentation: Responsive Use of the Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) Routing Protocol OLSRv2 Presenter: Christopher Dearlove

Overview: Christopher Dearlove presented draft-dearlove-manet-olsrv2-responsive, which proposes a small, backward-compatible addition to OLSRv2 (RFC 7181).
Technical Detail: The draft suggests sending an extra Topology Control (TC) message when a router discovers a new neighbor through the topology information base. This is intended to accelerate convergence in "responsive" scenarios where regular heartbeat intervals might be long.
Discussion:
- Fred Templin and Ronald in't Velt discussed the availability of OLSRv2 implementations for testing. While some open-source versions exist (e.g., Henning Rogge’s implementation), maintenance and build stability remain concerns for current experimentation.
- Abdussalam Baryun suggested that rather than a small standalone update, the working group should consider a comprehensive "bis" update to RFC 7181 to incorporate all known improvements from the last decade. Christopher Dearlove noted that while a consolidated document would be ideal, the IETF typically handles such updates through separate modular documents.

Working Group Health and Chartering

Abdussalam Baryun and Fred Templin expressed concern regarding the perceived lack of activity on the mailing list, which has impacted the AD’s willingness to recharter the group.
The chairs clarified that there is no "gag order" and encouraged all participants to provide technical feedback on the list to demonstrate the group's viability.

Decisions and Action Items

Action (Chairs): Issue IPR calls for draft-ietf-manet-dlep-radio-quality, draft-ietf-manet-dlep-radio-band, and draft-ietf-manet-dlep-channel-utilization.
Action (Chairs): Consult with the Area Director (Jim Guichard) regarding the scope of the proposed MANET Internetworking and OLSRv2 responsive drafts.
Action (WG): Review and provide feedback on the mailing list for draft-templin-manet-inet-gaps and draft-dearlove-manet-olsrv2-responsive to gauge adoption interest.

Next Steps

Submission of the DLEP extension drafts to the IESG.
Continued discussion on the mailing list regarding the "Responsive" OLSRv2 update and the Internetworking gap analysis.
Potential calls for adoption pending list activity and AD guidance.

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