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RFC 8469: Recommendation to Use the Ethernet Control Word

In plain English — editorial summary, not part of the RFC

The pseudowire (PW) encapsulation of Ethernet, as defined in RFC 4448, specifies that the use of the control word (CW) is optional. In the absence of the CW, an Ethernet PW packet can be misidentified as an IP packet by a label switching router (LSR). This may lead to the selection of the wrong equal-cost multipath (ECMP) path for the packet, leading in turn to the misordering of packets. This problem has become more serious due to the deployment of equipment with Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that start with 0x4 or 0x6. The use of the Ethernet PW CW addresses this problem. This document RECOMMENDS the use of the Ethernet PW CW in all but exceptional circumstances. This document updates RFC 4448.

Document record

Document ID
RFC8469
Published
November 2018
Authors
S. Bryant; A. Malis; I. Bagdonas
Status
PROPOSED STANDARD
Stream
IETF
Area
rtg
Pages
9
Also known as
—
Updates:
RFC 4448

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The document record above — title, authors, date, status, stream, area, relationships, DOI and errata — is imported verbatim from the public RFC Editor index. The “in plain English” section is editorial: written by The metasystema editorial team, not part of the RFC. Where the two differ, the RFC text governs.

Last checked against the RFC Editor index on . RFCs are never revised after publication; changes are issued as new documents.

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canonical URL: /rfc/8469-recommendation-to-use-the-ethernet-control-word