Subject: Comments on Optimizing BFD Authentication

From: Jeffrey Haas <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 12:57:36 -0400

Authors,

Several comments on the draft in no particular order:

---

The document header says "BFD Authentication".  You should include the word
"optimizing" somewhere in that. :-)

---

The NULL Auth TLV has a recommended Authentication Type of 0.  While this
seems like a good idea, it's problematic in a few regards.

RFC 5880 defines the bfd.AuthType variable.  This is basically set using the
received AuthType in the packet when authentication is received.  E.g.:

:    Authentication Present (A)
: 
:       Set to 1 if authentication is in use on this session (bfd.AuthType
:       is nonzero), or 0 if not.

Further, section 6.8.6 contains the following:

:       If the A bit is set and no authentication is in use (bfd.AuthType
:       is zero), the packet MUST be discarded.

My recommendation is to remove the AuthType of 0 and replace it with a TBD
to be assigned by IANA.  This impacts the IANA Considerations section.

---

Section 3 notes a "Reserved" field.  It notes "multiple keys". This seems to
be missing text describing how it's intended to be used.

---

There are also a few other issues that require attention, which are largely
operational considerations:

How do you go about enabling the optimized procedures?  Is it expected to be
via configuration?

What are the yang model considerations?  (See prior point.)

-- Jeff