Root-Initiated Routing State in the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks
RFC 9914, “Root-Initiated Routing State in the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks”, is a Proposed Standard document published in April 2026 by P. Thubert, R.A. Jadhav, M. Richardson. It updates RFC 6550, RFC 6553, RFC 8138. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.
Abstract
The Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) (RFC 6550) enables data packet routing along a Destination-Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG). However, the default route establishment mechanism relies on hop-by-hop forwarding along the DODAG, which may not always provide optimal routing efficiency. This document introduces the concept of Destination Advertisement Object (DAO) Projection, a mechanism that allows a RPL Root or an external controller to install optimized routes within the RPL domain. DAO Projections enable the creation of optimized unicast or multicast routes that do not strictly follow the DODAG structure, thereby improving routing efficiency, reliability, availability, and resource utilization in the RPL domain. This document specifies two types of Projected Routes (P-Routes) -- Storing Mode and Non-Storing Mode -- and outlines the signaling procedures necessary to establish, maintain, and remove these routes. This document updates RFCs 6550, 6553, and 8138.
What “Proposed Standard” means
An entry-level standards-track specification: stable, peer-reviewed and a solid basis for implementation, though it may still evolve before becoming an Internet Standard.
The canonical text of RFC 9914 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in HTML,TXT,PDF,XML.
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