TCP/IPX MIB: TCP/IPX Connection Mib Specification
SNMP management objects for TCP and UDP running over IPX instead of IP.
Sung, T., "TCP/IPX Connection Mib Specification", RFC 1792, DOI 10.17487/RFC1792, April 1995, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1792>.
@misc{rfc1792,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 1792,
howpublished = {RFC 1792},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC1792},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1792},
author = {T. Sung},
title = {{TCP/IPX Connection Mib Specification}},
pagetotal = 9,
year = 1995,
month = apr,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group T. Sung
Request for Comments: 1792 Novell, Inc.
Category: Experimental April 1995
TCP/IPX Connection Mib Specification
Status of this Memo
This document defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet
community. This does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.
Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
IESG Note:
Internet Engineering Steering Group comment from the Area Director
for Transport Services: Please note well that this memo is an
individual product of the author. Implementation experience,
particularly on the effectiveness of the protocols in dual-stack
environments, is needed.
1. Introduction
Traditionally, TCP and UDP runs over IP. STD 17, RFC 1213 defines
TCP connection MIB object and UDP listener object assuming just that.
For TCP and UDP running over IPX, tcpConnTable and udpTable objects
from RFC 1213 cannot be used since they define the address to be of
type IpAddress. As such, we need to define new objects that can
properly describe TCP and UDP connections over IPX.
New MIB objects, tcpIpxConnTable, udpIpxTable, tcpUnspecConnTable and
udpUnspecTable are presented in this paper, to be used in place of
tcpConnTable and udpListenerTable when TCP and UDP are running over
IPX.
2. Objects
TCPIPX-MIB DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN
IMPORTS
OBJECT-TYPE
FROM RFC-1212;
-- IPX address type.
-- First 4 octests are the network numbers and the last 6
-- octests are the node numbers. In ascii, it is represented
-- as hex digits, as in: nnnnnnnn:mmmmmmmmmmmm
IpxAddress ::= OCTET STRING (size (10))
-- TCP/IPX MIB object idenfifiers
novell OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { enterprises 23 }
mibDoc OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { novell 2 }
tcpx OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { mibDoc 29 }
tcpxTcp OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { tcpx 1 }
tcpxUdp OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { tcpx 2 }
-- the TCP/IPX Connection table
-- The TCP/IPX connection table contains information
-- about this entity's existing TCP connections over
-- IPX.
tcpIpxConnTable OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX SEQUENCE OF TcpIpxConnEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"A table containing information specific on
TCP connection over IPX network layer."
::= { tcpxTcp 1 }
tcpIpxConnEntry OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX TcpIpxConnEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"Information about a particular current TCP
connection over IPX An object of this type is
transient, in that it ceases to exist when (or
soon after) the connection makes the transition
to the CLOSED state."
INDEX { tcpIpxConnLocalAddress,
tcpIpxConnLocalPort,
tcpIpxConnRemAddress,
tcpIpxConnRemPort }
::= { tcpIpxConnTable 1 }
TcpIpxConnEntry ::=
SEQUENCE {
tcpIpxConnState
INTEGER,
tcpIpxConnLocalAddress
IpxAddress
tcpIpxConnLocalPort
INTEGER (0..65535),
tcpIpxConnRemAddress
IpxAddress,
tcpIpxConnRemPort
INTEGER (0..65535)
}
tcpIpxConnState OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER {
closed(1),
listen(2),
synSent(3),
synReceived(4),
established(5),
finWait1(6),
finWait2(7),
closeWait(8),
lastAck(9),
closing(10),
timeWait(11),
deleteTCB(12)
}
ACCESS read-write
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The state of this TCP connection.
The only value which may be set by a management
station is deleteTCB(12). Accordingly, it is
appropriate for an agent to return a `badValue'
response if a management station attempts to set
this object to any other value.
If a management station sets this object to the
value deleteTCB(12), then this has the effect of
deleting the TCB (as defined in RFC 793) of the
corresponding connection on the managed node,
resulting in immediate termination of the
connection.
As an implementation-specific option, a RST
segment may be sent from the managed node to the
other TCP endpoint (note however that RST
segments are not sent reliably)."
::= { tcpIpxConnEntry 1 }
tcpIpxConnLocalAddress OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX IpxAddress
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The local IPX address for this TCP connection.
In the case of a connection in the listen state
which is willing to accept connections for any
interface, the value 00000000:000000000000 is
used. See tcpUnspecConnTable for connections in
the listen state which is willing to accept
connects for any IP interface associated with
the node."
::= { tcpIpxConnEntry 2 }
-- NetworkAddress defined in SMI only include IP currently,
-- so we can't use it to represent both IP and IPX address.
tcpIpxConnLocalPort OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER (0..65535)
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The local port number for this TCP connection."
::= { tcpIpxConnEntry 3 }
tcpIpxConnRemAddress OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX IpxAddress
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The remote IPX address for this TCP connection."
::= { tcpIpxConnEntry 4 }
tcpIpxConnRemPort OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER (0..65535)
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The remote port number for this TCP connection."
::= { tcpIpxConnEntry 5 }
-- the UDP Listener table
-- The UDP listener table contains information about this
-- entity's UDP end-points on which a local application is
-- currently accepting datagrams.
udpIpxTable OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX SEQUENCE OF UdpIpxEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"A table containing UDP listener information."
::= { tcpxUdp 1 }
udpIpxEntry OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX UdpIpxEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"Information about a particular current UDP
listener."
INDEX { udpIpxLocalAddress, udpIpxLocalPort }
::= { udpIpxTable 1 }
UdpIpxEntry ::=
SEQUENCE {
udpIpxLocalAddress
IpxAddress
udpIpxLocalPort
INTEGER (0..65535)
}
udpIpxLocalAddress OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX IpxAddress
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The local IPX address for this UDP listener. In
the case of a UDP listener which is willing to
accept datagrams for any interface, the value
00000000:000000000000 is used. See
udpUnspecTable for UDP listener which is
willing to accept datagrams from any network
layer."
::= { udpIpxEntry 1 }
udpIpxLocalPort OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER (0..65535)
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The local port number for this UDP listener."
::= { udpIpxEntry 2 }
-- the TCP/UNSPEC Connection table
-- The TCP/UPSPEC connection table contains information
-- about this entity's existing TCP connections over
-- unspecified network.
-- Since the network is unspecified, the network
-- address is also unspecified. Hence, this
-- connection table does not include any network
-- address.
tcpUnspecConnTable OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX SEQUENCE OF TcpIpxConnEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"A table containing information specific on
TCP connection over unspecified network layer."
::= { tcpxTcp 2 }
tcpUnspecConnEntry OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX TcpUnspecConnEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"Information about a particular current TCP
connection over unspecified network layer. An
object of this type is transient, in that it
ceases to exist when the connection makes
transition beyond LISTEN state, or when (or
soon after) the connection makes transition
to the CLOSED state,"
INDEX { tcpUnspecConnLocalPort }
::= { tcpUnspecConnTable 1 }
TcpUnspecConnEntry ::=
SEQUENCE {
tcpUnspecConnState
INTEGER,
tcpUnspecConnLocalPort
INTEGER (0..65535),
}
tcpUnspecConnState OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER {
closed(1),
listen(2),
deleteTCB(12)
}
ACCESS read-write
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The state of this TCP connection.
Since the TCP connection can belong to this table
only when its state is less than SYN_SENT, only
closed and listen state apply.
The only value which may be set by a management
station is deleteTCB(12). Accordingly, it is
appropriate for an agent to return a `badValue'
response if a management station attempts to set
this object to any other value.
If a management station sets this object to the
value deleteTCB(12), then this has the effect of
deleting the TCB (as defined in RFC 793) of the
corresponding connection on the managed node,
resulting in immediate termination of the
connection.
As an implementation-specific option, a RST
segment may be sent from the managed node to the
other TCP endpoint (note however that RST
segments are not sent reliably)."
::= { tcpUnspecConnEntry 1 }
tcpUnspecConnLocalPort OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER (0..65535)
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The local port number for this TCP connection."
::= { tcpUnspecConnEntry 2 }
-- the UDP Listener table
-- The UDP listener table contains information about this
-- entity's UDP end-points over unspecified network layer,
-- on which a local application is currently accepting
-- datagrams. If network layer is unspecified, the network
-- address is also unspecified. Hence, this table does not
-- include any network address.
udpUnspecTable OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX SEQUENCE OF UdpUnspecEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"A table containing UDP listener information."
::= { tcpxUdp 2 }
udpUnspecEntry OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX UdpUnspecEntry
ACCESS not-accessible
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"Information about a particular current UDP
listener."
INDEX { udpUnspecLocalPort }
::= { udpUnspecTable 1 }
UdpUnspecEntry ::=
SEQUENCE {
udpUnspecLocalPort
INTEGER (0..65535)
}
udpUnspecLocalPort OBJECT-TYPE
SYNTAX INTEGER (0..65535)
ACCESS read-only
STATUS mandatory
DESCRIPTION
"The local port number for this UDP listener."
::= { udpUnspecEntry 1 }
END
Acknowledgement
The author would like to thank following folks and others for their
assitance: Greg Minshall, Dave Piscitello.
Security Considerations
Security issues are not discussed in this memo.
Author's Address
Tae Sung
Novell, Inc.
2180 Fortune Drive
San Jose, California, 95131
Phone: (408)577-8439
EMail: tae@novell.Com
AI ELI5
On this page
§1Introduction
Traditionally, TCP and UDP run over the Internet Protocol (IP). Standard SNMP management defines objects to track these connections in RFC 1213. However, when TCP and UDP run over the Novell IPX protocol instead, those standard objects fail because they specify addresses as IP addresses, not IPX addresses.
This RFC defines new SNMP MIB objects designed for TCP and UDP running over IPX. These new tables replace the standard tcpConnTable and udpListenerTable when the network layer is IPX instead of IP, allowing network administrators to monitor these connections with the same SNMP tools.
Imagine you have a directory of phone calls. If everyone uses phone numbers, one format works fine. But if some people use a different address system, you need a different directory.
§2IPX Addresses
An IPX address consists of 10 octets (bytes): the first 4 octets represent a network number and the last 6 octets represent a node number (the physical address of a device). In text form, IPX addresses are written as hexadecimal digits separated by a colon: nnnnnnnn:mmmmmmmmmmmm.
This addressing scheme is fundamental to the new MIB objects, which use the IPX address type instead of the IP address type for identifying the source and destination of each connection or listener.
An IPX address is like a complete mailing address: a network location (where the building is) and a node location (which mailbox in the building).
§3TCP/IPX Connection Table
The TCP/IPX connection table (tcpIpxConnTable) stores information about each active TCP connection over IPX. Each entry in the table is indexed by four values: the local IPX address, the local port number, the remote IPX address, and the remote port number. This forms a unique key for every distinct connection.
Each connection entry records the current state of the TCP connection (closed, listen, established, closing, etc.), using the same 12-state model from RFC 793. A special state value allows a management station to delete the connection by setting the state to deleteTCB, which terminates the connection immediately.
Each row in the table describes one conversation: who it is between (both sides and port numbers), and whether the conversation is just starting, fully open, or ending.
§4UDP and Unspecified Network Tables
The UDP/IPX table (udpIpxTable) tracks UDP listeners over IPX. Unlike TCP connections, UDP endpoints are stateless, so the table records only the local IPX address and local port number for each listener application.
For cases where the network layer is not fully specified (such as listen sockets willing to accept connections on any IPX interface), RFC 1792 defines unspecified-network tables (tcpUnspecConnTable and udpUnspecTable). These tables omit the network address entirely, since the connection or listener accepts datagrams from any interface on the local node. The TCP unspecified table records only the state and local port, while the UDP unspecified table records only the local port.
UDP is quicker but simpler than TCP. Instead of tracking a conversation, you just track which mailboxes are open. For mailboxes open to everyone, you do not even need to name which building they are in.
§5Status and Security
RFC 1792 is an Experimental protocol and remains experimental. It was published in April 1995 and has not been obsoleted, updated, or advanced to higher standardization levels.
The RFC explicitly notes that security issues are not discussed in the document. MIB access control depends on the overall SNMP implementation. Network administrators should apply appropriate SNMP authentication and access controls to prevent unauthorized monitoring or manipulation of connection state.
This is a test idea (experimental) from 1995. The security of what you can see and change depends on who you let use the monitoring tool.