Les,

Again, you are wholly incorrect. I see no point in reiterating.  Please stop.

Regards,
Tony


> On Oct 12, 2025, at 7:53 PM, Les Ginsberg (ginsberg) - ginsberg at cisco.com 
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> Tony -
>  
> I am motivated to send an additional response because I believe there are a 
> set
> of facts on which we should be able to agree - but the words which have thus 
> far
> been used to characterize behaviors are misleading - in particular your 
> statement that HSNP hash collisions are:
>  
> "exactly analogous to the situation with CSNPs".
>  
> As we have both discussed in this thread, it is possible (though unlikely) 
> that
> during LSP transmission an LSP is received which matches that in the 
> receiver’s
> database i.e., same (LSPID, sequence #, checksum) but has different data. 
> This could occur because
> of corruption during transmission which does not alter (LSPID, sequence #) 
> but (unluckily) leaves the same checksum as still valid for the corrupted 
> data.
>  
> It might also occur if a node restarts, generates a new version of an LSP
> which matches that of a stale LSP from its previous incarnation in
> (LSPID, sequence #, checksum) but differs in some portion of the data.
> (This latter case is limited to small LSP sequence numbers).
>  
> But neither of these unlikely events has anything to do with CSNPs (or
> HSNPs). The collision is a vulnerability in the LSP flooding procedure which
> cannot be detected or corrected by CSNPs or HSNPs.
>  
> (NOTE: More on how to close this vulnerability below.)
>  
> What is introduced by the use of HSNPs is something quite different. A new 
> hash calculation is introduced which summarizes the (LSPID. Sequence #, 
> checksum) tuples for (a portion of) the LSPDB. This introduces
> the possibility that the hash calculated over a range of LSPs by two 
> neighbors might match even though the state of the
> LSPDB on the neighbors for that range differs. This (admittedly unlikely) 
> possibility exists with HSNPs - does not exist with CSNPs as they do not such 
> hash calculation.
>  
> We may have different opinions on the significance of this - but we should be
> able to agree that this is a new vulnerability introduced by HSNPs.
>  
> I hope we have agreement on the above.
>  
> My original post was only meant to express my opinion as regards whether
> HSNPs are a desirable solution. Given the added vulnerability and the
> likelihood that at scale the compression benefits of HSNPs will not be 
> realized
> (see my original post for more details on that) I am not enthused about
> the HSNP proposal. I understand that you feel differently.
>  
> Thanx for continuing to listen.
>  
>   Les
>  
> Additional note: If we wanted to eliminate the LSP flooding vulnerability,
> we would need to amend the procedures to be followed when receiving an
> LSP that matches an existing LSP in the receiver’s database (i.e., same
> (LSPID, sequence #, checksum).
>  
> ISO 10589 7.3.16.2 would need to be amended to say something like:
>  
> <snip>
> If (LSPID, Sequence #, checksum) match the receiver should perform
> a comparison of the data in the received LSP to that in the matching LSP 
> currently stored in the receiver’s database. If there is any difference the
> receiver should:
>  
>    o purge the LSP if the originator of the LSP is some other system
>    o increment the sequence # and flood a new version of the LSP if the 
> receiver is the originator of the LSP,
> <end snip>
>  
> If you want to further discuss whether such an amendment to the spec is worth
> doing, please start a separate thread. I am open to the idea of doing so …
>  
> From: Tony Li <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> On 
> Behalf Of Tony Li
> Sent: Monday, October 6, 2025 10:54 PM
> To: Les Ginsberg (ginsberg) <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>
> Cc: Tony Przygienda <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>; 
> [email protected] 
> <mailto:[email protected]>; lsr <[email protected] 
> <mailto:[email protected]>>
> Subject: Re: [Lsr] Further Comments on draft-prz-lsr-hierarchical-snps
>  
>  
> Les,
>  
>  
> When an LSP is received, the receiving IS validates the checksum. If the 
> checksum is invalid, the LSP is discarded – which means the transmitter will 
> be forced to retransmit (SRM bit is not cleared).
>  
>  
> True, but irrelevant.
>  
> 
> 
> So an LSP with invalid checksum will never be placed in the receiver’s 
> database.  ISO 10589 7.3.14.2e.
>  
>  
> True, but also irrelevant.
>  
> 
> 
> Which means if a CSNP entry with that invalid checksum is received the 
> receiver will not find a match in its database and will follow ISO 10589 
> 7.3.16.2.
>  
>  
> We are not discussing CSNPs with invalid checksums.
>  
>  
> If an LSP is received, checksum is validated, but the data in the LSP is in 
> some way different than what is in the LSP in the transmitters DB, then we 
> still have the actual TLV content which is in some way corrupted. In a robust 
> implementation the corrupt information would be detected and not used.
>  
>  
> We are not discussing LSP corruption here.
>  
> 
> 
> Now, you seem to be trying to equate this last case with a hash collision in 
> an HSNP where the range of LSPs covered by an HSNP advertisement incorrectly 
> collides with the hash calculated by the receiver over the same range. But in 
> such a case, we have one or more LSPs which have not been synced between the 
> two systems. Either an LSP doesn’t exist at all in one database or a 
> different version of that LSP exists – and you are trying to say that lack of 
> an entire LSP is equivalent to having the same LSP in both databases when 
> some bits in the data are different.
>  
>  
> No.  That’s not what I’m saying at all.  Please reread my mail. The point is 
> simple: CSNP’s are not 100% reliable. There can be checksum collisions.
>  
> 
> 
> But I am not warming to the idea of introducing new ways to compromise 
> flooding integrity in the name of efficiency.
>  
>  
> Your opinion is duly noted.  We are not compromising flooding integrity at 
> all, but if you will not discuss reality, I cannot help you.
>  
> Regards,
> Tony

_______________________________________________
Lsr mailing list -- [email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]

Reply via email to