RIFT

The Routing in Fat Trees (RIFT) protocol allows for key/value pairs to be advertised within Key-Value Topology Information Elements (KV TIEs). The data contained within these KV TIEs can be used for any imaginable purpose.

This document specifies behavior for the various Key Types (i.e., Well-Known, Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI), and Experimental) and a method to structure corresponding values. It also defines a Well-Known Key Sub-Type used for testing tie-breaking behavior.

This document defines a YANG data model for the configuration and management of the Routing in Fat Trees (RIFT) Protocol. The model is based on YANG 1.1, which is defined in RFC 7950 and conforms to the Network Management Datastore Architecture (NMDA) as described in RFC 8342.

This document defines a specialized, dynamic routing protocol for Clos, fat tree, and variants thereof. These topologies were initially used within crossbar interconnects and consequently router and switch backplanes, but their characteristics make them ideal for constructing IP fabrics as well. The protocol specified by this document is optimized towards the minimization of control plane state to support very large substrates as well as the minimization of configuration and operational complexity to allow for a simplified deployment of said topologies.

This document discusses the properties, applicability, and operational considerations of Routing in Fat Trees (RIFT) in different network scenarios with the intention of providing a rough guide on how RIFT can be deployed to simplify routing operations in Clos topologies and their variations.