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14. IANA Considerations

This chapter describes SCTP protocol registration requirements in IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) registries.

14.1. SCTP Chunk Type Registration

IANA maintains the SCTP Chunk Type registry.

14.1.1. Chunk Type Value Ranges

Chunk Type Field: 8-bit value (0-255)

Allocation Policy:

  • 0-63: Defined chunk types (defined by this RFC)
  • 64-126: Reserved for IETF Review
  • 127: Reserved for IETF-defined extensions
  • 128-190: Reserved for IETF Review
  • 191: Reserved for IETF-defined extensions
  • 192-255: Experimental and private use

14.1.2. Defined Chunk Types

Chunk types defined by this RFC:

TypeNameReference
0DATA3.3.1
1INIT3.3.2
2INIT ACK3.3.3
3SACK3.3.4
4HEARTBEAT3.3.5
5HEARTBEAT ACK3.3.6
6ABORT3.3.7
7SHUTDOWN3.3.8
8SHUTDOWN ACK3.3.9
9ERROR3.3.10
10COOKIE ECHO3.3.11
11COOKIE ACK3.3.12
14SHUTDOWN COMPLETE3.3.13

Note: Chunk types 12 and 13 are not used in this specification.

14.2. SCTP Chunk Parameter Type Registration

IANA maintains the SCTP Chunk Parameter Type registry.

14.2.1. Parameter Type Value Ranges

Parameter Type Field: 16-bit value (0-65535)

Allocation Policy:

  • 0-32767: Defined parameter types
  • 32768-49151: Reserved for IETF Review
  • 49152-65535: Experimental and private use

14.2.2. Defined Parameter Types

Parameter types defined by this RFC:

TypeNameReference
5IPv4 Address3.3.2.1
6IPv6 Address3.3.2.1
7State Cookie3.3.3.1
8Unrecognized Parameters3.3.3.2
9Cookie Preservative3.3.2.1
11Host Name Address3.3.2.1
12Supported Address Types3.3.2.1

14.3. SCTP Error Cause Code Registration

IANA maintains the SCTP Error Cause Code registry.

14.3.1. Error Cause Code Value Ranges

Cause Code Field: 16-bit value (0-65535)

Allocation Policy:

  • 0-32767: Defined cause codes
  • 32768-49151: Reserved for IETF Review
  • 49152-65535: Experimental and private use

14.3.2. Defined Error Cause Codes

Error cause codes defined by this RFC:

CodeNameReference
1Invalid Stream Identifier3.3.10.1
2Missing Mandatory Parameter3.3.10.2
3Stale Cookie Error3.3.10.3
4Out of Resource3.3.10.4
5Unresolvable Address3.3.10.5
6Unrecognized Chunk Type3.3.10.6
7Invalid Mandatory Parameter3.3.10.7
8Unrecognized Parameters3.3.10.8
9No User Data3.3.10.9
10Cookie Received While Shutting Down3.3.10.10
11Restart of an Association with New Addresses3.3.10.11
12User Initiated Abort3.3.10.12
13Protocol Violation3.3.10.13

14.4. SCTP Payload Protocol Identifiers

IANA maintains the SCTP Payload Protocol Identifier registry.

14.4.1. Protocol Identifier Value Range

Payload Protocol Identifier Field: 32-bit value (0-4294967295)

Purpose: Identifies upper layer protocol carried in DATA chunk, allows receiver to properly process payload, orthogonal to port numbers.

14.4.2. Registration Policy

Allocation:

  • 0: Reserved (not used by SCTP)
  • 1-65535: Standardized protocols (IETF Review)
  • 65536-: First Come First Served

Registration Requirements: Protocol name, description, reference document.

14.4.3. Defined Protocol Identifiers

Examples of predefined protocol identifiers:

IDProtocolReference
0reserved-
1IUARFC 4233
2M2UARFC 3331
3M3UARFC 4666
4SUARFC 3868
5M2PARFC 4165

14.5. Port Number Assignment

14.5.1. SCTP Port Number Registration

SCTP uses the same port number space as TCP and UDP but maintained independently.

IANA Responsibilities: Maintain SCTP port number registry, accept allocation requests, coordinate with TCP/UDP usage.

Port Number Ranges:

  • 0-1023: System Ports (Well Known) - IETF Review required
  • 1024-49151: User Ports (Registered) - IANA Review required
  • 49152-65535: Dynamic/Private Ports - No registration required

Port Assignment Recommendations: If protocol supports both TCP and SCTP, use same port number; new protocols should specify transport protocol clearly.

14.6. Registration Update Process

14.6.1. Registering New Values

Process: Submit request to IANA, provide documentation, undergo review, IANA assigns value and updates registry.

14.6.2. Modifying Existing Registrations

Allowed: Update references, clarify descriptions, correct errors. Not Allowed: Change assigned values, redefine existing entries.

14.6.3. Deprecating Registrations

Mark as "deprecated" rather than delete, preserve historical record, note reason and alternatives.


Summary

IANA's role in SCTP protocol management: Registry maintenance, value allocation, documentation management, coordination.

Best Practices: Check IANA registries before using new types, use experimental ranges for experiments, standardized extensions require IETF review, maintain accurate registration information.