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This article introduces Smart Packets and describes the Smart Packets architecture, the packet formats, the language and its design goals, and security considerations. Smart Packets is an Active Networks project focusing on applying active networks technology to network management and monitoring. Messages in active networks are programs that are executed at nodes on the path to one or more target hosts. Smart Packets programs are written in a tightly encoded, safe language specifically designed to support network management and avoid dangerous constructs and accesses. Smart Packets improves the management of large complex networks by (1) moving management decision points closer to the node being managed, (2) targeting specific aspects of the node for information rather than exhaustive collection via polling, and (3) abstracting the management concepts to language constructs, allowing nimble network control.

Decoy routing is a powerful circumvention mechanism intended to provide secure communications that cannot be monitored, detected, or disrupted by a third party who controls the user's network infrastructure. Current decoy routing protocols have weaknesses, however: they either make the unrealistic assumption that routes through the network are symmetric (i.e., the router implementing the decoy routing protocol must see all of the traffic, in both directions, from each connection it modifies), or their protocol requires modifying the route taken by packets in connections that use the protocol, and these route changes are detectable by a third party. We present Rebound, a decoy routing protocol that tolerates asymmetric routes without modifying the route taken by any packet that passes through the decoy router, making it more difficult to detect or disrupt than previous decoy routing protocols.

Status of this Memo This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.