babeld (8)

babeld option... [ -- ] interface...

Babel is a loop-avoiding distance-vector routing protocol roughly based on DSDV and AODV, but with provisions for link cost estimation and redistribution of routes from other routing protocols.

While it is optimised for wireless mesh networks, Babel will also work efficiently on wired networks.

-m multicast-address

Specify the link-local multicast address to be used by the protocol. The default is ff02:0:0:0:0:0:1:6.

-p port

Specify the UDP port number to be used by the protocol. The default is 6696.

-S state-file

Set the name of the file used for preserving long-term information between invocations of the babeld daemon. If this file is deleted, the daemon will run in passive mode for 3 minutes when it is next started (see -P below), and other hosts might initially ignore it. The default is /var/lib/babel-state.

-h hello-interval

Specify the interval in seconds at which scheduled hello packets are sent on wireless interfaces. The default is 4 seconds.

-H wired-hello-interval

Specify the interval in seconds at which scheduled hello packets are sent on wired interfaces. The default is 4 seconds.

-z kind [,factor]

Enable diversity-sensitive routing. The value kind defines the diversity algorithm used, and can be one of 0 (no diversity), 1 (per-interface diversity with no memory), 2 (per-channel diversity with no memory), or 3 (per-channel diversity with memory). The value factor specifies by how much the cost of non-interfering routes is multiplied, in units of 1/256; the default is 128 (i.e. division by 2).

-M half-time

Specify the half-time in seconds of the exponential decay used for smoothing metrics for performing route selection; the value 0 disables smoothing. The default is 4s.

-k priority

Specify the priority value used when installing routes into the kernel. The default is 0.

-A priority

Allow duplicating external routes when their kernel priority is at least priority. Do not use this option unless you know what you are doing, as it can cause persistent route flapping.

-l

Use IFF_RUNNING (carrier sense) when determining interface availability.

-w

Don't optimise wired links, assume all interfaces are wireless unless explicitly overridden in the configuration file.

-s

Do not perform split-horizon processing on wired interfaces. Split-horizon is not performed on wireless interfaces.

-r

Use a random router-id. The default is to use persistent router-ids derived from the MAC address of the first interface, which is easier to debug and more reliably prevents routing loops but may sometimes cause a node to be unreachable for 120 seconds just after boot.

-u

Do not flush unfeasible (useless) routes. This is useful in order to announce more information to a front-end (see -g).

-d level

Debug level. A value of 1 requests a routing table dump at every iteration through the daemon's main loop. A value of 2 additionally requests tracing every message sent or received. A value of 3 additionally dumps all interactions with the OS kernel. The default is 0.

-g port

Listen for connections from a front-end on port port.

-t table

Use the given kernel routing table for routes inserted by babeld.

-T table

Export routes from the given kernel routing table. This can be specified multiple times in order to export routes from more than one table.

-c filename

Specify the name of the configuration file. This flag can be repeated multiple times. The default is /etc/babeld.conf.

-C statement

Specify a configuration statement directly on the command line.

-D

Daemonise at startup.

-L logfile

Specify a file to log random ``how do you do?'' messages to. This defaults to standard error if not daemonising, and to /var/log/babeld.log otherwise.

-I pidfile

Specify a file to write our process id to. The default is /var/run/babeld.pid.

interface...

The list of interfaces on which the protocol should operate.

The configuration file is a sequence of lines each of which specifies a global option, an interface specification or a filtering rule. Comments are introduced by an octothorp ``#'' and terminate at the end of the line.

Global options

protocol-group group

This specifies the link-local multicast address to be used by the protocol, and is equivalent to the command-line option -m.

protocol-port port

This specifies the UDP port number to be used by the protocol, and is equivalent to the command-line option -p.

kernel-priority priority

This specifies the priority value used when installing routes into the kernel, and is equivalent to the command-line option -k.

allow-duplicates priority

This allows duplicating external routes when their kernel priority is at least priority. Do not use this option unless you know what you are doing, as it can cause persistent route flapping.

keep-unfeasible {true|false}

This specifies whether to keep unfeasible (useless) routes, and is equivalent to the command-line option -u.

random-id {true|false}

This specifies whether to use a random router-id, and is equivalent to the command-line option -r.

debug level

This specifies the debugging level, and is equivalent to the command-line option -d.

local-port port

This specifies the TCP port on which babeld will listen for connections from a front-end, and is equivalent to the command-line option -g.

export-table table

This specifies the kernel routing table to use for routes inserted by babeld, and is equivalent to the command-line option -t.

import-table table

This specifies a kernel routing table from which routes are redistributed by babeld, and can be specified multiple times with a cumulative effect. This is equivalent to the command-line option -T.

link-detect {true|false}

This specifies whether to use carrier sense for determining interface availability, and is equivalent to the command-line option -l.

diversity {true|false|kind}

This specifies the diversity algorithm to use; true is equivalent to kind 3. The default is false (do not use any diversity algorithm).

diversity-factor factor

This specifies by how much the cost of non-interfering routes should be multiplied, in units of 1/256. The default is 128 (division by 2).

smoothing-half-life seconds

This specifies the half-life in seconds of the exponential decay used for smoothing metrics for performing route selection, and is equivalent to the command-line option -M.

deamonise {true|false}

This specifies whether to daemonize at startup, and is equivalent to the command-line option -D.

state-file filename

This specifies the name of the file used for preserving long-term information between invocations of the babeld daemon, and is equivalent to the command-line option -S.

log-file filename

This specifies the name of the file used to log random messages to, and is equivalent to the command-line option -L.

pid-file filename

This specifies the name of the file to which babeld writes out its process id, and is equivalent to the command-line option -I.

Interface configuration

An interface is configured by a line with the following format:

• interface name [parameter...]

where name is the name of the interface (something like eth0). The default value of an interface parameter can be specified changed by a line of the form

• default [parameter...]

Each parameter can be one of:

wired {true|false|auto}

This specifies whether to enable optimisations specific to wired interfaces. By default, this is determined automatically unless the -w command-line flag was specified.

link-quality {true|false|auto}

This specifies whether link quality estimation should be performed on this interface. The default is to perform link quality estimation on wireless interfaces but not on wired interfaces.

split-horizon {true|false|auto}

This specifies whether to perform split-horizon processing on this interface. The default is to never perform split-horizon processing on wireless interfaces; on wired interfaces, the default depends on the -s flag.

rxcost cost

This defines the cost of receiving frames on the given interface under ideal conditions (no packet loss); how this relates to the actual cost used for computing metrics of routes going through this interface depends on whether link quality estimation is being done. The default is 96 for wired interfaces, and 256 for wireless ones.

channel channel

Sets the channel for this interface. The value channel can be either an integer, or one of the strings interfering or noninterfering. The default is to autodetect the channel number for wireless interfaces, and noninterfering for wired interfaces.

faraway {true|false}

This specifies whether the network is "far away", in the sense that networks behind it don't interfere with networks in front of it. By default, networks are not far away.

hello-interval interval

This defines the interval between hello packets sent on this interface. The default is specified with the -h and -H command-line flags.

update-interval interval

This defines the interval between full routing table dumps sent on this interface; since Babel uses triggered updates and doesn't count to infinity, this can be set to a fairly large value, unless significant packet loss is expected. The default is four times the hello interval.

enable-timestamps {true|false}

Enable sending timestamps with each Hello and IHU message in order to compute RTT values. The default is true if max-rtt-penalty is non-zero (see below), and false otherwise.

rtt-decay decay

This specifies the decay factor for the exponential moving average of RTT samples, in units of 1/256. Must be between 1 and 256, inclusive. Higher values discard old samples faster. The default is 42.

rtt-min rtt

This specifies the minimum RTT, in milliseconds, starting from which we increase the cost to a neighbour. The additional cost is linear in (rtt - rtt-min). The default is 10 ms.

rtt-max rtt

This specifies the maximum RTT, in milliseconds, above which we don't increase the cost to a neighbour. The default is 120 ms.

max-rtt-penalty cost

This specifies the maximum cost added to a neighbour because of RTT, i.e. when the RTT is higher or equal than rtt-max. The default is 0, which effectively disables the use of a RTT-based cost.

Filtering rules

A filtering rule is defined by a single line with the following format:

• filter selector... action

Filter specifies the filter to which this entry will be added, and can be one of in, out, or redistribute.

Each selector specifies the conditions under which the given statement matches. It can be one of

ip prefix

This entry only applies to routes in the given prefix.

eq plen

This entry only applies to routes with a prefix length equal to plen.

le plen

This entry only applies to routes with a prefix length less or equal to plen.

ge plen

This entry only applies to routes with a prefix length greater or equal to plen.

neigh address

This entry only applies to routes learned from a neighbour with link-local address address.

id id

This entry only applies to routes originated by a router with router-id id.

proto p

This entry only applies to kernel routes with kernel protocol number p. If neither proto nor local is specified, this entry applies to all non-local kernel routes with a protocol different from "boot".

local

This entry only applies to local addresses.

if interface

For an input filter, this specifies the interface over which the route is learned. For an output filter, this specifies the interface over which this route is advertised. For a redistribute statement, this specifies the interface over which the route forwards packets.

Action specifies the action to be taken when this entry matches. It can have one of the following values:

allow

Allow this route, without changing its metric (or setting its metric to 0 in case of a redistribute filter).

deny

Ignore this route.

metric value

For an input or output filter, allow this route after increasing its metric by value. For a redistribute filter, redistribute this route with metric value.

If action is not specified, it defaults to allow.

By default, babeld redistributes all local addresses, and no other routes. In order to make sure that only the routes you specify are redistributed, you should include the line

• redistribute local deny

as the last line in your configuration file.

You can participate in a Babel network by simply running

• # babeld wlan0

where wlan0 is the name of your wireless interface.

In order to gateway between multiple interfaces, just list them all on the command line:

• # babeld wlan0 eth0 sit1

On an access point, you'll probably want to redistribute some external routes into Babel:

• # babeld \

      -C 'redistribute metric 256' \
      wlan0
  

or, if you want to constrain the routes that you redistribute,

• # babeld \

      -C 'redistribute proto 11 ip ::/0 le 64 metric 256' \
      -C 'redistribute proto 11 ip 0.0.0.0/0 le 24 metric 256' \
      wlan0
  

/etc/babeld.conf

The default location of the configuration file.

/var/lib/babel-state

The default location of the file storing long-term state.

/var/run/babeld.pid

The default location of the pid file.

/var/log/babeld.log

The default location of the log file.

SIGUSR1

Dump Babel's routing tables to standard output or to the log file.

SIGUSR2

Check interfaces and kernel routes right now, then reopen the log file.

Babel is a completely insecure protocol: any attacker able to inject IP packets with a link-local source address can disrupt the protocol's operation. This is no different from unsecured neighbour discovery or ARP.

Since Babel uses link-local IPv6 packets only, there is no need to update firewalls to allow forwarding of Babel protocol packets. If local filtering is being done, UDP datagrams to the port used by the protocol should be allowed. As Babel uses unicast packets in some cases, it is not enough to just allow packets destined to Babel's multicast address.

Plenty. This is experimental software, run at your own risk.

routed(8), route6d(8), zebra(8), ahcpd(8).

Juliusz Chroboczek.