Limit a packet’s lifetime
03Time to Live limits how long a datagram may continue circulating.
Related RFCs and changes
“Updates” changes part of an earlier RFC. “Obsoletes” replaces it. This list shows selected related documents.
DIAGRAM§ 3.1 ↗
RFC 791 · § 3.1EXAMPLE
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03
The next router discards the expired datagram rather than forwarding it.
The next router discards the expired datagram rather than forwarding it.
Protocol participantThreat or exceptionProtocol controlSimplified drawings · precise section references
Read the updated RFC section ↗
A router reduces TTL by at least one during processing and discards the packet when it expires.
- A router reduces TTL by at least one during processing and discards the packet when it expires.
- The original RFC expresses TTL in seconds; ordinary forwarding also makes it a hop bound.
The drawing is a simplified worked example. Follow the linked RFC and its updates for implementation requirements.
Read the RFC section ↗Diagrams simplify the RFC. Read the linked sections for complete requirements.
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