====== 7. Internal Tables ======

===== 7.1 Purpose =====

This document defines the major protocol tables used by MTRP.

===== 7.2 Neighbor Table =====

The neighbor table stores direct-neighbor state.

A neighbor entry SHOULD include:

  * destination node identifier
  * egress path identifier
  * direct metric
  * last-seen time
  * expiry time
  * capability information
  * security information
  * reliability counters

===== 7.3 Forwarding Table =====

The forwarding table stores learned route candidates.

A forwarding entry SHOULD include:

  * destination node identifier
  * next-hop node identifier
  * egress path identifier
  * learned metric
  * sequence value
  * expiry time
  * last-updated time
  * route flags

Multiple entries for the same destination MAY coexist if they differ by next hop, path, or both.

===== 7.4 Preferred Route Table =====

The preferred route table stores selected forwarding choices.

A preferred-route entry SHOULD include:

  * destination node identifier
  * next-hop node identifier
  * egress path identifier
  * selected-at time
  * hold-down-until time
  * in-use state

The preferred route table is not required to mirror the forwarding table.

===== 7.5 Message Cache =====

The message cache stores recently seen frames for duplicate suppression.

The cache SHOULD be bounded in size and SHOULD expire entries after a finite time window.