RSVP Message Structure
RSVP was extended by various Requests for Comments (RFCs) to function as a signaling protocol to create Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) LSPs. The signaling occurs with RSVP messages which are encapsulated directly with IP datagrams using a protocol ID of 46. Each RSVP message uses a common header followed by various objects, as shown in Figure 8.
![]()
Table 13 lists and describes the fields in the RSVP common header.
Table 13: Fields in the RSVP Common Header
Used to signal support for protocol extensions to neighboring RSVP routers.
Displays the number for the type of RSVP message encoded in the packet. For a detailed description of some message types, see Examining RSVP Log Messages and Examining RSVP Error Messages.
Displays a standard IP checksum for the entire RSVP message. When the checksum is computed, the local router assumes that this field contains zeros.
Derived from the IP packet time to live (TTL). If the IP TTL value does not match the value in the
Send TTLfield, the previous node does not support RSVP.Displays the entire RSVP packet, including any optional objects that are attached to the message.
This variable-length field contains one or more RSVP objects. For a more detailed description of objects, see RSVP Objects Structure.