[e2e] IP options inserted in transit

[Craig Partridge]

Hi folks:

I've been reading through some of the IP options text in RFCs 791 and 1122
and I can't seem to find a definitive answer to the following question:

    Can a router (or other intermediate device) add and remove IP options
    from a datagram?

In particular, if I define a new option -- say a datagram sequencing option
that might allow me to put datagrams sent over different paths back in order --
can a router that's splitting traffic over multiple channels put the option
in, and then a router near the destination that is receiving from those
multiple channels, take the option out?

It appears to be legal, yet all the options text I've seen speaks in terms
of a host putting the option in the IP datagram (including enough space
for intermediate systems to place data in the option), so there's a
disconnect here.

Thanks!

Craig

E-mail: craig at aland.bbn.com or craig at bbn.com