public override void Decode(ByteBuffer buf)
        {
            int len = base.DecodeLength(buf);
            // since the linkAddr of the relay message is the interface
            // on which the relay itself received the message to be forwarded
            // we can assume that address is logically a server port
            IPEndPoint relayMsgLocalAddr =
                new IPEndPoint(relayMessage.GetLinkAddress(),
                        DhcpConstants.V6_SERVER_PORT);
            // the peerAddr of the relay message is the source address of
            // the message which it received and is forwarding, thus the
            // peerAddress is either another relay or the client itself,
            // so we don't really know what port to logically set for the
            // inner message's remote port
            IPEndPoint relayMsgRemoteAddr =
                new IPEndPoint(relayMessage.GetPeerAddress(), 0);

            // create a new buffer that will hold just this RelayOption
            byte[] b = buf.getBytes(len);

            ByteBuffer _buf = ByteBuffer.allocate(len);
            _buf.put(b);
            // use the wrapped buffer which represents the contents of the message
            // contained within this relay option, but not any more, i.e. not beyond
            // what _this_ relay option reports its length to be
            dhcpMessage = DhcpV6Message.Decode(_buf, relayMsgLocalAddr.Address, relayMsgRemoteAddr);
        }
        private static DhcpV6RelayMessage HandleRelayForward(DhcpV6RelayMessage relayMessage)
        {
            IPAddress linkAddr = relayMessage.GetLinkAddress();

            _log.Info(("Handling relay forward on link address: " + linkAddr.ToString()));
            DhcpV6RelayOption relayOption = relayMessage.GetRelayOption();

            if ((relayOption != null))
            {
                DhcpV6Message relayOptionMessage = relayOption.GetDhcpMessage();
                while ((relayOptionMessage != null))
                {
                    //  check what kind of message is in the option
                    if ((relayOptionMessage is DhcpV6RelayMessage))
                    {
                        //  encapsulated message is another relay message
                        DhcpV6RelayMessage anotherRelayMessage = ((DhcpV6RelayMessage)(relayOptionMessage));
                        //  flip this inner relay_forward into a relay_reply,
                        //  because we reuse the relay message "stack" for the reply
                        anotherRelayMessage.SetMessageType(DhcpConstants.V6MESSAGE_TYPE_RELAY_REPL);
                        //  reset the client link reference
                        linkAddr = anotherRelayMessage.GetLinkAddress();
                        //  reset the current relay option reference to the
                        //  encapsulated relay message's relay option
                        relayOption = anotherRelayMessage.GetRelayOption();
                        //  reset the relayOptionMessage reference to recurse
                        relayOptionMessage = relayOption.GetDhcpMessage();
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        //  we've peeled off all the layers of the relay message(s),
                        //  so now go handle the client request
                        _log.Info(("Handling client request on remote client link address: " + linkAddr.ToString()));
                        DhcpV6Message replyMessage = DhcpV6MessageHandler.HandleClientRequest(linkAddr, relayOptionMessage, null);
                        if ((replyMessage != null))
                        {
                            //  replace the original client request message inside
                            //  the relayed message with the generated Reply message
                            relayOption.SetDhcpMessage(replyMessage);
                            //  flip the outer-most relay_foward into a relay_reply
                            relayMessage.SetMessageType(DhcpConstants.V6MESSAGE_TYPE_RELAY_REPL);
                            //  return the relay message we started with,
                            //  with each relay "layer" flipped from a relay_forward
                            //  to a relay_reply, and the lowest level relayOption
                            //  will contain our Reply for the client request
                            return(relayMessage);
                        }

                        relayOptionMessage = null;
                        //  done with relayed messages
                    }
                }
            }
            else
            {
                _log.Error("Relay message does not contain a relay option");
            }

            //  if we get here, no reply was generated
            return(null);
        }