This read-write object sets the default value placed into the Lifetime field of the CLNP header for packets this entity itself originates, functioning like a TTL for the OSI network layer. An admin tunes this to control how many hops or how much time a locally originated CLNP packet can traverse the network before being discarded, balancing reachability across a large network against runaway looping packets. For example, raising this default lifetime would let locally sourced CLNP traffic survive more router hops before expiring, useful on a network with a long path to certain destinations.