Technical Summary
Good, up-to-date documentation of IP multicast is close to non-
existent. Particularly, this is an issue with multicast address
allocations (to networks and sites) and assignments (to hosts and
applications). This problem is stressed by the fact that there
exists confusing or misleading documentation on the subject
[RFC2908]. The consequence is that those who wish to learn about IP
multicast and how the addressing works do not get a clear view of the
current situation.
The aim of this document is to provide a brief overview of multicast
addressing and allocation techniques. The term 'addressing
architecture' refers to the set of addressing mechanisms and methods
in an informal manner.
It is important to note that Source-specific Multicast (SSM)
[RFC4607] does not have these addressing problems because SSM group
addresses have only local significance; hence, this document focuses
on the Any Source Multicast (ASM) model.
This memo obsoletes and re-classifies to Historic RFC 2908, and re-
classifies to Historic RFCs 2776 and 2909.
Working Group Summary
WG consensus appears sound and no major controversies were noted.
Document Quality
The document has undergone thorough review within IETF's Multicast
community. This document was previously submitted for publication
several years ago, but changes were suggested during AD review. The
suggested changes have been made.
Personnel
Lenny Giuliano is the Document Shepherd. Ron Bonica is the
Responsible Area Director.