Multicast Source Routing over IPv6
bofreq-liu-multicast-source-routing-over-ipv6msr6-09

The information below is for an older version of this BOF request.
Document Type Proposed BOF request Snapshot
Title Multicast Source Routing over IPv6
Last updated 2022-01-26
State Proposed
Editor Yisong Liu
Responsible leadership Alvaro Retana
Send notices to (None)
bofreq-liu-multicast-source-routing-over-ipv6msr6-09

Name: Multicast Source Routing over IPv6 (MSR6)

Description

Now that IPv6 deployment is at last growing rapidly, operators need to add IPv6 multicast support to the core unicast mechanisms. Existing approaches offer partial solutions, but there is an opportunity for a source routing based new multicast architecture can be developed that is designed to address the two most important potential multicast scenarios in IPv6 networks:
• For massive multicast streaming scenarios (e.g., OTT live streaming), the main requirement is to avoid per-multicast flow status maintenance in the intermediate network device, in order to increase scalability and transport as many services as possible;
• For sparse multicast explicit path scenarios (e.g., Audio/Video Conferencing), the main requirement is to dynamically build the multicast tree and provide path optimization to satisfy the SLA.
The existing technologies can’t satisfy the above requirements:
1. The BIER architecture which is defined in RFC8279 and the Layer 2.5 BIER encapsulation defined in RFC8296 (both worked on in the BIER WG) are not native to IPv6.
2. Existing IP multicast protocols (PIM, IGMP, MLD) worked on in the PIM WG request per-tree status maintenance.
3. Point-to-multipoint Segment Routing (SR P2MP) defined in the PIM WG also requests per-tree status.
MSR6 provides source routing multicast based on native IPv6 (IPv6 and IPv6 extension headers), including Best Effort and Traffic Engineering solutions, which could satisfy the requirements of scalability and deployment simplicity for different application scenarios.

MSR6 have the following benefits:
- Use IPv6 header as unicast/multicast unified encapsulation, to increase deployability;
- Reuse IPv6 extension header based functions, to enhance multicast capability;
- Support multiple BE and TE mode, to fit in different multicast scenarios;
- Encode multicast path in IPv6 header, to support multicast source arbitrary access;
- Decouple multicast service and multicast routing, to enhance scalability;

The BOF is to discuss the use case, requirements, and potential solutions for MSR6.

Required Details

Agenda

1.Administration: Chairs [5 minutes]
2.MSR6 Overview/Design Consideration: Weiqiang Cheng [10 minutes]
3.MSR6 Use Case [30 minutes]
4.MSR6 BE/TE Potential Solutions [20 minutes]
5.MSR6 WG Scope Discussion [10 minutes]
6.MSR6 WG Charter Discussion [30 minutes]
7.Conclusions and next steps: Chairs and AD [5 minutes]