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Application-Layer Traffic Optimization
charter-ietf-alto-04-01

The information below is for an older proposed charter
Document Proposed charter Application-Layer Traffic Optimization WG (alto) Snapshot
Title Application-Layer Traffic Optimization
Last updated 2021-08-13
State External Review (Message to Community, Selected by Secretariat)
WG State Active
IESG Responsible AD Martin Duke
Charter edit AD Martin Duke
Send notices to (None)

charter-ietf-alto-04-01

The ALTO working group was established in 2008 to devise a request/response protocol to allow a host to choose optimal paths to resources from a server with more knowledge of the network. The working group developed an HTTP-based protocol, and reported proof-of-concepts of ALTO based solutions supporting applications such as content distribution networks (CDN).

To support current and future deployments of ALTO, the working group is now chartered for the following activities:

o Collect implementation deployment and experience. It is hoped that ALTO practitioners will report their experiences on the mailing list, and the working group will track implementation and deployment reports on a wiki or in an Internet-Draft not expected to be published as an RFC. This will motivate further work to extend and improve ALTO.

o Perform protocol maintenance for the existing published protocol.

o Develop operational support tools for ALTO. Based on experience from deployments, the advice in RFC 7971, and the latest opinions and techniques from the Operations and Management Area, the working group will develop tools to configure, operate, and manage the ALTO protocol and networks that use ALTO. This may include YANG models and OAM mechanisms, in consultation with the OPS area and the IPPM WG. The working group may also update RFC 7971 in the light of new experience and protocol features that were added to ALTO after that RFC was published.

o Support for modern transport protocols. ALTO only uses the capabilities of HTTP version 1. Since then, the IETF has developed HTTP/2 and HTTP/3. The working group will develop any necessary protocol extensions and guidance to support the use of ALTO over HTTP/2 and HTTP/3.

o Future use cases. The working group will provide a forum to discuss possible future use cases. The objective of this discussion will be to determine a small set of use cases that have strong support and a realistic chance of implementation and deployment. The working group will not develop protocol extensions for these use cases until it has been re-chartered specifically for that purpose.

At the conclusion of the OAM and HTTP2/3 deliverables, plus completion of any adopted drafts emerging from the other work items, the working group will close or recharter.