IGMP / MLD Extension for Signaling Eco-Mode
draft-contreras-pim-eco-mode-01
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| Document | Type | Active Internet-Draft (individual) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Luis M. Contreras , Marisol Palmero , Benjamin Schwarz | ||
| Last updated | 2026-07-06 | ||
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draft-contreras-pim-eco-mode-01
PIM Working Group L. M. Contreras
Internet-Draft Telefonica
Intended status: Standards Track M. Palmero
Expires: 7 January 2027 Independent
B. Schwarz
CTOiC
6 July 2026
IGMP / MLD Extension for Signaling Eco-Mode
draft-contreras-pim-eco-mode-01
Abstract
This document specifies an extension to IGMPv3 and MLDv2 messages to
indicate eco-mode preferences in the delivery of multicast content
based on the mechanism described in [RFC9279]. The extension enables
receivers and network elements to signal energy-aware multicast
delivery preferences, including different eco-mode levels, so that
multicast services can be operated consistently with energy-efficient
network management, service-level optimisation, and telemetry-driven
assessment of energy and carbon impact.
Status of This Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
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This Internet-Draft will expire on 7 January 2027.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
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Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components
extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1. Problem Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2. Relationship with Energy-Efficient Network Management . . 4
2. Service-Level Optimisation Use Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1. Large-Scale Energy-Aware Multicast Distribution . . . . . 5
2.2. Energy-Aware Multicast Video Streaming . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3. Mobile Multicast Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4. Carbon-Aware Multicast Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.5. Incentive-Aware Service Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. Eco-mode Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1. Eco-mode TLV format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2. Eco-mode levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3. Eco-mode usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4. Energy Efficiency Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5. Security and operational considerations . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1. Introduction
Video contents currently represent the major source of traffic in
operator's networks. The same content can be distributed in
multicast with different resolution adapted to the characteristics of
subscriber's receiver. The amount of traffic per multicast flow is
dependent on the resolution of the encoded video: the higher the
resolution, the higher the bit rate per multicast video flow. This
tends to increase as subscriber devices support higher resolutions.
In addition to that, the distribution trees are continuously built in
the network, in most cases proactively subscribing to channels to
minimize access time to the content even during periods of low or
inexistent demand.
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As of today, there is no mechanism available for subscribers to
indicate their willingness to apply an eco-mode consumption of
multicast content to their subscription. Such a mechanism could
incentivize the user to explicitly signal to the network the desire
to receive a more energy-efficient service, or it could even be
activated by default, forcing the user to explicitly indicate the
opposite behavior in certain circumstances, for instance to receive
the highest available quality of service.
Multicast content distribution inherently optimizes bandwidth by
delivering the same content to multiple receivers simultaneously,
reducing redundant transmissions. An eco-mode, when applied to
multicast distribution, can further optimize resource utilization by
enabling the network and the service provider to select delivery
alternatives that reduce energy consumption or carbon impact, such as
lower-rate representations, less energy-intensive forwarding
resources, different delivery timing, or the aggregation of receivers
with similar energy preferences. By implementing an eco-mode, the
system can reduce power usage during off-peak hours, when fewer
receivers are active in the system, or by reducing the resolution or
other delivery attributes of the content.
Applications can already implement adaptive service behavior based on
local information available at the endpoint. However, application-
layer optimizations often lack visibility of multicast-specific
information such as group membership dynamics, aggregation
opportunities across multiple receivers, multicast delivery trees, or
network-level energy optimization policies.
Similarly, network operators may implement energy optimization
mechanisms without visibility of the willingness of individual
receivers to participate in such optimizations. The signaling
defined in this document is intended to complement, rather than
replace, application-level adaptation mechanisms. Its objective is
to provide a common and protocol-independent means for conveying
receiver energy preferences within the multicast ecosystem so that
multiple entities participating in service delivery can use this
information as part of their local optimization decisions.
Throughout this document, the term eco-mode is used as a generic
label for energy-aware service delivery preferences. The mechanism
is not restricted to a single optimization technique and may be used
to express preferences related to reduced energy consumption, lower
carbon footprint, increased use of renewable energy, or other
sustainability-related delivery objectives.
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This document proposes an extension of IGMP and MLD messages for
supporting the signaling of eco-mode. The detailed implications of
the eco-mode in the receiver, the access network, the multicast
controller, or the content provider are out of the scope of this
document. However, this document defines the information that can be
exchanged at the multicast listener level so that such entities can
apply local policies or interact with energy management systems.
1.1. Problem Statement
Current multicast delivery mechanisms provide no standardized means
for receivers to express energy-related service preferences when
joining a multicast group.
While energy optimization mechanisms can be implemented within
applications, content platforms, or network infrastructure, such
mechanisms typically operate without explicit knowledge of whether a
receiver is willing to accept a lower-energy delivery alternative.
As a consequence, multicast service providers and network operators
are forced either to assume a uniform service profile for all
receivers or to rely on proprietary mechanisms outside the multicast
control plane.
The absence of a standardized signaling mechanism limits the ability
of multicast services to apply service-level energy optimizations,
particularly in environments where energy consumption, battery
constraints, carbon footprint, or sustainability objectives are
important factors.
This document introduces an explicit receiver preference signal that
can be used by multicast-aware systems as an input to energy-related
service optimization policies. The purpose of the extension is
solely to provide a standardized input signal that such systems may
consume.
1.2. Relationship with Energy-Efficient Network Management
The work in IETF GREEN Working Group is motivated by the need for
operators to measure, report, and manage energy consumption in
heterogeneous networks and to support operational strategies that
improve energy efficiency while preserving functional and performance
requirements. The eco-mode extension defined in this document is
complementary to such work since it provides a protocol-level signal
at the multicast listener interface that can be consumed by energy-
aware network management functions.
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The eco-mode signal can be interpreted as an energy-related service
preference associated with a multicast membership operation. It does
not by itself define how energy savings are achieved, nor does it
mandate a specific power-management behavior in network devices.
Instead, it exposes receiver intent or receiver acceptance of energy-
optimized delivery so that other functions, such as multicast service
controllers, access nodes, application-layer controllers, telemetry
collectors, or energy management systems, can correlate listener
demand with energy-aware policies.
In deployments where a GREEN framework [I-D.ietf-green-framework] or
a network energy management system is available, the eco-mode
information can be used as an input to policy decisions such as
selecting a lower-energy representation of a stream, consolidating
multicast forwarding state, avoiding unnecessary activation of
network resources, or scheduling delivery when this is compatible
with the application semantics. In this sense, the extension defined
in this document is not a replacement for device-, component-, or
network-level energy management models. It is a service-level signal
that can complement such models by indicating which receivers or
groups of receivers are willing to consume a multicast service under
energy-optimized delivery conditions.
2. Service-Level Optimisation Use Cases
The eco-mode extension defined in this document can support this
service-level perspective in multicast delivery scenarios.
2.1. Large-Scale Energy-Aware Multicast Distribution
Consider a multicast service with thousands of receivers.
A subset of receivers explicitly indicates acceptance of enhanced
energy-saving delivery policies through the eco-mode extension,
whereas other receivers request the default service profile.
The multicast service controller can use this information to
associate the two receiver populations with different multicast
distributions, for example providing distinct bitrate, resolution,
refresh rate, or delivery schedules.
This enables the application of energy-saving policies only to
receivers that explicitly opt into such behavior, avoiding
unnecessary service degradation for receivers that do not express
such a preference.
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The eco-mode extension therefore provides a standardized mechanism
for creating receiver populations with different energy-related
service profiles.
2.2. Energy-Aware Multicast Video Streaming
A multicast service may provide several encoded representations of
the same content, each with different bit rate, resolution, frame
rate, or encoding complexity. When a receiver signals an eco-mode
level, the service can associate that receiver with a representation
that provides an acceptable user experience while reducing the
network, compute, or device energy required to deliver and consume
the content. The same signal can also be used by an access network
or multicast controller to aggregate receivers with similar eco-mode
preferences and avoid creating or maintaining unnecessary forwarding
state for higher-energy representations.
2.3. Mobile Multicast Environments
A user equipment, residential gateway, set-top box, or constrained
device may prefer a lower-energy multicast delivery mode because of
local battery constraints, user policy, subscription policy, or
application preference. The eco-mode signal enables such an endpoint
or its local network to express this preference at the point where
multicast membership is established. The actual optimisation may
occur in a different domain, for example in an access network,
transport network, edge platform, or content delivery infrastructure,
but the multicast listener signal provides a service-level indication
that can be correlated with measurements gathered in those domains.
2.4. Carbon-Aware Multicast Delivery
In some deployments, a service provider may have information about
the energy source, carbon intensity, or expected energy cost
associated with different delivery alternatives. If a receiver
indicates a strong eco-mode preference, the provider can apply local
policies that favor lower-carbon delivery options when they are
compatible with the requested service. This document does not define
carbon accounting procedures, nor does it define how carbon intensity
is measured. It only provides a compact multicast listener signal
that can be used by systems performing such service-level
optimisation.
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2.5. Incentive-Aware Service Behaviour
A provider may offer differentiated service options in which users
selecting eco-mode receive economic, informational, or service-level
incentives. The signaling defined in this document can be used as a
protocol input to such mechanisms. The definition of incentive
models, charging, user consent, or commercial policy is outside the
scope of this document.
3. Eco-mode Extension
[RFC9279] defines a mechanism for extending IGMPv3 and MLDv2 messages
by carrying TLVs. This document proposes an extension for indicating
an eco-mode preference associated with multicast listener operations.
3.1. Eco-mode TLV format
The format of the extension is as follows:
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Eco-Mode Type = TBD | Eco-Mode Length |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Eco-Level | Preference | Flags | Reserved |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Eco-Mode Type: 2 octets. The type of the Eco-Mode TLV extension is
TBD.
Eco-Mode Length: 2 octets. This specifies the length in octets of
the following Value field. The length of the Eco-Mode extension
Value field is set to 4 octets.
Eco-Level: 1 octet. This field indicates the eco-mode level
requested or accepted by the receiver. The value 0 indicates normal
delivery, with no explicit eco-mode preference. The value 1
indicates basic eco-mode, where the receiver accepts moderate energy
optimisation if the service remains substantially equivalent. The
value 2 indicates enhanced eco-mode, where the receiver accepts
stronger energy optimisation, including possible reduction of
resolution, bit rate, refresh rate, or equivalent service parameters.
The value 3 indicates maximum eco-mode, where the receiver accepts
the most energy-efficient delivery mode available for the service,
subject to local policy and application constraints. Values 4
through 255 are reserved for future use and MUST be ignored by
receivers that do not understand them.
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Preference: 1 octet. This field qualifies the optimisation
preference associated with the Eco-Level. The value 0 indicates a
generic energy-saving preference. The value 1 indicates a carbon-
saving preference. The value 2 indicates preference for use of
renewable or lower-carbon energy when such information is available
to the provider. The value 3 indicates an operator-defined
preference. Values 4 through 255 are reserved for future use.
Flags: 1 octet. This field is reserved for future flags that qualify
the eco-mode behaviour. In this version of the document, the field
MUST be set to zero by the sender and MUST be ignored by the
receiver.
Reserved: 1 octet. This field is reserved for future use. It MUST
be set to zero by the sender and MUST be ignored by the receiver.
3.2. Eco-mode levels
The eco-mode indication is no longer limited to a binary value. A
multi-level indication enables a receiver to express the degree of
energy-aware optimisation that it is willing to accept. This is
useful because different services may have different tolerance to
energy-related adaptation. For example, a real-time multicast video
channel may only accept moderate bit-rate adaptation, while non-real-
time content distribution may tolerate delayed or lower-rate
delivery.
The semantic interpretation of each level is service specific and
subject to local policy. However, the following generic
interpretation is RECOMMENDED:
* Level 0: normal delivery. The receiver does not request energy-
optimised delivery and expects the default service behaviour.
* Level 1: basic eco-mode. The receiver accepts energy optimisation
that is not expected to materially affect the perceived service.
* Level 2: enhanced eco-mode. The receiver accepts visible or
measurable service adaptation, such as a lower-bitrate
representation or reduced refresh characteristics, if this
produces energy or carbon benefit.
* Level 3: maximum eco-mode. The receiver accepts the most energy-
efficient available delivery mode for the service, including more
aggressive adaptation, subject to application and operator policy.
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When the extension is used to emulate the binary behaviour described
in earlier versions of this document, a value of Level 0 is
equivalent to eco-mode disabled and any non-zero level is equivalent
to eco-mode enabled. Implementations that only support binary eco-
mode semantics SHOULD map any non-zero Eco-Level to an enabled eco-
mode indication.
3.3. Eco-mode usage
The eco-mode is intended to be supported in both the Query and Report
messages for IGMP and MLD. The logic behind the inclusion of the
eco-mode extension at both subscriber and provider side is out of the
scope of this draft.
In Report messages, the extension allows a multicast listener to
indicate the eco-mode level and preference type associated with its
membership request. In Query messages, the extension can be used by
a querier to indicate that eco-mode signaling is supported or to
request updated eco-mode information from listeners. A listener that
does not understand the extension follows the processing rules
defined in [RFC9279].
The eco-mode indication is intended to be consumed by service
controllers, multicast management systems, content distribution
platforms, or network optimization systems.
Examples of actions enabled by the signal include:
* Selection of an alternative multicast representation of the
content.
* Selection of lower-bitrate delivery alternatives.
* Aggregation of receivers sharing similar energy preferences.
* Allocation of receivers to multicast groups associated with
different service profiles.
* Optimization of resource activation decisions in access,
transport, or edge infrastructures.
* Correlation between receiver preferences and energy-efficiency
telemetry systems.
This document does not mandate any of these actions and leaves policy
decisions to local implementation.
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A network element receiving the eco-mode indication MAY use it as
input to local policy. Such policy can determine whether the
receiver is associated with a lower-energy representation, whether
multicast state is aggregated differently, whether traffic is mapped
to an energy-aware path, or whether telemetry is exported to an
energy management system. This document does not prescribe those
policy actions.
4. Energy Efficiency Metrics
Eco-mode signaling is only useful operationally if it can be
correlated with measurable effects. Implementations and deployments
of this extension SHOULD expose metrics that allow an operator or
service provider to assess the impact of eco-mode on the multicast
service. The exact definition and collection of such metrics may be
provided by separate management models or telemetry systems. This
document identifies the following metrics as relevant to deployments
of this extension:
* Eco-mode receiver count: the number of receivers that have
signaled a non-zero Eco-Level for a given multicast group, source,
interface, service, or administrative scope.
* Eco-mode level distribution: the distribution of receivers across
the supported Eco-Level values.
* Eco-mode traffic volume: the amount of multicast traffic delivered
to receivers operating under eco-mode, expressed in packets,
octets, bit/s, or another locally defined unit.
* Estimated energy avoided: the estimated energy not consumed as a
result of applying eco-mode policy compared with an operator-
defined baseline.
* Estimated carbon avoided: the estimated carbon impact avoided as a
result of applying eco-mode policy compared with an operator-
defined baseline.
* Eco-mode service adaptation count: the number of times the
multicast service was adapted because of eco-mode, for example by
selecting a different representation, bit rate, or delivery
policy.
* Eco-mode policy outcome: the result of applying local policy to
the eco-mode signal, such as accepted, ignored, downgraded,
overridden, or unsupported.
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The metrics above are intentionally defined at a high level. This
document does not define benchmark methodology, energy estimation
procedures, or carbon accounting procedures. Such procedures may
depend on the specific service, the measurement capabilities of the
involved devices, and the energy model used by the operator.
5. Security and operational considerations
The same security considerations as described in [RFC9279] apply also
in this document.
In addition, an attacker able to forge or modify eco-mode information
could influence multicast service behaviour by causing receivers to
be associated with a different delivery mode than intended.
Depending on local policy, this could result in degraded service
quality, incorrect accounting of energy-related metrics, or
misleading telemetry. Implementations SHOULD apply the same
protection mechanisms used for IGMP/MLD messages in the deployment
environment and SHOULD avoid making critical service decisions solely
on the basis of unauthenticated eco-mode information.
Operationally, eco-mode is a preference signal and not a guarantee
that a specific energy-saving action will be applied. Operators
SHOULD define local policy for handling conflicts between receiver
preferences, service requirements, application constraints, and
energy management objectives. For example, if receivers of the same
group signal different Eco-Level values, the network or service
controller needs to determine whether to provide a common
representation, split the service into multiple groups, ignore some
preferences, or apply an operator-defined default. Such conflict
resolution is deployment specific and outside the scope of this
document.
Operators SHOULD also ensure that eco-mode policies are observable.
At minimum, the network should be able to determine whether eco-mode
information was received, whether it was acted upon, and what policy
outcome was applied. This is necessary to make eco-mode
operationally meaningful and to avoid situations where receivers
signal eco-mode but no measurable energy-related action is taken.
6. IANA Considerations
This document defines a new extension to IGMPv3 and MLDv2 messages
according to [RFC9279]. IANA is requested to allocate the following
extension type to the registry.
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+================+==========+==============+===============+
| Extension Type | Length | Name | Reference |
+================+==========+==============+===============+
| TBD | 4 | Eco-mode | This document |
+----------------+----------+--------------+---------------+
The following sub-registry is requested for Eco-Level values:
+=======+====================+===============+
| Value | Name | Reference |
+=======+====================+===============+
| 0 | Normal delivery | This document |
| 1 | Basic eco-mode | This document |
| 2 | Enhanced eco-mode | This document |
| 3 | Maximum eco-mode | This document |
| 4-255 | Unassigned | This document |
+-------+--------------------+---------------+
The following sub-registry is requested for Preference values:
+=======+================================+===============+
| Value | Name | Reference |
+=======+================================+===============+
| 0 | Generic energy saving | This document |
| 1 | Carbon saving | This document |
| 2 | Renewable or lower-carbon use | This document |
| 3 | Operator defined | This document |
| 4-255 | Unassigned | This document |
+-------+--------------------------------+---------------+
7. Informative References
[I-D.ietf-green-framework]
Claise, B., Contreras, L. M., Lindblad, J., Palmero, M.
P., Stephan, E., and Q. Wu, "Framework for Energy
Efficiency Management", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft,
draft-ietf-green-framework-02, 5 July 2026,
<https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-green-
framework-02>.
[RFC9279] Sivakumar, M., Venaas, S., Zhang, Z., and H. Asaeda,
"Internet Group Management Protocol Version 3 (IGMPv3) and
Multicast Listener Discovery Version 2 (MLDv2) Message
Extension", RFC 9279, DOI 10.17487/RFC9279, August 2022,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9279>.
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Acknowledgements
This work has been partially funded by the EXIGENCE project, co-
funded via the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU)
under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation
program under Grant Agreement No. 101139120.
Authors' Addresses
Luis M. Contreras
Telefonica
Ronda de la Comunicacion, s/n
28050 Madrid
Spain
Email: luismiguel.contrerasmurillo@telefonica.com
URI: http://lmcontreras.com
Marisol Palmero
Independent
Spain
Email: marisol.ietf@gmail.com
Benjamin Schwarz
CTOiC
89, rue des Poissonniers
Paris
France
Email: bs@ctoic.net
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