This document is the product and represents the consensus of the Coding for
Efficient Network Communications Research Group (NWCRG). It provides an example
network coding scheme (BATS) to be used for content delivery in multi-hop
networks, and it discusses some of the related research questions. This
document describes the coding steps with sufficient details in order to enable
interoperable implementations, although this aspect has not been challenged and
cannot be an official goal of an IRTF Informational document. It also describes
an example embedding in a data delivery protocol, leaving some of the
considerations open since it is not the goal of the document.
This document has a relatively long history, the first individual draft has
been presented in Autumn 2018, and it has been adopted as RG document at the
beginning of 2021. The document is supported by both theoretical work and
real-world deployment (a startup has been created, n-hop). For more details,
see for instance:
https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/110/materials/slides-110-nwcrg-01-nwcrg-ietf110-bats-00
The work and the document have been presented on several occasions during
meetings (ietf 102/July 2018, ietf 106/Nov 2019, and lately ietf 110/March
2021). The present document went through several reviews. More specifically,
comments were made during IETF 109 by several NWCRG members, in particular
regarding the need for a better discussion on research questions (which has
been considered). The general feeling was otherwise globally positive. Then,
during Spring 2021, the document has been carefully reviewed by myself and
updated accordingly. A RG Last Call has been launched on July 2021, the
document receiving additional comments by myself.
IPR has been disclosed by the authors in due time, first orally, then through
the IETF IPR web site: https://datatracker.ietf.org/ipr/3896/
Therefore, I believe this document represents a consensus of our RG and is now
ready for IRSG review.
Vincent Roca