A Common API for Transparent Hybrid Multicast
RFC 7046

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Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)                         M. Waehlisch
Request for Comments: 7046                          link-lab & FU Berlin
Category: Experimental                                        T. Schmidt
ISSN: 2070-1721                                              HAW Hamburg
                                                               S. Venaas
                                                           Cisco Systems
                                                           December 2013

             A Common API for Transparent Hybrid Multicast

Abstract

   Group communication services exist in a large variety of flavors and
   technical implementations at different protocol layers.  Multicast
   data distribution is most efficiently performed on the lowest
   available layer, but a heterogeneous deployment status of multicast
   technologies throughout the Internet requires an adaptive service
   binding at runtime.  Today, it is difficult to write an application
   that runs everywhere and at the same time makes use of the most
   efficient multicast service available in the network.  Facing
   robustness requirements, developers are frequently forced to use a
   stable upper-layer protocol provided by the application itself.  This
   document describes a common multicast API that is suitable for
   transparent communication in underlay and overlay and that grants
   access to the different flavors of multicast.  It proposes an
   abstract naming scheme that uses multicast URIs, and it discusses
   mapping mechanisms between different namespaces and distribution
   technologies.  Additionally, this document describes the application
   of this API for building gateways that interconnect current Multicast
   Domains throughout the Internet.  It reports on an implementation of
   the programming Interface, including service middleware.  This
   document is a product of the Scalable Adaptive Multicast (SAM)
   Research Group.

Waehlisch, et al.             Experimental                      [Page 1]
RFC 7046                    Common Mcast API               December 2013

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for examination, experimental implementation, and
   evaluation.

   This document defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet
   community.  This document is a product of the Internet Research Task
   Force (IRTF).  The IRTF publishes the results of Internet-related
   research and development activities.  These results might not be
   suitable for deployment.  This RFC represents the consensus of the
   Scalable Adaptive Multicast Research Group of the Internet Research
   Task Force (IRTF).  Documents approved for publication by the IRSG
   are not a candidate for any level of Internet Standard; see Section 2
   of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7046.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2013 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
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................4
      1.1. Use Cases for the Common API ...............................6
      1.2. Illustrative Examples ......................................7
           1.2.1. Support of Multiple Underlying Technologies .........7
           1.2.2. Support of Multi-Resolution Multicast ...............9
   2. Terminology ....................................................10
   3. Overview .......................................................10
      3.1. Objectives and Reference Scenarios ........................10
      3.2. Group Communication API and Protocol Stack ................12
      3.3. Naming and Addressing .....................................14
      3.4. Namespaces ................................................15

Waehlisch, et al.             Experimental                      [Page 2]
RFC 7046                    Common Mcast API               December 2013

      3.5. Name-to-Address Mapping ...................................15
           3.5.1. Canonical Mapping ..................................16
           3.5.2. Mapping at End Points ..............................16
           3.5.3. Mapping at Inter-Domain Multicast Gateways .........16
      3.6. A Note on Explicit Multicast (Xcast) ......................16
      3.7. MTU Handling ..............................................17
   4. Common Multicast API ...........................................18