Subject: [alto] WG Action: Rechartered Application-Layer Traffic Optimization (alto)

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:55:25 -0700

The Application-Layer Traffic Optimization (alto) WG in the Transport Area of
the IETF has been rechartered. For additional information, please contact the
Area Directors or the WG Chairs.

Application-Layer Traffic Optimization (alto)
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Current status: Active WG

Chairs:
  Jan Seedorf <[email-masked]>
  Qin Wu <[email-masked]>

Assigned Area Director:
  Martin Duke <[email-masked]>

Transport Area Directors:
  Martin Duke <[email-masked]>
  Zaheduzzaman Sarker <[email-masked]>

Mailing list:
  Address: [email-masked]
  To subscribe: https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/alto
  Archive: https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/alto/

Group page: https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/alto/

Charter: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/charter-ietf-alto/

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 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 Operations, Administration, and
Maintenance (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. While ALTO can operate successfully over any version of HTTP,
it would benefit from leveraging HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 capabilities such as push.
The WG will produce an ALTO extension that leverages these capabilities if
they can be shown to improve performance.

o The WG will place special emphasis on the normal group activities of
collecting deployment experience, exploring use cases, and protocol
maintenance. The working group will not develop protocol extensions for new
use cases until it has been re-chartered specifically for that purpose. A
report on wide-scale deployment of ALTO and documented demand for new use
cases will be critical to the decision to recharter or close the Working
Group.

At the conclusion of the OAM and HTTP2/3 deliverables, plus completion of any
adopted drafts emerging from urgent protocol maintenance needs, the working
group will close or recharter.

Furthermore, the Area Director and chairs will assess the state of the
deliverables at the end of 2022. If the Area Director judges that delivery of
these documents is not imminent, and that documentation of wide deployment is
missing, the AD may close the working group immediately. The AD may also
either move each adopted document to another working group for completion, or
abandon the work.

Milestones:

  Mar 2022 - RFC for ALTO using HTTP/2 and /3 mechanisms

  Aug 2022 - Wiki or internet-draft on ALTO deployments and challenges

  Aug 2022 - ALTO OAM Document/YANG Model