Subject: RFC 7046 on A Common API for Transparent Hybrid Multicast

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 15:37:58 -0800 (PST)

A new Request for Comments is now available in online RFC libraries.

        RFC 7046

        Title:      A Common API for Transparent Hybrid Multicast 
        Author:     M. Waehlisch, T. Schmidt,
                    S. Venaas
        Status:     Experimental
        Stream:     IRTF
        Date:       December 2013
        Mailbox:    [email-masked], 
                    [email-masked], 
                    [email-masked]
        Pages:      41
        Characters: 85861
        Updates/Obsoletes/SeeAlso:   None

        I-D Tag:    draft-irtf-samrg-common-api-11.txt

        URL:        http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7046.txt

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.

This document is a product of the Scalable Adaptive Multicast Research Group of the IRTF.

EXPERIMENTAL: This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the
Internet community.  It does not specify an Internet standard of any
kind. Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

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