Newsgroups: sura.techs
To: techs@sura.net
From: "Roger Fajman" <RAF@CU.NIH.GOV>
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 92  14:01:37 EDT
Subject:  Constructing the MBONE

I would like to encourage SURAnet to particiapte in this.

== Forwarded Mail ==

Received: from CU.NIH.GOV by NIHCU (Mailer) id 2808;
              Sat, 25 Jul 92  23:16:31 EDT
Received: from VENERA.ISI.EDU by CU.NIH.GOV
    with TCP; Sat, 25 Jul 92 23:16:29 EDT
Received: by venera.isi.edu (5.65c/5.65+local-6)
       id <AA18332>; Fri, 24 Jul 1992 19:56:54 -0700
Received: by venera.isi.edu (5.65c/5.65+local-6)
       id <AA18328>; Fri, 24 Jul 1992 19:56:52 -0700
Date: Fri 24 Jul 92 19:56:51-PDT
From: Stephen Casner <CASNER@ISI.EDU>
Subject: Constructing the MBONE
To: IETF@ISI.EDU, members@farnet.org
Message-Id: <712033011.0.CASNER@ISI.EDU>
Mail-System-Version: <VAX-MM(219)+TOPSLIB(128)@ISI.EDU>

Those of us who worked on the audio/videocast of the Boston IETF were
gratified by the positive response.  It is amazing that people are
already suggesting that this become a real service!  We'd like to see
the experiment grow in coverage and functionality, and for that we
need help.

Since it may be a while yet before IP multicast routing support is
integrated into many production routers, we would like to construct a
semi-permanent virtual multicast network layered on top of the
physical backbone and regional networks.  We've dubbed this the
Multicast Backbone, or MBONE.

An embryonic version of the MBONE was what we set up for the IETF
audiocast, and parts of it remain in operation since IETF.  To extend
this network to the many more places that would like to participate,
we need a more carefully constructed topology.  We need sufficient
hierarchy so that we can reach all the desired destinations with the
limited fanout (around 5) available from each multicast forwarder, and
so we can avoid sending more than one copy of any packet over T1 or
smaller links.

This is where all you forward-looking regional and backbone network
providers come in.  You can provide access to the "DMZ" Ethernets and
other points near network nodes where the multicast forwarders should
be attached for best performance and lowest load.  We're hoping that
you can also provide some of these machines to run the IP multicast
kernel and mrouted software (we're using mostly Sun SPARCstations now,
but other platforms are also possible) to distribute the multicast
traffic on to your customers.

Construction of the MBONE needs to begin NOW so that by the next IETF
the we will be ready to support an expanded audio/video/imagecast.
To organize this effort, we've established some regional email lists.
If you are willing to help, please send a message to the appropriate
request-list for your area:

    ozaudio-request@internode.com.au   Australia
    mbone-eu-request@sics.se           Europe
    mbone-request@isi.edu              US & other

NOTE TO END-USER SITES who want to participate in IETF multicasts:
We'd like to concentrate these lists on organizing the multicast
backbone itself.  We ask that you contact your network provider
directly and encourage them to participate!

A few important points:

  - Production network hardware and software need not be disturbed
    since the multicast forwarding is handled by separate machines.

  - Routing areas running MOSPF can join in, too, even better!

  - We want this virtual network to remain in place to support
    experimentation between IETF meetings, too, so the effort to set
    it up is justified by more than three weeks per year of use.

  - This is an experiment, not a production facility.

As Terry Gray pointed out in his message to ietf, this multicast
capability is being deployed "in advance of the sociological and
resource capacities of the Internet".  Granted, there is the
possibility of over-use or abuse of this facility, so we need to work
together on mechanisms for monitoring and control as well.

We look forward to your participation.

       -- Steve Casner, Steve Deering, Hans Eriksson
-------