Technical Summary
The Multicast Virtual Private Network (MVPN) specifications require
the use of multicast tunnels ("P-tunnels") that traverse a Service
Provider's backbone network. The P-tunnels are used for carrying
multicast traffic across the backbone. A variety of P-tunnel types
are supported. Bit Index Explicit Replication (BIER) is a new
architecture that provides optimal multicast forwarding through a
"multicast domain", without requiring intermediate routers to
maintain any per-flow state or to engage in an explicit tree-building
protocol. This document specifies the protocol and procedures that
allow MVPN to use BIER as the method of carrying multicast traffic
over an SP backbone network.
Working Group Summary
The draft has been well received.
Although this draft is currently Experimental, the BIER WG is in the middle of
rechartering to be Standards Track and it is expected that a Status Update will
change this draft in place to be Proposed Standard.
Document Quality
Based on the discussions at the WG (IETF 98/99) multiple implementations exist and in other cases vendors indicated a strong roadmap commitment.
Personnel
Document Shepherd: Nabeel Cocker
Responsible Area Director: Alia Atlas
RFC Editor Note
RFC Editor Note
Please change the Reference from "draft-ietf-bess-mvpn-expl-track" from
Informative to Normative.