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: mw@link-lab.net, Schmidt@informatik.haw-hamburg.de, stig@cisco.com 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. This announcement is sent to the IETF-Announce, rfc-dist and IRTF-Announce lists.To subscribe or unsubscribe, see http://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf-announce http://mailman.rfc-editor.org/mailman/listinfo/rfc-dist http://www.irtf.org/mailman/listinfo/irtf-announce For searching the RFC series, see http://www.rfc-editor.org/search/rfc_search.php For downloading RFCs, see http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc.html Requests for special distribution should be addressed to either the author of the RFC in question, or to rfc-editor@rfc-editor.org. Unless specifically noted otherwise on the RFC itself, all RFCs are for unlimited distribution. The RFC Editor Team Association Management Solutions, LLC