IETF Criteria for Evaluating Reliable Multicast Transport and Application Protocols

This memo describes the procedures and criteria for reviewing reliable multicast protocols within the Transport Area (TSV) of the IETF. Within today's Internet, important applications exist for a reliable multicast service. Some examples that are driving reliable multicast technology are collaborative workspaces (such as whiteboard), data and software distribution, and (more speculatively) web caching protocols. Due to the nature of the technical issues, a single commonly accepted technical solution that solves all the demands for reliable multicast is likely to be infeasible [RMMinutes 1997].