FEC Framework (fecframe)

Last Modified: 2006-05-02

Additional information is available at tools.ietf.org/wg/fecframe

Chair(s):

  • Greg Shepherd <gjshep@gmail.com>

  • Marshall Eubanks <tme@multicasttech.com>

    Transport Area Director(s):

  • Magnus Westerlund <magnus.westerlund@ericsson.com>
  • Lars Eggert <lars.eggert@nokia.com>

    Transport Area Advisor:

  • Magnus Westerlund <magnus.westerlund@ericsson.com>

    Mailing Lists:

    General Discussion: fecframe@ietf.org
    To Subscribe: https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/fecframe
    Archive: http://www1.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/fecframe/current/index.html

    Description of Working Group:

    The object of this group is to develop specifications for using
    forward error correction (FEC) codes with applications in the Internet
    to provide protection against packet loss. The group will develop a
    protocol framework for application of FEC codes to arbitrary packet
    flows over unreliable transport protocols over both IP multicast and
    unicast. The application of the FEC codec on an aggregate of multiple
    packet flows may be investigated and considered to be included in the
    solution.

    The FECFrame working group will use the building block approach (RFC
    3269), especially the FEC Building Block (RFC 3452), developed by the
    RMT working group. The FEC Building Block was developed to ensure that
    the RMT framework developed can support multiple FEC codes and
    maintain independence between FEC codes and protocols based on the
    framework. The FECFrame WG may develop new FEC schemes if necessary to
    provide substantial performance gains for the intended applications.
    However the acceptance of any FEC scheme will require multiple, prior,
    detailed reviews of the FEC code by independent experts from both the
    IETF and the broader community, since it is likely that the IETF
    working group will not include a large enough number of suitable
    experts in its working set. If these reviews are positive, then
    Working Group acceptance of an FEC scheme work item still needs the
    approval of the responsible Area Director.

    A primary objective of this framework is to support FEC for real-time
    media applications using RTP over UDP, such as on demand streaming and
    audio/video broadcast. Other potential usages of the framework may be
    brought to the working group for consideration during the development
    of the requirements, to enable future support of those usages. The
    group will coordinate closely with the AVT and MMUSIC working groups
    to ensure that the streaming use-case is fully specified both in terms
    of interactions with RTP/RTCP and application layer signalling. The
    group will also coordinate with the DCCP working group, at least to
    consider that transport protocol's role in streaming media. The
    interactions of the framework with existing and used security
    mechanisms must also be considered.

    The group will work with the RMT working group to ensure that the FEC
    Building Block defined in RMT supports both the RMT use-cases (object
    delivery over multicast) and the more general FEC protection of
    flow(s) over unreliable unicast and multicast transport.

    Specification of hybrid schemes involving both retransmission and
    forward error correction is out of scope of the group.

    Goals and Milestones:

    Nov 2006  Working Group consensus on requirements and their prioritization for the FEC protocol framework
    Mar 2007  Completed selection of solution to develop and mature
    Nov 2007  FEC Streaming Framework submitted as Proposed Standard
    Nov 2007  FEC framework requirements submitted as Informational
    Mar 2008  Usage of FEC framework with RTP submitted as Proposed Standard
    Mar 2008  FEC framework signalling specification submitted as Proposed Standard
    Mar 2008  Discuss re-chartering

    Internet-Drafts:

    Forward Error Correction (FEC) Framework (49892 bytes)

    No Request For Comments

    IETF Secretariat - Please send questions, comments, and/or suggestions to ietf-web@ietf.org.

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