Session Date/Time: 31 Mar 2023 03:00

bier

Summary

The BIER working group meeting covered several draft documents and ongoing work items. Key topics included updates on OAM specifications, prefix redistribution, Anycast support, Recursive Bitstrings (RBS), and the applicability of BIER in data center environments. Discussions revolved around the readiness of drafts for last call, potential charter extensions, and addressing specific implementation challenges.

Key Discussion Points

OAM Documents: Discussed progress on Ping, Path Discovery, B-of-D, and Performance Measurement drafts. The B-of-D draft is ready for working group last call. Ip disclosure check needed for alternate marking method
Prefix Redistribution: The Prefix Redistribution draft is undergoing revisions based on previous feedback. Clarifications are needed regarding prefix advertisement (host address vs. subnet).
Anycast: Presented extensions to support Anycast scenarios with BIER. There were concerns raised about the complexity and compatibility with multi-vendor deployments. The need for capability advertisement was highlighted.
Recursive Bitstrings (RBS): Updates on RBS development were presented, focusing on addressing bit string length mismatches between sender and receiver. A debate arose about the necessity of including length indications within the packet versus relying on router state. The working group will further discuss interest via mailing list.
Data Center Use Case: A use case for BIER in data centers was presented. Discussions focused on the potential of BIER to improve multicast performance for AI training and other applications. Scalability, reliability, and flexibility were identified as key requirements. Concerns were raised about deployment challenges in large existing networks.

Decisions and Action Items

Prefix Redistribution Draft: The draft needs clarification on prefix advertisement. The authors will add a clarification section and take the discussion to the mailing list.
OAM Documents: The ping is being submitted for shepherd review. The B-of-D draft is ready for working group last call.
Requirements and Framework Documents: Revive the Requirements and Framework document
Recursive Bitstrings: A poll was conducted to gauge working group interest in working on RBS. The results show that there is potential interest. The discussion will be brought to the mailing list for further input.
Data Center Use Case: There will be continued discussion with authors regarding the multi-cast requirements in the context of existing solutions.
Action Item: Tony to double-check Shepard write-up status of the OSPFv3 draft.
Action Item: Ip disclosure needs to be checked for alternate marking method

Next Steps

Discuss the Prefix Redistribution draft on the mailing list to resolve clarification issues.
Continue the discussion on RBS encoding on the mailing list and consider the need for capability advertisement.
Explore the possibility of extending the charter to include the data center use case based on the working group's feedback on the mailing list.