Mbone
Encyclopedia
Mbone was an experimental backbone for IP multicast
traffic across the Internet
developed in the early 1990s. It required specialized hardware and software. Since most Internet routers have IP multicast disabled due to concerns of bandwidth tracking and billing, the Mbone evolved to connect multicast-capable networks over the existing Internet infrastructure. The commercialization of multicast routers is difficult because there are no efficient access control capabilities to the multicast trees (multicast routers and their protocols), and because Internet service providers have difficulty computing charges for multicast traffic.
built on top of the Internet, invented by Van Jacobson
, Steve Deering
and Stephen Casner in 1992. The purpose of Mbone is to minimize the amount of data required for multipoint audio/video-conferencing. Mbone is free; it uses a network of mrouters that can support IP multicast, and it enables access to real-time interactive multimedia on the Internet. Many older routers do not support IP multicast
. To cope with this tunnels must be set up on both ends; also known as a tunneling protocol
: multicast packets are encapsulated in unicast packets and sent through a tunnel. Mbone uses a small subset of the class D IP address space (224.0.0.0–239.255.255.255) assigned for multicast traffic
. Mbone uses 224.2.0.0 for multimedia conferencing.
in Dallas with 50,000 fans was the "first major cyberspace multicast concert." Mick Jagger
opened the concert by saying, "I wanna say a special welcome to everyone that's, uh, climbed into the Internet tonight and, uh, has got into the M-bone. And I hope it doesn't all collapse."
By 1995 there were M-bone links in Russia
, as well as at the McMurdo Sound
research station in Antarctica.
Mbone is currently of practical use for shared communication such as videoconferences or shared collaborative workspaces. It is not generally connected to Internet service provider
s, but often to universities and research institutions. Some other projects and network testbeds, such as Internet2
's Abilene Network
, have made Mbone obsolete.
A recent application with support over Mbone was Virtual Room Videoconferencing System (VRVS).
IP Multicast
IP multicast is a method of sending Internet Protocol datagrams to a group of interested receivers in a single transmission. It is often employed for streaming media applications on the Internet and private networks. The method is the IP-specific version of the general concept of multicast...
traffic across the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
developed in the early 1990s. It required specialized hardware and software. Since most Internet routers have IP multicast disabled due to concerns of bandwidth tracking and billing, the Mbone evolved to connect multicast-capable networks over the existing Internet infrastructure. The commercialization of multicast routers is difficult because there are no efficient access control capabilities to the multicast trees (multicast routers and their protocols), and because Internet service providers have difficulty computing charges for multicast traffic.
Details
Mbone is a virtual networkOverlay network
An overlay network is a computer network which is built on the top of another network. Nodes in the overlay can be thought of as being connected by virtual or logical links, each of which corresponds to a path, perhaps through many physical links, in the underlying network...
built on top of the Internet, invented by Van Jacobson
Van Jacobson
Van Jacobson is one of the primary contributors to the TCP/IP protocol stack which is the technological foundation of today’s Internet. He is renowned for his pioneering achievements in network performance and scaling....
, Steve Deering
Steve Deering
Stephen Deering is a former Technical Leader at Cisco Systems, where he worked on the development and standardization of architectural enhancements to the Internet Protocol...
and Stephen Casner in 1992. The purpose of Mbone is to minimize the amount of data required for multipoint audio/video-conferencing. Mbone is free; it uses a network of mrouters that can support IP multicast, and it enables access to real-time interactive multimedia on the Internet. Many older routers do not support IP multicast
IP Multicast
IP multicast is a method of sending Internet Protocol datagrams to a group of interested receivers in a single transmission. It is often employed for streaming media applications on the Internet and private networks. The method is the IP-specific version of the general concept of multicast...
. To cope with this tunnels must be set up on both ends; also known as a tunneling protocol
Tunneling protocol
Computer networks use a tunneling protocol when one network protocol encapsulates a different payload protocol...
: multicast packets are encapsulated in unicast packets and sent through a tunnel. Mbone uses a small subset of the class D IP address space (224.0.0.0–239.255.255.255) assigned for multicast traffic
Multicast address
A multicast address is a logical identifier for a group of hosts in a computer network, that are available to process datagrams or frames intended to be multicast for a designated network service...
. Mbone uses 224.2.0.0 for multimedia conferencing.
Characteristics
- topologyNetwork topologyNetwork topology is the layout pattern of interconnections of the various elements of a computer or biological network....
: combination of mesh and starStar networkStar networks are one of the most common computer network topologies. In its simplest form, a star network consists of one central switch, hub or computer, which acts as a conduit to transmit messages...
networks - IP addressIP addressAn Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
es: 224.2.0.0; routing schemes: DVMRPDistance Vector Multicast Routing ProtocolThe Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol , defined in RFC 1075, is used to share information between routers to facilitate the transportation of IP Multicast packets among networks...
, MOSPFMulticast Open Shortest Path FirstThe Multicast Open Shortest Path First protocol is an extension to the Open Shortest Path First protocol to support multicast routing, allowing routers to share information about group memberships.... - session registration: IGMPInternet Group Management ProtocolThe Internet Group Management Protocol is a communications protocol used by hosts and adjacent routers on IP networks to establish multicast group memberships....
- traffic requirement: audio 32-64 kbit/s, video 120 kbit/s
Mbone tools
- VideoconferencingVideoconferencingVideoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
: vic -t ttl destination-host/port (supports: NVNVNV may refer to:* Nv network, a term used in BEAM robotics* Nevada, a state in the United States of America* Naamloze vennootschap, a Dutch term for a public limited-liability company* Navajo language, ISO 639-1 code nv* Air Central IATA code...
, H.261H.261H.261 is a ITU-T video coding standard, ratified in November 1988. It is the first member of the H.26x family of video coding standards in the domain of the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group , and was the first video codec that was useful in practical terms.H.261 was originally designed for...
, CellB, MPEG, mJPEGMJPEGIn multimedia, Motion JPEG is an informal name for a class of video formats where each video frame or interlaced field of a digital video sequence is separately compressed as a JPEG image...
) - Audioconferencing: vat -t ttl destination-host/port (supports: LPCLinear predictive codingLinear predictive coding is a tool used mostly in audio signal processing and speech processing for representing the spectral envelope of a digital signal of speech in compressed form, using the information of a linear predictive model...
, PCMU, DVI4, GSM) - WhiteboardWhiteboardA whiteboard is a name for any glossy, usually white surface for nonpermanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to chalkboards, allowing rapid marking and erasing of markings on their surface...
: wb destination-host/port/ttl - Session Directory: sdr
History
A November 1994 Rolling Stones concert at the Cotton BowlCotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
in Dallas with 50,000 fans was the "first major cyberspace multicast concert." Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
opened the concert by saying, "I wanna say a special welcome to everyone that's, uh, climbed into the Internet tonight and, uh, has got into the M-bone. And I hope it doesn't all collapse."
By 1995 there were M-bone links in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, as well as at the McMurdo Sound
McMurdo Sound
The ice-clogged waters of Antarctica's McMurdo Sound extend about 55 km long and wide. The sound opens into the Ross Sea to the north. The Royal Society Range rises from sea level to 13,205 feet on the western shoreline. The nearby McMurdo Ice Shelf scribes McMurdo Sound's southern boundary...
research station in Antarctica.
Mbone is currently of practical use for shared communication such as videoconferences or shared collaborative workspaces. It is not generally connected to Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s, but often to universities and research institutions. Some other projects and network testbeds, such as Internet2
Internet2
Internet2 is an advanced not-for-profit US networking consortium led by members from the research and education communities, industry, and government....
's Abilene Network
Abilene Network
Abilene Network was a high-performance backbone network created by the Internet2 community in the late 1990s. In 2007 the Abilene Network was retired and upgraded network was known as the "Internet2 Network".-History:...
, have made Mbone obsolete.
A recent application with support over Mbone was Virtual Room Videoconferencing System (VRVS).
See also
- CastGateCastGateCastGate is an attempt from the ETRO-TELE research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel to break the chicken and egg problem of multicast adoption on the internet....
—an attempt at providing connectivity to the multicast network for hosts which have none
External links
- MBONE: Multicasting Tomorrow's Internet: Classic book about MBONE, by Kevin Savetz, Neil Randall, and Yves Lepage, complete on-line
- A history of video conferencing (VC) technology
- How to connect to the MBone
- Site with Multicast Tester to see if web client host has access to Mbone
- Multicast Beacon Project
- AccessGrid.org—
- What is MBONE? From Webopedia
- Making the MBone Real—Ajit S. Thyagarajan, Stephen L. Casner, and Stephen E. Deering, Proc. INET '95. Internet Society. May 10, 1995