RFC 3238 (rfc3238) - Page 1 of 17

IAB Architectural and Policy Considerations for Open Pluggable Edge Services

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Network Working Group                  Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
Request for Comments: 3238                                      S. Floyd
Category: Informational                                        L. Daigle
                                                            January 2002


            IAB Architectural and Policy Considerations for
                      Open Pluggable Edge Services

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2002).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This document includes comments and recommendations by the IAB on
   some architectural and policy issues related to the chartering of
   Open Pluggable Edge Services (OPES) in the IETF.  OPES are services
   that would be deployed at application-level intermediaries in the
   network, for example, at a web proxy cache between the origin server
   and the client.  These intermediaries would transform or filter
   content, with the explicit consent of either the content provider or
   the end user.

1.  Introduction

   Open Pluggable Edge Services (OPES) are services that would be
   deployed in the network, for example, at a web proxy cache between
   the origin server and the client, that would transform or filter
   content.  Examples of proposed OPES services include assembling
   personalized web pages, adding user-specific regional information to
   web pages, virus scanning, content adaptation for clients with
   limited bandwidth, language translation, and the like [OPES].

   The question of chartering OPES in the IETF ([OPESBOF1], [OPESBOF2],
   [OPESBOF3]) and the related controversy in the IETF community
   ([Carr01], [CDT01], [Morris01], [Orman01], [Routson01]) have raised
   to the fore several architectural and policy issues about robustness
   and the end-to-end integrity of data (in terms of the disparities
   between what the "origin server" makes available and what the client
   receives).  In particular, questions have been raised about the
   possible requirements, for a protocol to be developed and



IAB                          Informational
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