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Mbone (short for "multicast backbone") was an experimentalbackbone andvirtual network built on top of the Internet for carryingIP multicast traffic on theInternet. It was developed in the early 1990s and required specialized hardware and software.[1] Since the operators of most Internetrouters have disabled IP multicast due to concerns regarding bandwidth tracking and billing, the Mbone was created to connect multicast-capable networks over the existing Internet infrastructure.[1]
Mbone was created byVan Jacobson,Steve Deering and Stephen Casner in 1992 based on a suggestion byAllison Mankin.[2]
During March 16–20, 1992 the first significant use of the MBONE took place from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) meeting in San Diego with 20 sites listening.[3][4]
On May 23, 1993,Wax or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees was streamed over the Mbone,[5] becoming "the first movie to be transmitted on the Internet."[6]
On June 24, 1993, the bandSevere Tire Damage was the first to perform live on the Mbone.
On November 11, 1993Sky Cries Mary performed on the Mbone from Bellevue, WA sponsored by Starwave.[7]
On August 23, 1994, the bandDeth Specula broadcast the first live concert over the Mbone.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
A November 1994Rolling Stones concert at theCotton Bowl inDallas 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."[1]
A year later the Mbone was used, this time symmetrically (simultaneous transmission and reception without hierarchy among participants), for a first experience of real-time graphical interaction without the intermediary of any Center (Poietic Generator[14][15]).
By 1995, there were M-bone links inRussia, as well as at theMcMurdo Sound research station inAntarctica.[1] Mbone was predominantly used by research and scientific entities, including NASA.[citation needed]
Mbone was used for shared communication such asvideo teleconferences or shared collaborative workspaces. It was not generally connected to commercialInternet service providers, but often to universities and research institutions. Some other projects and network testbeds, such asInternet2'sAbilene Network, made Mbone obsolete.
A "virtual room video conferencing system" (VRVS) started operation in 1997 using the Mbone, and was in operation through 2008.[16]
A revivedmboned (mbone deployment) working group was chartered by theInternet Engineering Task Force in 2014, as a forum to coordinate and document multicast deployment challenges and best practices.[17]
The purpose of Mbone was to minimize the amount of data required for multipoint audio/video-conferencing.[1]
Mbone was free and it used a network of routers that support IP multicast, and it enables access to real-time interactive multimedia on the Internet. Many older routers do not supportIP multicast. To cope with this,tunnels must be set up on both ends: multicast packets are encapsulated in unicast packets and sent through a tunnel. Mbone uses a small subset of theclass D IP address space (224.0.0.0–239.255.255.255) assigned formulticast traffic. Mbone uses 224.2.0.0 for multimedia conferencing.[citation needed]
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