5. Background

   We dug into the electricity distribution technology area to get some
   background.  What we found stunned us, say, with the potency of a
   bare 230V A/C lead dropped into our bathtub while we were still in
   it.  To put it simply, electricity is generated and distributed along
   a vast LDS which does not have a single router in it (LSR or
   otherwise)!  Furthermore, the control of devices in this network is
   mostly manual, done by folks driving around in trucks.  After

   wondering momentarily about how such a network can exist in the 21st
   century, we took a pencil and paper and sketched out a scenario for
   integrating the LDS network with the proven Internet technology.  The
   fundamental points we came up with are:

   1. IP packets carry electricity in discrete, digitized form.
   2. Each packet would deliver electricity to its destination (e.g., a
      device with an IP address) on-demand.
   3. MPLS control will be used to switch packets within the core LDS,
      and in the edge premises.  The architecture for this is referred
      to as Mostly-Pointless Lamp Switching (MPLampS).
   4. The MPLampS architectural model will accommodate both the overlay
      model, where the electricity consuming devices (referred to as
      "lamps") are operated over a distinct control plane, and the peer
      model, in which the lamps and the distribution network use a
      single control plane.
   5. RSVP-TE (RSVP with Tariff Extensions) will be used for
      establishing paths for electricity flow in a de-regulated
      environment.
   6. COPS will be used to support accounting and policy.

   After jotting these points down, we felt better.  We then noted the
   following immediate advantages of the proposed scheme:

   1. Switches and transformers in the LDS can be replaced by LSRs,
      thereby opening up a new market for routers.
   2. Electricity can be routed over the Internet to reach remote places
      which presently do not have electricity connections but have only
      Internet kiosks (e.g., rural India).
   3. Electrical technicians can be replaced by highly paid IP network
      administrators, and
   4. The IETF can get involved in another unrelated technology area.

   In the following, we describe the technical issues in a vague manner.