View source for IP over Avian Carriers

{{short description|Proposal to carry IP traffic by birds}}

[[File:Taube vor Scheßlitz (cropped).JPG|thumb|upright|Under RFC 1149, a [[homing pigeon]] can carry [[Internet Protocol]] traffic.]]

In [[computer network]]ing, '''IP over Avian Carriers''' ('''IPoAC''') is a humorous but ostensibly functional proposal to carry [[Internet Protocol]] (IP) [[Internet traffic|traffic]] by [[bird]]s such as [[homing pigeon]]s.  IP over Avian Carriers was initially described in {{IETF RFC|1149}} issued by the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]], written by David Waitzman, and released on April 1, 1990.  It is one of several [[April Fools' Day Request for Comments]].

Waitzman described an improvement of his protocol in {{IETF RFC|2549|link=no}}, ''IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service'' (1 April 1999).  Later, in {{IETF RFC|6214|link=no}}—released on 1 April 2011, and 13 years after the introduction of [[IPv6]]—[[Brian Carpenter (Internet engineer)|Brian Carpenter]] and [[Bob Hinden|Robert Hinden]] published ''Adaptation of RFC 1149 for IPv6''.{{Ref RFC|6214}}

IPoAC has been successfully implemented, but for only nine [[Network packet|packets of data]], with a [[packet loss]] ratio of 55% (due to operator error),<ref>{{cite web |title=The informal report from the RFC 1149 event |url=http://www.blug.linux.no/rfc1149/writeup/ |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103074558/http://www.blug.linux.no/rfc1149/writeup/ |archive-date=2014-11-03 |access-date=2014-09-24 |work=BLUG|date=28 April 2001 }}</ref> and a [[response time (telecommunications)|response time]] ranging from {{convert|3000|sec}} to over {{convert|6000|sec}}. Thus, this technology suffers from extremely high [[latency (engineering)|latency]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Momot |first=Chris |date=2008-07-28 |title=IP over Avian Carriers high latency |pages=15 |work=Calgary Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98787947/ip-over-avian-carriers-high-latency/ |access-date=2022-03-31 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

== Real-life implementation ==
On 28 April 2001, IPoAC was implemented by the [[Bergen]] Linux user group, under the name CPIP (Carrier Pigeon Internet Protocol).<ref>{{cite web |title=RFC-1149 - The highly unofficial CPIP WG |url=http://www.blug.linux.no/rfc1149 |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215072548/http://www.blug.linux.no/rfc1149/ |archive-date=2014-02-15 |access-date=2002-04-01 |work=BLUG}}</ref> They sent nine [[Packet (information technology)|packet]]s over a distance of approximately {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}, each carried by an individual pigeon and containing one ping ([[ICMP echo request]]), and received four responses.

<pre>
Script started on Sat Apr 28 11:24:09 2001
$ /sbin/ifconfig tun0
tun0      Link encap:Point-to-Point Protocol
          inet addr:10.0.3.2  P-t-P:10.0.3.1  Mask:255.255.255.255
          UP POINTOPOINT RUNNING NOARP MULTICAST  MTU:150  Metric:1
          RX packets:1 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:2 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0
          RX bytes:88 (88.0 b)  TX bytes:168 (168.0 b)

$ ping -c 9 -i 900 10.0.3.1
PING 10.0.3.1 (10.0.3.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 10.0.3.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=6165731.1 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.3.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=255 time=3211900.8 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.3.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=255 time=5124922.8 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.3.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=255 time=6388671.9 ms

--- 10.0.3.1 ping statistics ---
9 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 55% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 3211900.8/5222806.6/6388671.9 ms

Script done on Sat Apr 28 14:14:28 2001
</pre>

This real-life implementation was mentioned by the French member of parliament [[Martine Billard]] in the French [[Assemblée Nationale|National Assembly]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/cri/2008-2009-extra/20091030.asp|title=Assemblée nationale ~ Troisième séance du mercredi 22 juillet 2009|quote=J’avais été choquée, monsieur le ministre, de vous entendre parler de pigeons voyageurs, mais, finalement, vous aviez peut-être raison. Il existe en effet une norme, la norme RFC 1149, qui date du 1er avril 1990 bien que ce n’est pas un poisson d’avril (Sourires), qui décrit comment on peut faire une transmission internet par pigeon voyageur. Neuf paquets de données ont été envoyés.|access-date=2013-02-11|archive-date=2013-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307104853/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/cri/2008-2009-extra/20091030.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> during debates about [[HADOPI]].

== Risks ==
[[File:Woman feeding pigeons by Oxford Street department store - geograph.org.uk - 1186592.jpg|thumb|Example of a supposed [[man-in-the-middle attack]]]]
In December 2005, a Gartner report on [[bird flu]] that concluded "A pandemic wouldn't affect IT systems directly" was humorously criticized for neglecting to consider RFC 1149 and RFC 2549 in its analysis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virus Risks of RFC1149 and RFC2549 |url=http://articles.yuikee.com.hk/newsletter/2005/12/g.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409115451/http://articles.yuikee.com.hk/newsletter/2005/12/g.html |archive-date=2013-04-09 |access-date=2013-01-08 |website=Yui Kee Computing Articles}}</ref>

Known risks to the protocol include:
* Carriers being attacked by [[birds of prey]]. RFC2549: "Unintentional [[Encapsulation (computer programming)|encapsulation]] in hawks has been known to occur, with decapsulation being messy and the packets mangled."
* Carriers being blown off course. RFC1149: "While [[Broadcast storm|broadcasting]] is not specified, [[storm]]s can cause data loss."
* The absence of viable local carriers. RFC6214: "In some locations, such as New Zealand, a significant proportion of carriers are only able to execute short [[Hop (networking)|hops]], and only at times when the background level of photon emission is extremely low." This describes the flightless and nocturnal nature of [[kiwi (bird)|kiwi]].
* Loss of availability of species, such as the extinction of the [[passenger pigeon]].
* Disease affecting the carriers. RFC6214: "There is a known risk of infection by the so-called [[H5N1 virus]]."
* The network topologies supported for [[multicast]] communication are limited by the homing abilities of carriers. RFC6214: "... [carriers] prove to have no talent for [[multihoming]], and in fact enter a [[routing loop]] whenever multihoming is attempted."
* Carriers are susceptible to the [[Man-in-the-middle attack|man in the middle]] attack.

== Other avian data transfer methods ==
Rafting photographers already use pigeons as a [[sneakernet]] to transport digital photos on [[flash media]] from the camera to the tour operator.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.denverpost.com/2007/06/22/homing-pigeons-get-down-to-business-ferrying-rafting-company-photos/ | work=Denver Post | first=Katy | last=Human | title=Homing pigeons get down to business, ferrying rafting company photos | date=22 June 2007 | access-date=7 November 2017 | archive-date=8 November 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108034711/http://www.denverpost.com/2007/06/22/homing-pigeons-get-down-to-business-ferrying-rafting-company-photos/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Over a {{convert|30|mi|km|adj=on}} distance, a single pigeon may be able to carry tens of gigabytes of data in around an hour, which on an average [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] basis compared very favorably to early [[ADSL]] standards, even when accounting for lost drives.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=A New Israeli test confirms: PEI (Pigeon Enabled Internet) is FASTER than ADSL |url=http://www.notes.co.il/benbasat/5240.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713090722/http://www.notes.co.il/benbasat/5240.asp |archive-date=13 July 2008 |website=קצה - RIM - Ami Ben-Bassat's Blog}}</ref>

On March 12, 2004, [[Yossi Vardi]], Ami Ben-Bassat, and Guy Vardi sent three homing pigeons a distance of {{convert|100|km|mi}}, "each carrying 20–22 tiny memory cards containing 1.3&nbsp;GB, amounting in total of 4&nbsp;GB of data." An effective throughput of {{nowrap|2.27 Mbit/s}} was achieved. The purpose of the test was to measure and confirm an improvement over RFC 2549.<ref name=":0" />

Inspired by RFC 2549, on 9 September 2009, the marketing team of The Unlimited, a regional company in South Africa, decided to host a tongue-in-cheek pigeon race between their pet pigeon Winston and local telecom company [[Telkom SA]].  The race was to send 4 gigabytes of data from [[Howick, KwaZulu-Natal|Howick]] to [[Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal|Hillcrest]], approximately {{convert|60|km|mi}} apart. The pigeon carried a [[microSD]] card and competed against a Telkom ADSL line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Famous Bird vs Internet Contest of 2009 |url=http://pigeonrace2009.co.za/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180024/http://pigeonrace2009.co.za/ |archive-date=2016-03-03 |access-date=2009-09-08 |website=Pigeon Race 2009}}</ref> Winston beat the data transfer over Telkom's ADSL line, with a total time of two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds from uploading data on the microSD card to completion of download from the card. At the time of Winston's victory, the ADSL transfer was just under 4% complete.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-pigeon-idUSTRE5885PM20090909 | work=Reuters | first=Peroshni | last=Govender | title=Pigeon transfers data faster than South Africa's Telkom | date=9 September 2009 | access-date=5 July 2021 | archive-date=13 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513091534/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-pigeon-idUSTRE5885PM20090909 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8248056.stm | work=BBC News | title=SA pigeon 'faster than broadband' | date=10 September 2009 | access-date=4 April 2011 | archive-date=14 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414225332/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8248056.stm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-09-10-winston-the-homing-pigeon-draws-tweets-of-support "Winston the homing pigeon draws tweets of support"], The Mail & Guardian, September 10, 2009, by Niren Tolsi</ref>

In November 2009, the Australian comedy/current-affairs television program ''[[Hungry Beast]]'' repeated this experiment. The ''Hungry Beast'' team took up the challenge after a parliament session wherein the government of the time criticised the opposition for not supporting telecommunications investments, saying that if the opposition had their way, Australians would be doing data transfer over carrier pigeons. The ''Hungry Beast'' team had read about the South African experiment and assumed that, as a developed [[Western country]], Australia would have higher speeds. The experiment had the team transfer a 700 MB file via three delivery methods to determine which was the fastest: a carrier pigeon with a microSD card, a car carrying a [[USB stick]], and a [[Telstra]] (Australia's largest telecom provider) ADSL line. The data was to be transferred from [[Tarana, New South Wales|Tarana]] in rural [[New South Wales]] to the western-[[Sydney]] suburb of [[Prospect, New South Wales]], a distance of {{convert|132|km|mi}} by road. Approximately halfway through the race, the internet connection unexpectedly dropped and the transfer had to be restarted. The pigeon won the race with a time of approximately 1 hour 5 minutes, the car came in second at 2 hours 10 minutes, while the internet transfer did not finish, having dropped out a second time and not coming back. The estimated time to upload completion at one point was as high as 9 hours, and at no point did the estimated upload time fall below 4 hours.<ref>{{cite web |last=Real Human Stories |date=10 November 2009 |title=Pigeons vs. Australian Internet (Hungry Beast) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci2bFFGM8T8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805083157/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci2bFFGM8T8 |archive-date=5 August 2014 |access-date=3 June 2014 |work=YouTube}}</ref>

A similar pigeon race was conducted in September 2010 by tech blogger (trefor.net) and ISP Timico CTO Trefor Davies with farmer Michelle Brumfield in rural [[Yorkshire, England]]: delivering a five-minute video to a [[BBC]] correspondent 75 miles away in [[Skegness]]. The pigeon (carrying a memory card with a 300 MB HD video of Davies having a haircut) was pitted against an upload to [[YouTube]] via [[British Telecom]] broadband; the pigeon was released at 11:05 am and arrived in the loft one hour and fifteen minutes later while the upload was still incomplete, having failed once in the interim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/17/bt_bird/|title=BT feathers ruffled over pigeon-based file transfer caper|work=The Register|date=17 September 2010|access-date=10 August 2017|archive-date=10 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810171005/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/17/bt_bird/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=UK Business ISP Timico Challenges Pigeon to Beat Rural Broadband |publisher=ISPreview.com |date=2010-09-16 |url=http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/2010/09/16/uk-business-isp-timico-challenges-pigeon-to-beat-rural-broadband.html |access-date=2010-09-18 |archive-date=2010-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919152359/http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/2010/09/16/uk-business-isp-timico-challenges-pigeon-to-beat-rural-broadband.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11325452 |title=Pigeon flies past broadband in data speed race |publisher=BBC News Technology |date=2010-09-16 |access-date=2018-09-18 |archive-date=2018-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002035507/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11325452 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol}}
* {{annotated link|Pigeon post}}
* {{annotated link|Semaphore Flag Signaling System}}
* {{annotated link|Sneakernet}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/carrier_pigeons.html "Carrier Pigeons Bringing Contraband into Prisons"], [[Bruce Schneier]], www.schneier.com (blog), June 27, 2008
* [https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/pigeon-powered-internet-takes-flight Pigeon-powered Internet takes flight], Stephen Shankland, [[CNET News]], May 4, 2001
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101023133741/http://theunlimited.co.za/ "The Unlimited"]
* [http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-09-10-pigeon-carries-data-bundles-faster-than-telkom Pigeon carries data bundles faster than Telkom], 10 Sep 2009, M&G
* [https://globalgamejam.org/2018/games/rfc1149 RFC1149 Game]

{{IETF RFC 1st april}}{{pigeons}}{{Birds in culture}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ip Over Avian Carriers}}
[[Category:April Fools' Day jokes]]
[[Category:Computer humour]]
[[Category:Internet architecture]]
[[Category:Link protocols]]
[[Category:Physical layer protocols]]
[[Category:Wireless networking]]
[[Category:Domestic pigeons]]