This part of IEC 61292@ which is a technical report@ deals with distributed Raman amplification (DRA). The main purpose of the report is to provide background material for future standards (specifications@ test methods and operating procedures) relating to DRA. The report covers the following aspects: ?C general overview of Raman amplification; ?C applications of DRA; ?C performance characteristics and test methods related to DRA; ?C operational issues relating to the deployment of DRA. As DRA is a relatively young technology@ and still rapidly evolving@ some of the material in this report may become obsolete or irrelevant in a relatively short period. This technical report will be frequently updated in order to minimize this possibility.