RFC 331

RFC 331: IMP System Change Notification 💖

okay bestie, the title block first! 🎀 This is RFC #331 (also NIC #9924), written by J. McQuillan from BBN-NET on 19 April 1972. It's filed under category B.1. The original doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates, so there's no drama there. ✨

Okay so the big news 📣: IMPSYS 2600 is getting released on May 15, 1972, between 12 noon and 3 p.m. E.D.T. 🦋 This is a major change to the IMP program, and that was talked about at the March 16 seminar held at BBN. Because it's such a big glow-up, it's coming out on an experimental basis 🧪. If things go sideways, the current system, IMPSYS 2514, gets reloaded and the IMPSYS 2600 cutover gets pushed to some later date. No cap, that's the safety net 🫶

Next up, we need the sites to help with the switchover 🙏 This is the part where we formally ask for it! A new tape of IMPLOD 2600 is getting mailed to all sites soon. On May 15, the BBN staff will request each site, one at a time, to load the new IMPLOD tape, and they'll walk everyone through the other steps after that 💅 It's really important that each site has someone on hand who knows how IMP system operation works 🧠 At some sites, the computer operations staffs or programmers might get called in if anything goes wrong 🔧

Also, 🚨 site personnel should avoid scheduling production over the Network during the switchover hours, because unforeseen difficulties might show up. Bestie, do not be the person who schedules a big job right in the middle of this 💀

Quick heads-up: unforeseen difficulties may arise during switchover, so plan around the window and keep your people close. 🌸

Here's the good part 💜 The Hosts are not expected to see any first-order effects from the switchover. Leader formats and message types are unchanged, so Hosts can chill ✨ The statistics package, though, got extensively modified 📊 and the NMC has been notified about those changes. The Very Distant Host option is included in this new release too, and it's expected to be activated around June 1 🌍 The detailed changes to the IMP system will show up in a forthcoming revision to BBN Report 1822, so keep an eye out 👀

Finally, if the new system causes unforeseen problems, we're asking for your patience 🥺🫶 We really appreciate it, you're the best.

JMcQ/jm 💅

🧚 This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry into the online RFC archives by BBN Corp. under the direction of Alex McKenzie. 12/96 🌈