RFC 679

RFC 679: February 1975 Survey of New-Protocol TELNET Servers ✨

📜 Title block tea: this is RFC 679 from the Network Working Group, written by D.W. Dodds of BBN-TENEXA (NIC 31890), dated February 1975. The title block doesn't list a category, and it doesn't say what this RFC obsoletes or updates. 🫶

The Vibe Check 💅

okay bestie, it's been two and a half months since the last survey 😭 and honestly? the "all-new-protocol network" glow-up is moving even slower than before 💀 it's giving stalled. anyway, here's what changed since the last list (host numbers are in octal, obvi 🧚):

• SRI-ARC (2) and OFFICE-1 (53) added logger sockets 27, but they're running Old-Protocol servers (are these forerunners of New-Protocol servers? 👀)
• SDC-CC (110) got removed from the list until it actually starts operating on the network 🫠
• LL-67 (12) now has a New-Protocol server on socket 1 🎀
• CASE-10 (15) has left the network 👋
• BBN-TENEX is now host 361 (it used to be 105) 🦋
• ANL (ARGONNE, 67) joined the net with Old- and New-Protocol servers on sockets 1 and 27, respectively 🌈

The Summary 📊

Here's the latest tea on the server-host Telnet servers. It's giving organized 💜

        total server hosts             36      100%
        no New-Prot server             17       47%
        unknown status (new host)       1        3%
        total New-Prot implem.         18       50%
            New-Prot on socket 27,
                Old on socket 1 (2)    10       28%
            New-Prot on 1 and 27 (3)    6       16%
            New-Prot on 1 only (3)      2        6%

The Fine Print 🙈

• * Data check: everything in this report came from a surveying program run at various times, plus a few manual checks to fill in the gaps. It shows how the servers work as seen by the new-Protocol User Telnet at BBNA, as of 20 Feb. 1975.
• (2) Iconic sites: these are the sites whose operation is 100% correct according to all protocols and conventions, as the author understands them. 👑
• (3) Socket 1 plot twist: some servers that show up here as New-Protocol servers on socket 1 are actually servers that try to talk to both Old- and New-Protocol User TELNETs, depending on which control sequences they receive. 🔥

The Full Tabulation 🎀

Here's the status of every server site, no cap:

Host     Host          Socket  Socket   New-Prot. Options
 No.     Name            1       27     Implemented (if any)

101     UCLA-CCN        Old     X
201     UCLA-CCBS       Old     X
  2     SRI-ARC         Old     Old
102     SRI-AI          Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
  3     UCSB-MOD75      Old     X
  4     UTAH-10         Old     X
305     BBN-TENEXA      Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
106     MIT-DMS         New     New      I1,3; O3
206     MIT-AI          Old     X
306     MIT-ML          Old     X
  7     RAND-RCC        Old     X
 10     SDC-LAB         Old     X
 11     HARV-10         New     X        I1,3; O3
 12     LL-67           New     X        None
112     LL-TX-2         Old     X
 13     SU-AI           New*    New*     I1,3
 16     CMU-10B         New     New      I1,3; O3
116     CMU-10A         New     New      I1,3; O3
 17     I4-TENEX        Old     X
217     KI4B-TENEX      Old     X
 20     AMES-67         New     New      None
126     USC-ISI         Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
226     USC-ISIB        Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
 27     USC-44          Old     X
327     USC-ECL         Old     X
 37     CCA-TENEX       Old     X
 40     PARC-MAXC       Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
 43     UCSD-CC         Old     New      I0(!),3; O0,3
344     HAWAII-500      ?       ?
 52     LONDON          Old     X
 53     OFFICE-1        Old     Old
 54     MIT-MULTICS     New     New      None
 61     BBN-TENEXB      Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
361     BBN-TENEX       Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
162     BBN-TENEXD      Old     New      I1,3,6; O3
 67     ANL             Old     New      I1,3,6; O3

The Decoder Ring 🔑

• X: no server at this socket
• ?: status not ascertained, because the host couldn't be connected to
• I#: option # implemented incoming to user (the server says "Will #")
• O#: option # implemented outgoing from user (the server says "Do #")

The # is the option number in the new Protocol. These are all the options anyone implemented:

0    Transmit-Binary
1    Echo
3    Suppress-Go-Ahead
6    Timing-Mark

⚠️ Heads up! * means these servers send back improper responses to some TELNET option requests. Be careful with SU-AI! 💀

[ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ] [ into the online RFC archives by Alex McKenzie with ] [ support from BBN Corp. and its successors. 7/2000 ]

That's the whole survey, bestie! 🌈🫶