RFC 694

Protocol information

📅 published June 1975, from ietf

RFC 694: Protocol Information ✨

okay bestie, let's get into it 🎀 RFC 694 is called "Protocol Information," and it's from the Network Working Group. J. Postel wrote it at SRI-ARC, and it's dated June 18, 1975 🦋 The title block doesn't list a category or status, and it doesn't say it obsoletes or updates anything. So this is just a snapshot of what's going on with protocols back then 🕰️💜

Introduction

okay so this file is basically a big index of protocol info for the ARPA Network 🌸 the goal is to keep it current, but that only works if people send in protocol news or corrections to Jon Postel at SRI-ARC. so if you know something, tell him! 🫶

reach him here: Online address is POSTEL@BBNB Phone is (415) 326-6200 x 3718 U.S. Mail address is Stanford Research Institute, Augmentation Research Center, 222 Ravenswood, Menlo park, California 94025.

the file is also online in two spots 💅

Pathname: [OFFICE-1] <NETINFO.PROTOCOL-INFORMATION.TXT
[BBNB] <POSTEL.PROTCOL-INFORMATION.NLS

a lot of protocol docs live as Requests for Comments (RFCs), and many are online too. when one is, the file points you to where it is ✨ recent RFCs sit on Office-1 in the <NETINFO> directory, named RFCnnn.TXT where nnn is the RFC number 🧚 there's also an index of recent RFCs:

[Office-1] <NETINFOR>RFC-INDEX.TXT

there are three more online files that matter for protocols 👑

  • a list of Official Host Names and related info, described in RFC 608, at:
[Office-1] <NETOINFO>HOSTS.TXT
  • two files about Network Liaisons. one gives their online message addresses, and the other gives their US Mail address and phone number. a network liaison is the person a host organization picks as the contact and coordinator for network technical info for that org 🥰
[Office-1] <NETINFO>LIAISON-SNDMSG.TXT
[Office-1] <NETINFO>LIAISON.TXT

these files are made by Jake Feinler at the Network Information Center (NIC) 🙌 the NIC has been super helpful, giving online file space for recent RFCs and other protocol files. they also keep a hardcopy reference library of all RFCs 📚

the NIC also put together a collection with the National Technical Information Service called "ARPA Network Current Network Protocols" 💖 it represents the more or less "official" protocols as of 1-December-74, and its accession number is ADA003890 ✨

IMP-IMP

okay this section is about how IMPs talk to each other 🦋

surface

Contact:

  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)

Documents:

  • Heart, F. et. al. "the Interface Message Processor for the ARPA Computer Network," AFIPS Conference Proceedings, 36:551-567, SJCC 1970.
  • McQuillan, J.M. et. al. "Improvements in the Design and Performance of the ARPA Network," AFIPs Conference Proceedings, 41:741-754 RFCC, 1972.
  • McQuillan, J.M. "Throughput in the ARPA network - Analysis and Measurement," BBN Report 2491, the text is also contained in BBN Quarterly Technical Report 16, available from the National Technical Information Service [NTIS] accession number AD7544441.

People:

  • John McQuillan (MCQUILLAN@BBN)

Schedule:

Comments:

Recent developments:

Satellite

Contact:

  • Randy Rettberg (RETTBERG@BBN)

Documents:

People:

  • Robert Kahn (KAHN@ISI)

Schedule:

Comments:

Recent developments:

IMP-HOST

okay this is the IMP to host side 🎀

IMP-HOST [Official] 👑

Contact:

  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)

Documents:

  • "Specification for the Interconnection of a HOST and an IMP," BBN Report 1822, Revised December 1974. NTIS: ADA002751.

People:

  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)
  • Dave Walden (WALDEN@BBN)
  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Jerry Burchfiel (BURCHFIEL@BBN)
  • John McQuillan (MCQUILLAN@BBN)

Schedule:

Comments:

the "link number" field got extended from 8 to 12 bits and renamed the "message identification" field 🫶 message type 6 is now used to give a reason for a type 7 (destination dead) message. (See BBN1822.)

there have been some recent changes to how the IMP reads the Ready line when it decides whether a host is alive or dead 👀

important changes to the IMP and IMP/HOST Interface were announced in RFC 660, 23-Oct-74 🌈

(31-DEC-74) the change that lets up to eight messages be in transit between a source host and a destination host should happen very soon. it shouldn't really affect the hosts at all, except you get better thruput and fewer inter-message delays ⭐

(6-JAN-75) BBN Report 1822 got updated 🔥

Sections 1, 2, 4, and 5, and Appendix C now include data on the Pluribus IMP. the Pluribus IMP is based on a modular multiprocessor hardware design, so it should be capable of much higher bandwidth and greater reliability than other IMP models. 💖

Section 3.1 has extra info that might help Host programmers 💅

Sections 3.3 and 3.4 add a new type of Host to Host data message, the uncontrolled packet. Section 3.7 was added to describe how to use this new message type 🧚

Section 3.4 also describes changes to the sub-types of IMP to host message types 6 and 7 🍓

Okay so Appendix A got a glow-up 💅✨ and Appendix B is now way more detailed, with specific recommendations for Host implementation of the Host/IMP Interface 🎀 Appendix F got some minor clarifications too, but Figure F (or F-9) stays exactly the same 🌸

Recent developments (18-June-75) 🔥: there are super important changes proposed (or maybe specified?) to the Host to IMP and IMP to Host interface protocol in a recent note. The changes are:

  • expanded leader size
  • expanded address field
  • new message length field
  • expanded handling type field
  • source host control of packets per message
  • change in the handling of unordered messages (current type 3 messages)
  • change in the addressing of fake hosts, including an address field in the IMP/Host hop message
  • (best of all) backward compatibility
  • a possible change in the maximum message length

Check out the proposal here 👀

Walden, D. "IMP/Host and Host/IMP Protocol Change," RFC 687, NIC 32654, 2-Jun-75.

[OPfficed-1] <NETINFOR>RFC687.TXT

(18-Jun-75) Comments on Walden's proposed changes in RFC 687 💬

Postel, J. "Comments on the proposed Host/IMP Protocol Changes," RFC 690, NIC 32699, 6-Jun-75.

HOST-HOST 🌈

ncp - standard host-to-host [Official] 💖

Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBN)

Documents:

McKenzie, A. "Host/Host Protocol for the ARPA Network," NIC 8246, NTIS: AD757680, Jan 1972.

Postel, J. "Assigned Link Numbers," RFC 604, NIC 21186, 26-Dec-73.

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments: (empty)

Recent developments: (empty)

ncp - host-to-host [Experimental] 🧪

Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

McKenzie, A. "host/Host Protocol for the ARPA Network," NIC 8246, NTIS: AD757680, Jan 1972.

Postel, J. "Assigned link Numbers," RFC 604, NIC 21186, 26-Dec-73.

Burchfiel, et. al. "Tip-Tenex Reliability Improvements" RFC 636 NIC 30490 June 1974.

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)
  • Jerry Burchfiel (BURCHFIEL@BBN)
  • Dave Walden (WALDEN@BBN)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments:

The BBN TIP and TENEX crew are building extra protocol commands for better reliability and survivability when systems malfunction 🛠️ These commands clean up partly closed connections and resync the allocation values on open connections (see RFC 636) ✨

(31-DEC-74) Tenex 1.32 and the Tips are now running this protocol 🎉

Recent developments: (empty)

ncp - host-to-host [Experimental] 🔬

Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

McKenzie, A. "Host/Host Protocol for the ARPA Network," NIC 8246, [NTIS # AD-757 680], Jan 1972

Postel, J. "Assigned Link Numbers," RFC604, NIC211685, 26-Dec-73.

Kanodia, R. "A Lost Message Detection and Recovery Protocol," RFC 663, NIC 31387, 29-Nov-74.

[OFFICE-1] <NETINFO>RFC663.TXT

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)
  • Raj Kanodia (Kanodia.CompNet@MIT-Multics)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments:

(31-DEC-74) This proposal has some interesting features, but some folks think it's solving a non-problem 🤷‍♀️

Recent developments: (empty)

msp - Message Switching Protocol 📨

Contact: Dave Walden (WALDEN@BBN)

Documents:

Walden, D. "A System for Interprocess Communication in a Resource Sharing Computer Network, " RFC 62, NIC 4962, 3-Aug-70. Also published in Communications of the ACM volume 15, number 4, April 1972.

Bressler, B. "A Proposed Experiment with a Message Switching Protocol, " RFC 333, NIC 9926, 15-May-72.

People:

  • Dave Walden (WALDEN@BBN)
  • Bob Bressler (BRESSLER@BBN)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments: (empty)

Recent developments: (empty)

tcp - Transmission Control Protocol 👑

Contact: Vint Cert (CERF@ISI)

Documents:

Cert, V. and R,. Kahn. "A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication," IEEE Transactions on Communication Vol COM- 22 No 5, May 1974.

Mader, E. "A Protocol Experiment," RFC 700, NIC 31020.

[OFFICE-1] <NETINFO> RFC700.TXT

Cerf, V. Y. Dalal, and C. Sunshine. "Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program," RFC 675, INWG 72, NIC 31505, December 1974 Revision.

People:

  • Vint Cerf (CERF@ISI)
  • Ray Tomilnson (TOMLINSON@BBN)
  • Peter Kirstein (KIRSTEIN@ISI)
  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBN)

Schedule:

Some experiments are running now 🧪 Full protocol implementation is set to begin by 1-Jan-75.

Comments:

The spec was finished on August 4th, but there's still some work going on around handling single message conversations 🧩 A new sequencing scheme (proposed by Tomlinson) might get used. The addressing field is now a 4 bit format, 4 bit network, 16 bit TCP, and 24 bit process&port.

Crocker suggested a 64 bit path address that the gateways along the route would parse and reformat 🗺️ People are hesitant to try too many new things at once though.

(28-Oct-74) A file listing some of the spec changes since the 4-Aug-74 document is now up as [ISI] <CRF> TCP- CHANGES. The areas that changed are "Initial Sequence Number", "Socket definition", "Additional User System Calls", "Packet Format", and "Discussion of opening and closing (SYN, REL)" 📂

(23-NOV-74) The test implementation specs are said to be ready on 1-DEC-74, with an implementation done by 1-FEB-74 (sic) ⏰

(31-DEC-74) A new spec document is out:

Cerf, V. Y. Dalal, and C. Sunshine. "Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program," RFC 675, INWG 72, NIC 31505, December 1974 Revision.

Recent developments:

(30-May-75)

Status of TCP development 🚀 The BBN version is running at BBN-TENEXA, but it fakes a lot of JSYS calls that will be built into the tenex operating system over the summer. The SU-DSL version for the PDP-11/20 is in debugging. The UCL (London) version for a PDP-9 is in coding. They're still working on the "three-way handshake" version, which is super reliable in environments where packets can be delivered hours after they were sent into the connected networks. A simple TCP is being designed for the packet radio network and doesn't use the three-way handshake, since waiting a second or so to clear out old packets isn't a big deal there.

A test plan for packet radio net, arpanet, and atlantic satellite networks is in preparation (delivery date 1 August 1975) 📋

Recent international agreements suggest that a form of TCP with a simpler header (144 bits instead of 256 bits) and no three-way handshake is the most likely international standard 🌍 An IFIP WG 6.1 Recommendation to CCITT said that the maximum packet delay through all concatenated networks should not exceed 30 seconds ⏱️

nvp - Network Voice Protocol 🎙️

Contact: Danny Cohen (COHEN@ISIB)

Documents:

"Specifications for the Network Voice Protocol (NVP)" NSC Note 43.

People: (empty)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments:

The spec document came out on 10-Oct-74 📄

(20-JAN-75) An early version of NVP was built for real-time voice experiments between ISI and Lincoln Laboratory in August 1974 💬 A bigger version has been running since December 1974 for real-time voice between Lincoln and CHI. NVP uses both type 0 and type 3 IMP-Host messages, and it trades reliability for more bandwidth and less delay 🔊

Recent developments: (empty)

packet radio 📡

Contact: Robert Kahn (KAHN@ISI)

Documents: (empty)

People: (empty)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments: (empty)

Recent developments: (empty)

Network Debugging Protocol 🐛

Contact: Eric Mader (MADER@BBN)

Documents:

Mader, E. "Network Debugging Protocol," RFC 643, NIC 30873, July-74.

Beeler, M. "Response Time in Cross-network Debugging," RFC 685, NIC 32298, 16-April-75.

[Office-1] <NETINFO> RFC685.TXT

People:

  • Michael Beeler (BEELER@BBN)
  • Eric Mader (MADER@BBN)
  • Dave Retz (RETZ@ISI)
  • Ken Victor (VICTOR@BBNB)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments:

This is a protocol for a PDP-11 cross-network debugger 🖥️

Recent Developments:

(15-May-75) There's a measure of how responsive cross-network debugging is, reported in:

Beeler, M. "Response Time in Cross-network Debugging," RFC 685, NIC 32298, 16-April-75.

[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC685.TXT

pup - PARC Universal Protocol 🧚

Contact: Ed Taft (TAF@PARC)

Documents: (empty)

People:

  • Ed Taft (TAFT@PARC)
  • Bob Metcalfe (METCALFE@PARC)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments: (empty)

Recent developments:

(15-May-75) Link 151 (decimal) assigned 🎀

HOST-FRONTED 🍓

Host-Front End 💜

Contact: Michael Padlipsky (Padlipsky@MIT-Multics)

Documents:

Padlipsky, M. "A Proposed Protocol for Connecting Host Computers to ARPA-Like Networks via Front-End Processors," RFC 647, NIC 31117, 12-Nov-74.

[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC647.TXT

People:

  • Michael Padlipsky (Padlipsky@MIT-Multics)
  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments:

This is a suggested simple protocol for hooking hosts up to front end computers, which then connect to the network 🔌

Recent developments: (empty)

PROCESS-PROCESS 🦋

ICP - Initial Connection Protocol [Official] 🌸

Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Postel, J. "Official Initial Connection Protocol," NIC 7101, 11-June-71.

Wolfe, S. [no title] RFC 202, NIC 7155, 26-July-71.

Postel, J. "Official Telnet-Logger Initial Connection Protocol," NIC 7103, 15-June-71.

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Schedule: (empty)

Comments: (empty)

Recent developments: (empty)

RFC>>>

Telnet 💖

Old Telnet 🦋

Okay so the original Telnet era starts here, and it's a whole vibe. The contact was Jon Postel, and the document that started it all was an RFC 318 memo from 3-April-72. Everything after that is the glow-up. 🌸

Contact:

Jon Postel: (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Postel, J. "Telnet Protocol," RFC 318 3-April-72.

People:

Schedule:

Comments:

Recent developments:

New Telnet [Official] ✨

Now this is the main character moment 👑. New Telnet is the official one, and the specs came out in August 1973. The options list is where it gets so iconic, because each option is its own little superpower for controlling how the connection behaves. 🔥

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBN)

Documents:

NIC 18639 "TELNET Protocol Specifications" AUG 73

NIC 18640 "Telnet Option Specification" Aug 73

    Telnet Options

      0     Transmit Binary

            "Binary Transmission," NIC 15389

      1     Echo

            "Echo," NIC 15390

      2     Reconnection

            "Reconnection," NIC 15391

      3     Suppress Go Ahead

            "Suppress Go Ahead Option," NIC 15392.

      4     Negotiate Approximate Message Size

            "Approximate Message Size Negotiation," NIC

      5     Status

            Crocker, D. "Status," RFC 651, NIC 31154, 25-Oct-74.

                 [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC651.TXT

      6     Timing Mark

            "Timing Mark," NIC 16238.

      7     Remote Controlled Transmission and Echoing

            Crocker, D. "Remote Controlled Transmission and
            Echoing," NIC 19859, 1-Nov-73.

      8     Negotiate About Output Line Width

            Walden, D. "Output Line Width," NIC 20196,
            13-Nov-73.

      9     Negotiate About Output Page Size

            Walden, D. "Output Page Size," NIC 20197, 13-Nov-73.

      10    Output Carriage Return Disposition

            Crocker, D. "Output Carriage Return Disposition,"
            RFC 652, NIC 31155, 25-Oct-74.

                 [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC652.TXT

      11    Output Horizontal Tab Stops

            Crocker, D. "Output Horizontal Tab Stops," RFC 653,
            NIC 31156, 25-Oct-74.

                 [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC653.TXT

      12    Output Horizontal Tab Disposition

            Crocker, D. "Output Horizontal Tab Disposition,"
            RFC 654, NIC 31157, 25-Oct-74.

      13    Output Formfeed Disposition

            Crocker, D. "Output Form Feed Disposition," RFC 655,
            NIC 31158, 25-Oct-74.

                 [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC655.TXT

      14    Output Vertical Tab Stops

            Crocker, D. "Output Vertical Tab Stops," RFC 656,
            NIC 31159, 25-Oct-74.

      15    Output Vertical Tab Disposition

            Crocker, D. "Output Vertical Tab Disposition," RFC
            657, NIC 31160, 25-Oct-74.

                 [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC657.TXT

      16    Output Linefeed Disposition

            Crocker, D. "Output Line Feed Disposition," RFC 658,
            NIC 31161, 25-Oct-74.

                 [Office -1] <NETINFO>RFC658.TXT

      255  Extended Options List

           "Extended Options List," NIC 16239.

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBN) 🌟
  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN) 🌟
  • Doug Dodds (DODDS@BBN) 🌟
  • Dave Crocker (DCROCKER@ISI) 🌟

Schedule:

All Hosts were to have been running the new Telnet (both user and server) by 1 January 1974. 📅

Comments:

Note: the server program is to be available on socket 23 decimal (27 octal). Bestie, write that down, it matters 🙈

The Status Option got a glow-up too 💅. It now takes advantage of the subcommand feature, and it cuts down on how much data gets sent to report the option status. Efficient and iconic. 🫶

Seven new options were defined to control the format effectors Carriage Return, Line Feed, Form Feed, Horizontal Tab, and Vertical Tab. Seven! That's so many options, and each one is giving control. 🎀

(31-DEC-74) Rick Schantz had some suggestions about the Reconnection Option, written up here:

Schantz, R. "A Note on Reconnection Protocol," RFC 671, NIC
31439, 6-Dec-74.

     [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC671.TXT

Recent developments:

(15-May-75) Doug Dodds shared the latest survey of Telnet Server status, and it's a must-read if you're tracking who's doing what 🧚:

Dodds, D. "February, 1975, Survey of New-Protocol Telnet
Servers," RFC 679, NIC 31890, 21-Feb-75.

        [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC669.TXT

(18-Jun-75) A schedule for implementing New Telnet in the TIP was published, so the TIP crew has their plan now 📝:

Walden, D. "Tentative Schedule for the New Telnet
Implementation for the TIP," RFC 688, NIC 32655, 4-Jun-75.

        [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC688.TXT

FTP 🎀

Old File Transfer 🌈

Old FTP has a whole history of its own, and this is where it lives 📂. Jon Postel was the contact again, and the Documents list is a little family tree of memos, including one that shows up in the Old Telnet days too.

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

McKenzie, A. "File Transfer Protocol," NIC 14333, RFC 454, 16-
Feb-73.

Clements, R. "FTPSRV - Extensions for Tenex Paged Files, "RFC
683, NIC 32251, 3-April-75.

         [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC683.TXT

Harvey, B. "One More Try on the FTP," RFC 691, NIC 32700, 6-
Jun-75.

         [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC691.TXT

People:

  • Nancy Neigus (NEIGUS@BBN) 🦋
  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBN) 🦋
  • Alex McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN) 🦋
  • Robert Clements (CLEMENTS@BBN) 🦋
  • Brian Harvey (BH@SU-AI) 🦋

Schedule:

Comments:

(31-DEC-74) Kanodia put out an RFC about performance measurements of FTP at Multics. The big takeaway is that Host buffering is a major factor in limiting thruput, so it really matters 🔥:

Kanodia, R. "Performance Improvement in ARPANET File
Transfers From Multics," RFC662, NIC 31386, 26-Nov-74.

        [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC662.TXT

Recent developments:

(15-May-75) The Tenex FTP implementation got extended so it can transfer paged files, as described here 💫:

Clements, R. "FTPSRV - Extensions for Tenex Pages Files,"
RFC 683, NIC 32251, 3-April-75.

        [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC683.TXT

(18-Jun-75) Brian Harvey made the case that old FTP is good enough, since it's already in wide use, so why not just fix the bugs instead of building new FTP? 🤔 His suggested bug fixes are in his RFC too:

Harvey, B. "One More Try on the FTP," RFC 691, NIC 32700, 6-
Jun-75.

        [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC691.TXT

New File Transfer ✨

This is the glow-up version of FTP, and the Jon Postel era continues 💜. Nancy Neigus wrote the original spec, and Postel followed up with revised reply codes.

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Neigus, N. "File Transfer Protocol," NIC 17759 RFC 542 12-
July-73.

Postel, J. "Revised FTP Reply Codes," NIC 30843 RFC 640 5-
June-74.

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB) 🌸
  • Nancy Neigus (NEIGUS@BBN) 🌸
  • Ken Pogran (Pogran.CompNet@MIT-Multics) 🌸
  • Wayne Hathaway (Hathaway@AMES-67) 🌸

Schedule:

Comments:

Recent developments:

Pathnames 🗺️

Pathnames get their own little spot, and it's all about how file paths are written 📍. The contact was Jon Postel again, and Dave Crocker wrote the spec.

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Crocker, D. "Network Standard Data Specification Syntax," RFC
645, NIC 30899, Jul-74.

People:

  • Dave Crocker (DCROCKER@ISI) 💅

Schedule:

Comments:

Recent developments:

File Access Protocol 🔐

This one is all about accessing files. Jon Day was the contact, and the memo was sent to the FTP Group 📬.

Contact:

Jon Day (Day.CAC@MIT-Multics)

Documents:

Day, J. "Memo to FTP Group: File Access Protocol," RFC 520, NIC
16819, 25-Jun-73.

People:

  • Ken Pogran (Pogran.CompNet@MIT-Multics) 🦋

Schedule:

Comments:

Recent developments:

File formats 📄

Last but not least, the file formats! Jon Postel was the contact, and this is where the standard for document files comes in 📑.

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Postel, J. "Standard File Formats," RFC 678, NIC 31524, 19-
Dec-74.

         [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC678.TXT

People:

  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB) 🌟

Schedule:

Comments:

(31-DEC-74) This new format standard for document files was published, and it's the one to know 🫶:

Postel, J. "Standard File Formats," RFC678, NIC 31524, 19-
Dec-74.

        [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC678.TXT

Recent developments:

Mail ✨

okay bestie, the mail stuff is literally SO good 💌 this part is basically a little directory of who's working on what, and the people are kind of iconic.

Current Mail

  • Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB) 💖
  • Documents:
    • Page 26 of RFC 454 (see old file transfer).
    • Myer, T. "Message Transmission Protocol," RFC 680, NIC 32116, 30-April-75.
      • [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC680.TXT
    • Sussman, J. "FTP Error Code Usage for More Reliable Mail Service," RFC 630, NIC 30237, 10-Apr-74.
    • Thomas, B. "On the problem of Signature Authentication for Network Mail," RFC 644, NIC 30874, 22-July-74.
  • People:
    • Ted Meyer (MYER@BBN)
    • Austin Henderson (HENDERSON@BBN)
    • Julie Sussman (SUSSMAN@BBN)
    • Bob Thomas (THOMAS@BBN)
    • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
    • Concern over the authentication of the author of network messages has lead to the concept of an authorized mail sending process (see RFC 644). 🔐
  • Recent developments:
    • (15-May-75) The standard formats for mail header information fields have been extended as documented in:
      • Myer, T. "Message Transmission Protocol," RFC 680, NIC 32116, 30-April-75.

Proposed Mail

  • Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB) 🎀
  • Documents:
    • White, J. "A Proposed Mail Protocol," RFC 524, NIC 17140, 13-Jun-73.
    • Crocker, D. "Thoughts on the Mail Protocol Proposed in RFC 524," RFC 539, NIC 17644, 7-JULY-73.
    • White, J. "Response to Critiques of the Proposed Mail Protocol," RFC 555, NIC 17993, 27-July-73.
    • Crocker, D. "Mail Priority," RFC 577, NIC 19356, 18-Oct-73.
  • People:
    • Jim White (JWHITE@BBNB)
    • Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
    • Dave Crocker at UCLA-NMC (DCROCKER@ISI)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
  • Recent developments:

RJE - Remote Job Entry 🧚

  • Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB) 🌸
  • Documents:
    • Bressler, B. "Remote Job Entry Protocol," RFC 407, NIC 12112, 16-Oct-72.
    • Krilanovich, M. "Announcement of RJS at UCSB," RFC 436, NIC 13700, 10-Jan-73.
  • People:
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
  • Recent developments:

RJS - CCNs Remote Job Service 💅

  • Contact: Robert Braden (BRADEN@UCLA-CCN)
  • Documents:
    • Braden, R. "Interim NETRJS Specification," RFC 189, NIC 7133, 15-July-71.
    • Harslem, E. "Using Network Remote Job Entry," RFC 307, NIC 9258, 24-Feb-72.
    • Braden, R. "Update on NETRJS," RFC 599, NIC 20854, 13-Dec-73.
    • Crocker, D. "CCNRJS: Remote Job Entry between Tenex and UCLA-CCN," NUTS Note 22, 5-Mar-75.
      • [ISI] <DOCUMENTATION>CCNRJS.DOC
  • People:
    • Robert Braden (BRADEN@UCLA-CCN)
    • Steve Wolfe (WOLFE@UCLA-CCN)
    • Dave Crocker (DCROCKER@ISI)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
  • Recent developments:

Graphics 🦋

  • Contact: Robert Spoull (SPROULL@PARC-MAXC)
  • Documents:
    • Sproull, R. and E. Thomas. "A Networks Graphics Protocol," NIC 24308, 16-Aug-74.
  • People:
    • Robert Sproull (SPROULL@PARC-MAXC)
    • Elaine Thomas (Thomas@MIT-Multics)
    • James Michener (JCM@MIT-DMS)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
    • Document available from Robert Sproull.
  • Recent developments:

Data Reconfiguration Service 🍓

  • Contact: Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Documents:
    • Anderson, B. "Status Report on Proposed Data Reconfiguration Service," RFC 138, NIC 6715, 28-April-71.
    • Feah, "Data Reconfiguration Service at UCSB," RFC 437, NIC 13701, 30-June-74.
  • People:
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
  • Recent developments:

RSEXEC - The Resource Sharing Executive 👑

  • Contact: Robert Thomas (THOMAS@BBN)
  • Documents:
    • Thomas, R. "A Resource Sharing Executive For the ARPANET," AFIPS Conference Proceedings, 42;155-163, NCC, 1973.
  • People:
    • Robert Thomas (THOMAS@BBN)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
    • The TIPs and some RSEXEC servers now are cooperating to perform TIP user authentication and accounting functions. 🔥
  • Recent developments:

Line Processor Protocol 🌈

  • Contact: Don Andrews (ANDREWS@BBNB)
  • Documents:
    • [BBNB] <LP>MCS4.NLS
    • Andrews, D. "Line Processor - A Device for Amplification of Display Terminal Capabilities for Text Manipulation," AFIPS Conference Proceedings, 43:257-265, NCC, 1974.
  • People:
    • Martin Hardy (HARDY@BBNB)
    • Don Andrews (ANDREWS@BBNB)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
  • Recent developments:

PROGRAMS 💜

Neted - Network Standard Editor [Official] 🦋

  • Contact: Michael Padlipsky (Padlipsky@MIT-Mulitics)
  • Documents:
    • Padlipsky, M. "NETED: A Common Editor for the ARPA Network," RFC 569, NIC 18972, 15-Oct-73.
  • People:
    • Michale Padlipsky (Padlipsky@MIT-Multics)
    • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
    • Wayne Hathaway (HATHAWAY@AMES-67)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
  • Recent developments:

UULP - Unified User-Level Protocol ✨

  • Contact: Michael Padlipsky (Padlipsky@MIT-Multics)
  • Documents:
    • Padlipsky, M. "Specification of a Unified User-Level Protocol," RFC 666, NIC 31396, 26-Nov-73.
      • [Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC666.TXT
  • People:
    • Michael Padlipsky (Padlispksy@MIT-Multics)
    • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Schedule:
  • Comments:
    • Also know as Common Command Language (CCL). 💀
  • Recent developments:

National Software Works 🌸

okay so the national Software Works (NSW) is cooking up a set of protocols for its own use on the ARPA Network 🛸 and honestly? other people using these protocols is totally encouraged 💅

The Distributed Programming System (DPS) is giving resource sharing at the subroutine level 🧚 It's also how NLS gets split into a front end and a back end component ✨ And DPS is the basis for how the Works Manager, the Tool Bearing Hosts, and the Front End procedure packages talk to each other 🫶

the docs cited below give you the vibe of DPS and how it gets used 💜

Contact 💌

  • Jim White (JWHITE@BBNB)
  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents 📚

ok important tea ☕ these docs describe the protocol as it was in January-75, and a lot has changed since then without being written down 😭 so treat them as generally descriptive, not specifically definitive 🙈

every doc is online in two forms 🖥️ there's an NLS file and a formatted text file. the Journal number (like 24459) points to the NLS one, and the pathname (like [BBNB] <NLS>PCP.TXT) points to the text one 📄 you can grab the text one over FTP with username=ANONYMOUS and password=GUEST, and no account needed 🎀

you can also get these docs as hardcopy from Jon Postel 📠

  • PCP (24459,) "The Procedure Call Protocol"
    • This doc describes the virtual programming environment PCP gives you, plus the inter-process exchanges that make it happen 🔥
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PCP.TXT
  • PIP (24460,) "The Procedure Interface Package"
    • This one is a package that runs inside the PCP setting and acts as the procedure-call-level interface to PCP proper 🧁 It has procedures for calling, resuming, interrupting, and aborting remote procedures 💖
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PIP.TXT
  • PSP (24461,) "The PCP Support Package"
    • Another package living in the PCP setting, and it levels up PCP proper, mostly for data store manipulation 💅 It has procedures for getting access to groups of remote procedures and data stores, manipulating remote data stores, and making temporary ones 🌈
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PSP.TXT
  • PMP (24462,) "The Process Management Package"
    • This is a package in the PCP setting that gives you the tools to hook two or more processes together into a multi-process system (NSW is the example here) 🔗 It has procedures for creating, deleting, and logically and physically interconnecting processes, plus allocating and releasing processors 👑
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PMP.TXT
  • PCPFMT (24576,) "PCP Data Structure Formats"
    • This doc defines the formats for PCP data structures, and each format fits one or more physical channel types 🦋
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PCPFMT.TXT
  • PCPHST (24577,) "PCP ARPANET Inter-Host IPC Implementation"
    • This defines an implementation of the IPC primitives PCP needs, and it's built for mediating communication between Tenex forks 🌸
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PCPHST.TXT
  • PCPFRK (24578,) "PCP Tenex Inter-Fork IPC Implementation"
    • This one defines an implementation of the IPC primitives PCP needs, built for mediating communication between processes on different hosts within the ARPANET 🛰️
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PCPFRK.TXT
  • PCPTNXINT (24792,) "Tenex PCP Process internal Structure"
    • This doc is the internal structure of a PCP process running on Tenex, so it's basically a process implementer's guide 🛠️ It covers the process' fork structure, the role and makeup of each fork, and how the forks interact with each other 🫧 It also says which components come with PCP and which ones are the process implementer's job, plus how everything gets assembled at load time 🎀
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PCPTNXINT.TXT
  • HOST (24581,) "NSW Host Protocol"
    • This describes the host level protocol used in NSW 🌐 It's a slightly constrained version of the standard ARPANET host to host protocol, and the constraints hit the allocation, RFNM wait, and retransmission policies 🧠
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>HOST.TXT
  • EXEC (24580,) "The Executive Package"
    • A package in the PCP setting with procedures and data stores for user identification, accounting, and usage information 📊
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>EXEC.TXT
  • FILE (24582,) "The File Package"
    • Another PCP-setting package, with procedures and data stores for opening, closing, and listing directories, creating, deleting, and renaming files, and transferring files and file elements between processes 📁✨
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>FILE.TXT
  • FILE-APP (24813,) "The File Package Appendix"
    • This appendix has some comments on implementation strategy 🧩 The main argument is that the file package as specified is pretty much minimal, and the conversion between the PCP format and the internal storage format can be wrapped up in a few subroutines 💅
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>FILE-APP.TXT
  • BATCH (24583,) "The Batch Job Package"
    • This is a package that runs in the PCP setting 🌙 It has procedures for creating and deleting batch jobs, getting the status of a batch job, and communicating with the operator of a batch processing host 🎟️ This package is implemented at the host that offers the batch processing facility 🏠
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>BATCH.TXT
  • LLDBUG (24579,) "The Low-Level Debug Package"
    • This package runs in the PCP setting and lets a remote process debug, at the assembly-language level, any process the local process knows about 🐛 It has procedures for manipulating and searching the process' address space, manipulating and searching its symbol tables, and setting and removing breakpoints in its address space 🔍 Its data stores hold process characteristics and state information, plus the contents of program symbol tables 🍓
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS.LLDBUG.TXT
  • RJE-MODEL (24655,) "The NSW Remote Job Entry Model"
    • This discusses how you use a batch processing facility to finish a programming task in the NSW environment 🧃 The same activity somewhere else might use a remote job entry system instead 🌸
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>RJE-MODEL.TXT
  • TBH (24656,) "NSW Requirements on Tool Rearing Hosts"
    • This doc covers the environment needed in the tool bearing host, plus the interfaces to the operating system components that various PCP packages use 🛎️
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>TBH.TXT
  • NVTP (24827,) "The Network Virtual Terminal Package"
    • The package name is NVTP 🎀 It holds the procedures that connect PCP procedure calls to terminal oriented input and output character streams, as defined by the ARPANET Telnet protocol 📟
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>NVTP.TXT
  • NTP (25008,) "The NSW Tool Package"
    • This describes the procedures and data stores a process needs in order to act as a tool within NSW 🧰
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>NTP.TXT
  • NSWSTRUC (25009,) "NSW Process Structure"
    • This describes the structure of the PCP process tree used in NSW 🌳
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>NSWSTRUC.TXT
  • PCPV2CHANGES (25062,) "PCP Inter-Version (2-3) Documentation"
    • This one describes where the implementation and current thinking have drifted away from the Version 2 documentation 🔄
    • Pathname: [BBNB] <NLS>PCPV2CHANGES.TXT

People 👯

  • Jim White (JWHITE@BBNB)
  • Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)
  • Steve Warshall (WARSHALL@BBNB)
  • Robert Millstein (MILLSTEIN@BBNB)
  • Dick Mandell (MANDELL@ISIB)
  • Elizabeth Michael (MICHAEL@BBNB)
  • Dave Maynard (MAYNARD@BBNB)
  • Charles Irby (IRBY@BBNB)
  • Ken Victor (VICTOR@BBNB)

Schedule 🗓️

A demonstration of the National Software Works is to be performed in summer 1975. 🎉

Comments 💬

  • (31-DEC-74) These are the latest documents:
    • PCPFRK (24578,) "PCP Tenex Inter-Fork IPC Implementation"
    • FILE-APP (24813,) "The File Package Appendix"
    • RJE-MODEL (24655,) "The NSW Remote Job Entry Model"
    • TBH (24656,) "NSW Requirements on Tool Bearing Hosts"
    • NVTP (24827,) "The Network Virtual Terminal Package"
  • (21-JAN-75) These are the latest documents:
    • NTP (25008,) "The NSW Tool Package"
    • NSWSTRUC (25009,) "NSW Process Structure"
    • PCPV2CHANGES (25062,) "PCP Inter-Version (2-3) Documentation"

Recent developments 🔥

  • (15-May-75) Big changes in design and initial scope changed how the Distributed Programming System got implemented compared to these docs 😭 The docs still give you the flavor of the intended system, but they're no longer a reliable guide to the details of the actual implementation 🙈
  • (18-Jun-75) The L10 source code of the Tenex implementation is online as:
    • [BBNB] <NLS>C2DPS.TXT
  • (18-Jun-75) A description of the user interface to DPS in Tenex is online as:
    • [BBNB] <JWHITE>DPSJSYS.TXT
  • (18-Jun-75) A description of the Works Manager procedures is online as:
    • [BBNB] <MILLSTEIN>WM-PROCEDURES.TXT
  • (18-Jun-75) A set of memos describing the interface to the B4700 batch system is online as:
    • [BBNB] <MUNTZ>BMEMO.n
    • where n is in the range 1 thru 12.
  • (18-Jun-75) A description of the file package is online as:
    • [BBNB] <NLS>25850.TXT
  • (18-Jun-75) A description of the 8 bit binary communication format is online as:
    • [BBNB]25966.TXT

ADDRESS ASSIGNMENTS 🎀

Okay bestie, last stop! 🧚 This part is the Internet's old-school address book, split into two lists: links and sockets. Let's go 💅

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Link Assignments:

Decimal         Octal           Use
0               0               Control Messages
1               1               Reserved
2-71            2-107           Regular Messages
72-151          110-227         Reserved
152             230             PARC Universal Protocol
153             231             TIP Status Reporting
154             232             TIP Accounting
155-158         233-236         Internet Protocol
159-191         237-277         Measurements
192-195         300-303         Message Switching Protocol
196-255         304-255         Experimental Protocols

People:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Schedule:

Comments:

Numbers issued by Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB).

Recent developments:

(15-May-75) Link 151 (decimal) assigned for the PARC Universal Protocol. Ooh, that's a glow-up moment 🌱✨

Assigned Sockets 🦋

Contact:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Documents:

Socket Assignments:

General Assignments:

Decimal         Octal     Use
0-63            0-77      Network Wide Standard Function
64-127          100-177   Hosts Specific Functions
128-223         200-337   Reserved for Future Use
224-255         340-377   Any Experimental Function

Specific Assignments:

Decimal        Octal    Use
1               1       Old Telnet
3               3       Old File Transfer
5               5       Remote Job Entry
7               7       Echo
9               11      Discard
11              13      Who is on or SYSTAT
13              15      Date and Time
15              17      Who is up or NETSTAT
17              21      Short Text Message
19              23      Character generator TTYTST
21              25      New File Transfer
23              27      New Telnet
25              31      Distributed Programming System
65              101     Speech Data Base at LL-TX-2
67              103     Datacomputer at CCA
69              105     CPYTNET
71              107     NETRJS (EBCDIC) at UCLA-CCN
73              111     NETRJS (ASCII) at UCLA-CCN
75              113     NETRJS (TTY) at UCLA-CCN
77              115     any private RJE server
232-237       350-355   Authorized Mailer at BBN
239             357     Graphics
241             361     NCP Measurement
243             363     Survey Measurement
245             365     LINK
247             367     TIPSRV
249-255       371-377   RSEXEC

People:

Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

Nancy Neigus (NEIGUS@BBN)

Schedule:

Comments:

Numbers issued by Jon Postel (POSTEL@BBNB)

(31-DEC-74) Socket 25 (31 octal) assigned to Distributed Programming System. Socket 25 being the first one with a name tag, it's giving main character energy 👑🌈

Recent developments:

That's the whole thing, bestie! 🌈💖 Thanks for coming on this protocol journey with me 🫶

📦 where this page comes from