RFC 1069 (rfc1069) - Page 1 of 10

Guidelines for the use of Internet-IP addresses in the ISO Connectionless-Mode Network Protocol

Network Working Group                                          R. Callon
Request for Comments: 1069                                           DEC
Obsoletes: RFC 986                                            H.W. Braun
                                                                   UMich
                                                           February 1989


         Guidelines for the use of Internet-IP addresses in the
                ISO Connectionless-Mode Network Protocol

Status of This Memo

   This RFC suggests an addressing scheme for use with the ISO
   Connectionless Network Protocol (CLNP) in the Internet.  This is a
   solution to one of the problems inherent in the use of "ISO-grams" in
   the Internet.  This RFC suggests a proposed protocol for the Internet
   community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.
   Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

   This memo is a revision of RFC 986.  Changes were made in order to
   allow the addressing used in the CLNP in the Internet to be
   potentially useful for routing in the context of new inter- and
   intra-domain routing protocols, and in the context of large numbers
   of networks and routing domains.  The addressing scheme proposed in
   this RFC allows individual routing domains to make use of internal
   routing algorithms utilizing a variety of addressing formats, while
   still providing for a common addressing approach for use by inter-
   domain routing.  These features are important due to the rapid growth
   currently being experienced in the Internet.

1.  Objectives

   The data communications protocols currently emerging out of the
   international standardization efforts warrant an early integration
   into the existing extensive Internet network infrastructure.  The two
   possible approaches are a top-down one, where ISO applications like
   FTAM, X.400 and VTP are integrated on top of the transport function
   of the IP protocol suite, or a bottom-up approach where the whole ISO
   tower gets integrated without merging the two suites.  The bottom-up
   approach may make use of the fact that the ISO-CLNP and the IP are
   very similar in function.  This implies that it is reasonable to
   implement a multiprotocol function in some or all of the Internet
   gateways (potentially including part or all of the Internet
   environment).  The result would be that at least large portions of
   the Internet, in particular the backbones, can become usable for full
   implementations of the ISO protocol stack.

   A major problem with this approach is that there are open issues with



Callon & Braun