RFC 1683 (rfc1683) - Page 1 of 12

Multiprotocol Interoperability In IPng

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Network Working Group                                           R. Clark
Request for Comments: 1683                                      M. Ammar
Category: Informational                                       K. Calvert
                                         Georgia Institute of Technology
                                                             August 1994


                 Multiprotocol Interoperability In IPng

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
   does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
   this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   This document was submitted to the IETF IPng area in response to RFC
   1550.  Publication of this document does not imply acceptance by the
   IPng area of any ideas expressed within.  Comments should be
   submitted to the  mailing list.

1.  Executive Summary

   The two most commonly cited issues motivating the introduction of
   IPng are address depletion and routing table growth in IPv4.  Further
   motivation is the fact that the Internet is witnessing an increasing
   diversity in the protocols and services found in the network.  When
   evaluating alternatives for IPng, we should consider how well each
   alternative addresses the problems arising from this diversity.  In
   this document, we identify several features that affect a protocol's
   ability to operate in a multiprotocol environment and propose the
   incorporation of these features into IPng.

   Our thesis, succinctly stated, is:  The next generation Internet
   Protocol should have features that support its use with a variety of
   protocol architectures.

2.  Introduction

   The Internet is not a single protocol network [4].  While TCP/IP
   remains the primary protocol suite, other protocols (e.g., IPX,
   AppleTalk, OSI) exist either natively or encapsulated as data within
   IP. As new protocols continue to be developed, we are likely to find
   that a significant portion of the traffic in future networks is not
   from single-protocol communications.  It is important to recognize
   that multiprotocol networking is not just a transition issue.  For
   instance, we will continue to see tunneling used to carry IPX traffic



Clark, Ammar & Calvert
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