RFC 1986 (rfc1986) - Page 1 of 21

Experiments with a Simple File Transfer Protocol for Radio Links using Enhanced Trivial File Transfer Protocol (ETFTP)

Network Working Group                                         W. Polites
Request for Comments: 1986                                    W. Wollman
Category: Experimental                                            D. Woo
                                                   The MITRE Corporation
                                                               R. Langan
                                                         U.S. ARMY CECOM
                                                             August 1996


    Experiments with a Simple File Transfer Protocol for Radio Links
         using Enhanced Trivial File Transfer Protocol (ETFTP)


Status of this Memo

   This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet
   community.  This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any
   kind.  Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested.
   Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

1. INTRODUCTION SECTION

   This document is a description of the Enhanced Trivial File Transfer
   Protocol (ETFTP). This protocol is an experimental implementation of
   the NETwork BLock Transfer Protocol (NETBLT), RFC 998 [1], as a file
   transfer application program. It uses the User Datagram Protocol
   (UDP), RFC 768 [2], as its transport layer. The two protocols are
   layered to create the ETFTP client server application. The ETFTP
   program is named after Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP), RFC
   1350 [3], because the source code from TFTP is used as the building
   blocks for the ETFTP program. This implementation also builds on but
   differs from the work done by the National Imagery Transmission
   Format Standard [4].

   This document is published for discussion and comment on improving
   the throughput performance of data transfer utilities over Internet
   Protocol (IP) compliant, half duplex, radio networks.

   There are many file transfer programs available for computer
   networks.  Many of these programs are designed for operations through
   high-speed, low bit error rate (BER) cabled networks. In tactical
   radio networks, traditional file transfer protocols, such as File
   Transfer Protocol (FTP) and TFTP, do not always perform well. This is
   primarily because tactical half duplex radio networks typically
   provide slow-speed, long delay, and high BER communication links.
   ETFTP is designed to allow a user to control transmission parameters
   to optimize file transfer rates through half-duplex radio links.




Polites, Wollman & Woo        Experimental