RFC 928 (rfc928) - Page 1 of 21
Introduction to proposed DoD standard H-FP
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group M. A. Padlipsky
Request for Comments: 928 Mitre Corp.
December 1984
INTRODUCTION TO PROPOSED DOD STANDARD H-FP
Status Of This Memo
This RFC suggests a proposed protocol for the ARPA-Internet
community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Important Prefatory Note
The broad outline of the Host-Front End Protocol introduced here and
described in RFC 929 is the result of the deliberations of a number
of experienced H-FP designers, who sat as a committee of the DoD
Protocol Standards Technical Panel under the author's chairmanship.
The particular protocol to be described is, however, the result of
the deliberations of a small, ad hoc group, who sat as a de facto
subcommittee of the H-FP committee, also under the author's
chairmanship. The protocol, then, follows the consensus of the full
group as to what the new H-FP should "look like," but has not
benefitted from painstaking study by a large number of experienced
H-FP designers and implementers. (It has been looked at before
release as an RFC by several of them, though.) Even if that were not
the case, it would still be the intent of the designers that the
protocol be subjected to multiple test implementations and probable
iteration before being agreed upon as any sort of "standard".
Therefore, the first order of business is to declare that THIS IS A
PROPOSAL, NOT A FINAL STANDARD, and the second order of business is
to request that any readers of these documents who are able to do
test implementations (a) do so and (b) coordinate their efforts with
the author (617-271-2978 or A.).
Historical/Philosophical Context
Late in May of 1971, the author was presenting a status report on
whether the Multics ARPANET implementation would be ready by the
July 1 deadline declared by the sponsor earlier that month. Some
controversy developed over the fact that the Multics "NCP" (Network
Control Program--actually a blanket term covering the Host-Host and
Host-IMP protocol interpreters) did not queue requests for
connections. As the specification explicitly declared the topic to
be one of implementors' choice, the author attempted to avoid the
argument by asking the interrogator what he was up to these days.
The answer was, "Oh, I'm working on the High-Speed Modular IMP now"
(later the Pluribus IMP). And the proverbial coin dropped: The
author replied, "I've got a great idea. Now that we've got some
space to program in the IMP, why don't we separate out most of the
Padlipsky