RFC 54 (rfc54) - Page 1 of 9

Official Protocol Proffering

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Network Working Group                               Steve Crocker (UCLA)
Request for Comments # 54                              Jon Postel (UCLA)
June 18, 1970                                     John Newkirk (Harvard)
                                                   Mike Kraley (Harvard)

                    An Official Protocol Proffering

I. INTRODUCTION

   As advertised in NEW/RFC #53, we are submitting the protocol herein
   for criticism, comments, etc.  We intend for this protocol to become
   the initial official protocol, and will, therefore, be happiest if no
   serious objections are raised.  Nevertheless, we will entertain all
   manner of criticism until July 13, 1970, and such criticism should be
   published as a NWG/RFC or directed to the first author.

   After July 13, a decision will be made whether to adopt this protocol
   (or slight variation) or whether to redesign it and resubmit it for
   criticism.

Only the Protocol

   In preceding discussions of protocol, no clear distinction has been
   made between the network-wide specifications and local strategies.
   We state here that the only network-wide issues are message formats
   and restrictions on message content.  Implementation of a Network
   Control Program (NCP) and choice of system calls are strictly local
   issues.

   This document is constrained to cover only network-wide issues and
   thus will not treat system calls or NCP tables; nevertheless, a
   protocol is useless without an NCP and a set of system calls, so we
   have expended a great deal of effort in deriving a protypical NCP.
   This effort is reported in NWG/RFC #55, and the reader should
   correlate the protocol presented here with the suggestions for using
   it presented there.  It is important to remember, however, that the
   content of NWG/RFC #55 is only suggestive and that competitive
   proposals should be examined before choosing an implementation.

Flow Control

   In the course of designing this current protocol, we have come to
   understand that flow control is more complex than we imagined.  We
   now believe that flow control techniques will be one of the active
   areas of concern as the network traffic increases.  We have,
   therefore, benefitted from some ideas stimulated by Richard Kaline
   and Anatol Holt and have modified the flow control procedure.
   (Defects in our scheme are, of course, only our fault).  This new



Crocker, Postel, Newkirk & Kraley
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