RFC 1622 (rfc1622) - Page 1 of 16

Pip Header Processing

Network Working Group                                         P. Francis
Request for Comments: 1622                                           NTT
Category: Informational                                         May 1994


                         Pip Header Processing

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.

Preamble

   During 1992 and 1993, the Pip internet protocol, developed at
   Bellcore, was one of the candidate replacments for IP.  In mid 1993,
   Pip was merged with another candidate, the Simple Internet Protocol
   (SIP), creating SIPP (SIP Plus).  While the major aspects of Pip--
   particularly its distinction of identifier from address, and its use
   of the source route mechanism to achieve rich routing capabilities--
   were preserved, many of the ideas in Pip were not.  The purpose of
   this RFC and the companion RFC "Pip Near-term Architecture" are to
   record the ideas (good and bad) of Pip.

   The remainder of this document is taken verbatem from the Pip draft
   memo of the same title that existed when the Pip project ended.  As
   such, any text that indicates that Pip is an intended replacement for
   IP should be ignored.

Abstract

   Pip is an internet protocol intended as the replacement for IP
   version 4.  Pip is a general purpose internet protocol, designed to
   handle all forseeable internet protocol requirements.  This
   specification defines the Pip header processing for Routers and
   Hosts.

Acknowledgements

   I want to individually acknowledge Rob Coltun, Steve Deering, Ramesh
   Govindan, Joel Halpern, John Ioannidis, Chris Petrilli, Bob Smart,
   and Zheng Wang.  I want also to acknowledge the many people from the
   Pip working group who have participated in developing Pip.  Finally,
   I want to acknowledge the SIP protocol (or, more accurately, the
   people behind the SIP protocol) for providing certain good ideas.





Francis