RFC 2839 (rfc2839) - Page 1 of 20

Internet Kermit Service

Network Working Group                                        F. da Cruz
Request for Comments: 2839                                    J. Altman
Category: Informational                             Columbia University
                                                               May 2000

                        Internet Kermit Service

Status of this Memo

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

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000).  All Rights Reserved.

ABSTRACT

   This document describes a new file transfer service for the Internet
   based on Telnet Protocol for option negotiation and Kermit Protocol
   for file transfer and management.  The Internet Kermit Service
   provides access to both authenticated and anonymous users.  The use
   of Kermit protocol over a Telnet connection provides several
   advantages over FTP, including easy traversal of firewalls, transfers
   over multiple transports, and security via a combination of supported
   Telnet authentication and encryption option negotiations, plus
   significant functional benefits.  While this document describes a new
   service for the Internet, the clients for this service already exist
   on most platforms in the form of Telnet clients that support the
   Kermit file transfer protocol.  These clients are available not only
   from Columbia University's Kermit Project but also numerous third
   parties.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

   1. INTRODUCTION ................................................ 2
   2. BACKGROUND .................................................. 3
   2.1. History ................................................... 3
   2.2. Motivation ................................................ 4
   3. THE INTERNET KERMIT SERVICE MODEL ........................... 7
   3.1. Server-Side Kermit Server ................................. 7
   3.2. Client-Side Kermit Server ................................. 8
   3.3. Loosely Coupled Operation ................................. 9
   4. SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS .....................................10
   4.1. AUTHENTICATION ............................................10
   4.1.1. Telnet Authentication ...................................10
   4.1.2. Telnet over TLS option ..................................11



da Cruz & Altman             Informational