RFC 338 (rfc338) - Page 1 of 6

EBCDIC/ASCII Mapping for Network RJE

Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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Network Working Group                                        R.T. Braden
Request for Comments: 338                                       UCLA/CCN
NIC: 9931                                                    17 May 1972

                  EBCDIC/ASCII MAPPING FOR NETWORK RJE


A. INTRODUCTION

   Under NETRJS [1], CCN's Network rje protocol [2], a virtual remote
   batch terminal may be either EBCDIC or ASCII.  CCN operates an IBM
   360/91 which performs all of its normal processing in EBCDIC.  When a
   virtual ASCII terminal signs onto NETRJS, CCN translates the "card
   reader" stream to EBCDIC and translates the "printer" stream back to
   ASCII [3].

   In recent months, a number of ASCII hosts (RAND PDP-10, Utah PDP-10,
   Illinois PDP-11) have completed user processes for NETRJS.  Several
   users at these sites have noted deficiencies in the ASCII/EBCDIC
   mapping rules originally implemented in NETRJS.  Since their
   objections were well founded, we have altered the existing mapping
   and added a new one.

   This RFC has three purposes:

      (1) to make all users of NETRJS aware of the changed ASCII mapping

      (2) to call this problem to the attention of the Network RJE
          Protocol Committee

      (3) to knowledge and support Joel Winett's pioneering work [4] in
          this area.


THE EBCDIC CHIMERA

   A year ago, Joel Winett Published RFC #183, containing the results of
   his careful research into just what EBCDIC really means.  He sounded
   a clarion call for all EBCDIC sites to join in defining a Network
   standards mapping.  At this time, we at CCN were primarily absorbed
   in the timely implementation of the NETRJS protocol to serve an
   EBCDIC (!) user site, RAND, so we were not very supportive of his
   efforts.

   RFC #183 is a valuable document; we hope a copy falls into the hands
   of Armonk.  It is clear from RFC #183 that EBCDIC consists of a
   standard ("basic") set of characters, combined with a number of
   overlapping ad-hoc character happenings.  Fortunately, if we exclude



Braden
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