RFC 80 (rfc80) - Page 1 of 9

Protocols and Data Formats

Network Working Group                                         E. Harslem
Request for Comments: 80                                      J. Heafner
NIC: 5608                                                           RAND
                                                         1 December 1970


                       PROTOCOLS AND DATA FORMATS

   Because of recent discussions of protocols and data formats we issue
   this note to highlight our current attitudes and investigations in
   those regards.  We first discuss some specific sequences, and then
   offer some thoughts on two general implementation approaches that
   will handle these and other specifics.  We wish to place emphasis on
   the _general solutions_ and not on the specifics.

INITIAL CONNECTION PROTOCOLS

   We wish to make two points concerning specific Initial Connection
   Protocols (IPCs).  Firstly, the IPC described in NEW/RFC #66--its
   generality and a restatement of that ICP.  Secondly, a proposal for a
   variant ICP using basically the same logic as NWG/RFC #66.

I. NWG/RFC #66

   The only technical error in this IPC is that as diagrammed both the
   Server and User send ALL messages before the connections are
   established which is inconsistent with Network Document No. 1.  This
   can easily be remedied as will be shown in the restatement below.

   In terms of generality, any ICP that is adopted as a standard should
   apply to more situations than a process calling a logger.  That is,
   some Network service processes that hook directly to a user process,
   independent of logger action, could perhaps use a standard ICP.
   Thus, as is shown below, the process name field of the server socket
   should be a parameter with a value of zero being a special case for
   loggers.

   Restatement of NWG/RFC #66 (using the same wording where appropriate)

      1. To initiate contact, the using process attaches a receive
         socket (US) and requests connection to process SERV socket #1
         in the serving HOST.  (SERV = 0 for ICP to the logger.)  As a
         result the using NCP sends:








Harslem, et. al.