RFC 3724 (rfc3724) - Page 1 of 14
The Rise of the Middle and the Future of End-to-End: Reflections on the Evolution of the Internet Architecture
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group J. Kempf, Ed.
Request for Comments: 3724 R. Austein, Ed.
Category: Informational IAB
March 2004
The Rise of the Middle and the Future of End-to-End:
Reflections on the Evolution of the Internet Architecture
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 (2004). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
The end-to-end principle is the core architectural guideline of the
Internet. In this document, we briefly examine the development of
the end-to-end principle as it has been applied to the Internet
architecture over the years. We discuss current trends in the
evolution of the Internet architecture in relation to the end-to-end
principle, and try to draw some conclusion about the evolution of the
end-to-end principle, and thus for the Internet architecture which it
supports, in light of these current trends.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. A Brief History of the End-to-End Principle. . . . . . . . . . 2
3. Trends Opposed to the End-to-End Principle . . . . . . . . . . 5
4. Whither the End-to-End Principle?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5. Internet Standards as an Arena for Conflict. . . . . . . . . . 10
6. Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8. Security Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
9. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10. Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
11. Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Kempf & Austein Informational