Updated by:
Network Working Group J. Postel
Request for Comments: 661 SRI-ARC
NIC: 31203 November 1974
Protocol Information
This file contains information on the various protocols in the ARPA
Network. An effort will be made to keep the information current, but
this depends on the cooperation of the users of this file to convey
any information about protocol developments, or corrections to this
information to Jon Postel at SRI-ARC.
This is a compendium of all the protocol related activity and most of
this activity is with experimental protocols, for those protocols,
which are official standards the designation "[Official]" will be
appended to the name.
Much of the documentation of protocols appears as Requests for
Comments (RFCs) and many of these are available online. When a
document is accessible online, a pointer to that source will be
given. Also note that recent RFCs are online at Office-1 in
directory <NETINFO> with names of the form RFCnnn.TXT where nnn is
replaced by the RFC number.
This file is online as:
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <POSTEL> PROTOCOL-INFORMATION.TXT
and also [SRI-ARC] <POSTEL> PROTOCOL-INFORMATION.NLS
IMP-IMP
surface
Contact:
McKenzie, Alex. (MCKENZIE@BBN)
Documents:
Heart, F. et. Al. "The Interface Message Processor for the
ARPA Computer Network," AFIPS Conference Proceedings,
36:551-567, SJCC 1970.
People:
John McQuillan (MCQUILLAN@BBN)
Postel [Page 1]
RFC 661 November 1974
Schedule:
Recent developments:
satellite
Contact:
Randy Rettberg (RETTEBERG@BBN)
Documents:
People:
Kahn, Robert. (Kahn@ISI)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
IMP-HOST
IMP-Host [Official]
Contact:
McKenzie, A. (McKenzie@BBN)
Documents:
"Specification for the Interconnection of a Host and an
IMP," BBN Report 1822, Revised March 1974.
McQuillan, J. "Host Alive/Dead Logic," BBN Memorandum to
Technical Liaisons, 18-July-74.
Burchfiel, J. "Ready Line Philosophy and Implementation,"
NIC 30872, RFC 642, 5-July-74.
Walden, D. "Some Changes to the IMP and the IMP/HOST
Interface," RFC 660, 23-Oct-74.
[Office-1 <NETINFO> RFC660.TXT
People:
McKenzie (MCKENZIE@BBN)
Postel [Page 2]
RFC 661 November 1974
Walden (WALDEN@BBN)
Postel (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Burchfiel (BURCHFIEL@BBN)
McQuillan (MCQUILLAN@BBN)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
The "link number" filed has been extended from 8 to 12 bits
and renamed the "message identification" field. Message
type 6 now is used to indicate a reason for a type 7
(destination dead) message. (See BBN1822).
There has been some recent changes to the Ready line
interpretation by the IMP for deciding the alive/dead status
of a host.
Important changes to the IMP and IMP/HOST interface
announced in RFC 660 23-Oct-74.
HOST-HOST
ncp - standard host-to-host [Official]
Contact:
Postel, Jon. (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
McKenzie, A. "Host/Host Protocol for the ARPA Network," NIC
8246. Jan 1972.
Postel, J. "Assigned Link Numbers," RFC604, NIC21186, 26-
Dec-73.
People:
Postel, Jon. (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
McKenzie, Alex. (MCKENZIE@BBN)
Schedule:
Postel [Page 3]
RFC 661 November 1974
Recent developments:
ncp - standard host-to-host [Experimental]
Contact:
Postel, Jon. (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
McKenzie, A. "Host/Host Protocol for the ARPA Network," NICE
3246. Jan 1972.
Postel, J. "Assigned Link Numbers," RFC604, NIC22186, 26-
Dec-73.
Burchfiel, et. Al. "Tip-Tenex Reliability Improvements" RFC
636 NIC 30490 June 1974.
People:
Postel, Jon. (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
McKenzie, Alex. (MCKENZIE@BBN)
Burchfiel, Jerry (BURCHFIEL@BBN)
Walden, Dave (WALDEN@BBN)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
The BBN TIP and TENEX groups have specified and are
implementing additional protocol commands with the intention
of providing better reliability and survivability over
system malfunctions. The additional protocol commands are
for cleaning up partly closed connections and
resynchronizing the allocation values on open connections.
(See RFC 636).
tcp - Transmission Control Protocol
Contact:
Cerf, Vint. (CERF@ISI)
Postel [Page 4]
RFC 661 November 1974
Documents:
Cert, V. and R. Kahn. "A Protocol for Packet Network
Intercommunication," IEEE Transactions on Communication Vol
COM-22 No 5, May 1974.
[parc-maxc] <cerf> TCPSPEC3.NLS
Mader, E. "A Protocol Experiment," RFC 700, NIC 31020.
[ISI] <CERF> TCP-CHANGES.
People:
Cerf at SU-DSL
Tomlinson at BBN
Kirstein at London
Postel at SRI-ARC
Schedule:
Some experiments now running. Implementation of full protocol
to begin by 15-Oct-74.
Recent developments:
Specification completed August 4th, but some work still in
progress on handling of single message conversations. A new
sequencing scheme (proposed by Tomlinson) may be utilized. The
addressing field is now used as 4-bit format, 4-bit network, 16
bit TCP, and 24 bit process&port. Crocker has suggested a 64-
bit path address to be parsed and reformatted by the gateways
along the route. There is reluctance to experiment with too
many things at one though.
(28-Oct-74) A file indicating some of the changes in the
specifications since the 4-Aug-74 document is now available as
[ISI] <CERF> TCP-CHANGES. The areas of change are "Initial
Sequence Number", "Socket definition", "Additional user System
Calls", "Packet format", and "Discussion of opening and closing
(SYN,REL)".
(23-NOV-74) Specifications for test implementation are now said
to be ready on 1-DEC-74, and an implementation completed by 1-
FEB-74.
Postel [Page 5]
RFC 661 November 1974
nvp - Network Voice Protocol
Contact:
Cohen, Danny. (COHEN@ISI)
Documents:
The current specification is in an online file at isi in the
directory voice as nvp.lst.
Pathname = [isi] <voice> nvp.lst
People:
Recent developments:
New specification document available (10-Oct-74).
"Specifications for the Network Voice Protocol (NVP)" NSC
Note 43
packet radio
Contact:
Kahn, Robert. (KAHN@ISI)
Documents:
People:
Schedule:
Recent developments:
Network Debugging Protocol
Contact:
Eric Mader (Mader@BBN)
Documents:
Mader, E. "Network Debugging Protocol," NIC 30873, RFC 643,
July-74.
People:
Postel [Page 6]
RFC 661 November 1974
Schedule:
Recent Developments:
This is a protocol for a PDP-11 cross-network debugger.
HOST-FRONTEND
Host-Front End
Contact:
Michael Padlipsky (MAP@CASE-10)
Documents:
Padlipsky, M. "A Proposed Protocol for Connecting Host
Computers to ARPA-Like Networks via Front-End Processors,"
RFC 647, NIC 31117, 12-Nov-74.
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC647.TXT
People:
Padlipsky at MITRE Washington (MAP@CASE-10)
Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
McConnell at Illiac (JOHN@I4-TENEX)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
This is a suggested simple protocol for connecting to host
to front end computers, which are in turn connected to the
network.
PROCESS-PROCESS
ICP - Initial Connection Protocol [Official]
Contact:
Postel, Jon. [POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Postel [Page 7]
RFC 661 November 1974
Documents:
Postel, J. "Official Initial Connection Protocol," NIC 7101
11-June-71.
Wolfe, S. [no title] RFC 202 NIC 7155 26-July-71.
Postel, J. "Official Telnet-Logger Initial Connection
Protocol," NIC 7103 15-June-71.
People:
Postel at Sri-arc
Schedule:
Recent developments:
Telnet
Old Telnet
Contact:
Postel, Jon. (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
Postel, J. "Telnet Protocol," RFC 318 3-April-72.
People:
Schedule:
Recent developments:
New Telnet [Official]
Contact:
Postel at SRI-ARC
Documents:
NIC 18639 "TELNET Protocol Specifications" AUG 73
NIC 1864C "Telnet Option Specification" Aug 73
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RFC 661 November 1974
Telnet Options
NIC 15389 "Binary Transmission"
NIC 15390 "Echo"
NIC 15391 "Reconnection"
NIC 15392 "Suppress Go Ahead Option"
NIC 15393 "Approximate Message Size Negotiation"
NIC 31154 "Status" RFC 65125-Oct-74.
[Office] <NETINFO>RFC651.TXT
NIC 16236 "Timing Mark"
NIC 19859 "Remote Controlled Transmission and
Echoing" 1-Nov-73.
NIC 20196 "Output Line Width" 13-Nov-73.
NIC 20197 "Output Page Size" 13-Nov-73.
NIC 31155 "Output Carriage Return Disposition" RFC
652 25-Oct-74.
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC652.TXT
NIC 31157 "Output Horizontal Tab Disposition" RFC
654 25-Oct-74.
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC653.TXT
NIC 31156 "Output Horizontal Tab Stops" RFC 653
25-Oct-74.
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC653.TXT
NIC31157 "Output Form Feed Disposition" RFC 655
25-Oct-74.
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC655.TXT
NIC 31159 "Output Vertical Tab Stops" RFC 656 25-
Oct-74.
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RFC 661 November 1974
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC656.TXT
NIC 31160 "Output Vertical Tab Disposition" RFC 657
25-Oct-74
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC657.TXT
NIC 31161 "Output Line Feed Disposition" RFC 658
25-Oct-74.
[Office-1] <NETINFO>RFC658.TXT
NIC 16239 "Extended Options List"
People:
Jon Postel at Sri-Arc (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Alex McKenzie at BBN (MCKENZIE@BBN)
Doug Dodds at BBN (DODDS@BBN)
Dave Crocker at UCLA-NMC (DCROCKER@ISI)
Kurt Barthelmess at UCSD (BOWLES@ISI)
Schedule:
All Hosts were to have been running the new Telnet (both
user and server) by 1 January 1974.
Recent developments:
A significant number of server systems now have new
telnet implementations. (See RFC 702).
Note: the server program is to be available on socket
23 decimal (27 octal).
The Status Option has been revised to take advantage of
the subcommand feature and to reduce the amount of data
transmitted to report the option status.
Seven new options have been defined to allow control of
the format effectors Carriage Return, Line Feed, Form
Feed, Horizontal Tab, and Vertical Tab.
Postel [Page 10]
RFC 661 November 1974
FTP
Old File Transfer
Contact:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
McKenzie, A. "File Transfer Protocol," NIC 14333, RFC 454,
16-Feb-73.
People:
Schedule:
Recent developments:
New File Transfer
Contact:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
Neigus, N. "File Transfer Protocol," NIC 17759 RFC 542 12-
July-73.
Postel, J. "Revised FTP Reply codes," NIC 30843 RFC 640 5-
June-74.
People:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Nancy Neigus at BBN (NEIGUS@BBN)
Ken Pogran at MIT-Multics (Pogran.CompNet@MIT-Multics)
Wayne Hathaway at NASA AMES (Hathaway@AMES-67)
Mark Krilanovich at UCSB (Krilanovich@UCSB-MOD75)
Kurt Barthelmess at UCSD (BOWLES@ISI)
Schedule:
Postel [Page 11]
RFC 661 November 1974
Recent developments:
Pathnames
Contact:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
Crocker, D. "Network Standard Data Specification Syntax,"
RFC 645, NIC 30899, Jul-74.
People:
Dave Crocker at UCLA-NMC (DCROCKER@ISI)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
File Access Protocol
Contact:
John Day (Day. CAC@MIT-Multics)
Documents:
Day, J. "Memo to FTP Group: File Access Protocol," RFC 520,
NIC 16819, 25-Jun-73
People:
Ken Pogran (Pogran.CompNet@MIT-Multics)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
Mail
Current Mail
Contact:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Postel [Page 12]
RFC 661 November 1974
Documents:
page 26 of RFC 454 (see old file transfer).
Bhushan, A. "Standardizing Network Mail Headers," NIC 18516,
RFC 561, 5-Sep-73
Sussman, J. "FTP Error Code Usage for More Reliable Mail
Service," RFC 630, NIC 30874, RFC 644, 22-July-74.
People:
Julie Sussman at bbn (SUSSMAN@BBN)
Bob Thomas at bbn (BTHOMAS@BBN)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
Concern over the authentication of the author of network
messages has led to the concept of an authorized mail
sending process (see RFC 644).
Proposed Mail
Contact:
Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
White, J. "A Proposed Mail Protocol," NIC 17140, RFC 524,
13-Jun-73.
Crocker, D. "Thoughts on the Mail Protocol Proposed in RFC
524," NIC 17644, RFC 539, 7-July-73.
White, J. "Response to Critiques of the Proposed Mail
Protocol," NIC 17993, RFC 555, 27-July-73.
People:
Jim White at SRI-ARC (WHITE@SRI-ARC)
Postel at Sri-ARC (POSTEL@SIR-ARC)
Schedule:
Postel [Page 13]
RFC 661 November 1974
Recent developments:
RJE - Remote Job Entry
Contact:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
Bressler, B. "Remote Job Entry Protocol," RFC 407, NIC
12112, 16-Oct-72
Krilanovich, M. "Announcement of RJS at UCSB," RFC 436, NIC
13700, 10-Jan-73.
People:
Schedule:
Recent developments:
RJS - CCNs Remote Job Service
Contact:
Robert Braden at UCLA-CCN (BRADEN@UCLA-CCN)
Documents:
Braden, R. "Interim NETRJS Specification," RFC 18@ nic
July-71.
Braden, R. "Update on NETRJS," RFC 599, NIC 20854, 13-Dec-
73.
People:
Robert Braden (BRADEN@UCLA-CCN)
Steve Wolfe (WOLFE@UCLAL-CCN)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
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RFC 661 November 1974
Graphics
Contact:
Robert Sproull (SPROULL@PARC-MAXC)
Documents:
Sproull, R, and E. Thomas. "A Networks Graphics Protocol,"
NIC 24308, 16-Aug-74.
People:
Robert Sproull (SPROULL@PARC-MAXC)
Elaine Thomas (Thomas@MIT-Multics)
James Michener at MIT-DMS (JCM@MIT-DMS)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
New document available from Robert Sproull.
Data Reconfiguration Service
Contact:
Jon Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
Anderson, B. "Status Report on Proposed Data Reconfiguration
Service," NIC 6715, RFC 138, 28-April-71.
Feah, "Data Reconfiguration Service at UCSB," RFC 437, NIC
13701, 30-June-74.
People:
Schedule:
Recent developments:
Postel [Page 15]
RFC 661 November 1974
RSEXEC
Contact:
Thomas, Bob. (BTHOMAS@BBN)
Documents:
People:
Schedule:
Recent developments:
Line Processor Protocol
Contact:
Don Andrews at SRI-ARC (ANDREWS@SRI-ARC)
Documents:
[SRI-ARC] <hardy>1pprot.nls
[SRI-ARC] <hardy>prot.txt
People:
Martin Hardy at SRI-ARC (HARDY@SRI-ARC)
Don Andrews at Sri-ARC (ANDREWS@SRI-ARC)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
PROGRAMS
Neted - Network Standard Editor [Official]
Contact:
Michael Padlipsky (MAP@CASE-10)
Documents:
Padlipsky, M. "NETED: A Common Editor for the ARPA Network,"
RFC 569, NIC 18972, 15-Oct-73.
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People:
Padlipsky at MITRE (MAP@CASE-10)
Postel at SRI-ARC (POSTEL@SRI-ARC0
Hathaway at AMES (HATHAWAY@AMES-67)
Schedule:
Recent developments:
NATIONAL SOFTWARE WORKS
The National Software Works is developing a set of protocols for its
use of the ARPA Network, other uses of these protocols is encouraged.
The procedure call protocol is intended to facilitate the sharing of
resources in the network at the subroutine level. The procedure call
protocol will be used to split nls into a front end and back end
components. Procedure call protocol is also to be used in the nsw as
the basis for communication between the works manager, the tool
bearing hosts, and front desk procedure packages.
The documents cited below give a view of the Procedure Call Protocol
and its use.
Contact:
Jim White (WHITE@SRI-ARC)
Jon Postel (POSTEL@SIR-ARC)
Documents:
These documents are the second published version of the
Procedure Call Protocol and NSW protocol - PCP/NSW Version 2.
Version 2 is SUBSTANTIALLY different than Version 1; it and all
intermediate, informally distributed PCP/NSW documents are
obsoleted by this release.
The first document, PCP, is the place the interested ready
should start. It gives the required motivation for the use
Protocol and states the substance of the Protocol proper. The
ready may then, if he chooses, read the next three documents:
PIP, PSP, and PMP. The latter has the most to offer the casual
reader; the programmer faced with coding in the PCP environment
should ready all three. The next three documents - PCPFMT,
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RFC 661 November 1974
PCPHST, and PCPFRK - are of interest only to the PCP
implementer. The next document - HOST - is a preliminary
thought about how the NSW might use the standard HOST-HOST
protocol NCP. The last four documents - EXEC, FILE, BATCH, and
LLDBUG - describe procedure packages needed to carry out NSW
functions, but such packages may well be useful in other
contexts.
Version 2 consists of the following documents. Each is
available online in two forms: as an NLS file and as a
formatted text file. The journal number (e.g., 24459) refers
to the former, of course and the pathname (e.g., [SRI-ARI]
<NLS> PCP.TXT) to the latter, accessible via FTP using
USER=ANONYMOUS and PASSWORD=GUEST (no account required).
Hardcopy is being forwarded by US Mail to all those who have
expressed an interest in PCP. If you don't receive a copy and
would like one of this and/or future releases, send a note to
that effect to WHITE@SRI-ARC:
PCP (24459,) "The Procedure Call Protocol"
This document describes the virtual programming
environment provided by PCP, and the inter-process
exchanges that implement it.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>PCP.TXT
PIP (24460,) "The Procedure Interface Package"
This document describes a packages that runs in the
setting provided by PCP and that serves as a procedure-
call-level interface to PCP proper. It includes
procedures for calling, resuming, interrupting, and
aborting remote procedures.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>PIP.TXT
PSP (24461,) "The PCP Support Packages"
This document describes a package that runs in the
setting provided by PCP and that augments PCP proper,
largely in the area of data store manipulation. It
includes procedures for obtaining access to groups of
remote procedures and data stores, manipulating remote
data stores, and creating temporary ones.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>PSP.TXT
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RFC 661 November 1974
PMP (24462,) "The Process Management Package"
This document describes a package that runs in the
setting provided by PCP and that provides the necessary
tools for interconnecting two or more processes to form a
multi-process system (e.g., NSW). It includes procedures
for creating, deleting, logically and physically
interconnecting processes, and for allocating and
releasing processors.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>PMP.TXT
PCPFMT (24576,) "PCP Data Structure Formats"
This document defines formats for PCP data structures,
each of which is appropriate for one or more physical
channel types.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>POPFMT.TXT
PCPHST (24577,) "PCP ARPANET Inter-Host IPC Implementation"
This document defines an implementation, appropriate for
mediating communication between Tenex folks, of the IPC
primitives required by PCP.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS.PCPHST.TXT
PCPFRK (24578,) "PCP Tenex Inter-Fork IPC Implementation"
This document defines an implementation, appropriate for
mediating communication between processes on different
hosts within the ARPANET, of the IPC primitives required
by PCP.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS.PCPFRK.TXT
HOST (24581,) "NSW Host Protocol"
This document describes the host level protocol used in
the NSW. The protocol is a slightly constrained version
of the standard ARPANET host to host protocol. The
constraints affect the allocation, RFNM wait, and
retransmission policies.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>HOST.TXT
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RFC 661 November 1974
EXEC (24580,) "The Executive Package"
This document describes a package that runs in the
setting provided by PCP. It includes procedures and data
stores for user identification, accounting, and usage
information.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS> EXEC.TXT
FILE (24582,) "The File Package"
This document describes a package that runs in the
setting provided by PCP. It includes procedures and data
stores for opening, closing, and listing directories, for
creating, deleting, and renaming files, and for
transferring files and file elements between processes.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>FILE.TXT
BATCH (24583,) "The Batch Job Package"
This document describes a package that runs in the
setting provided by PCP. It includes procedures for
creating and deleting batch jobs, obtaining the status of
a batch job, and communicating with the operator of a
batch processing host. This package is implemented at
the host that provides the batch processing facility.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>BATCH.TXT
LLDBUG (24579,) "The Low-Level Debug Package"
This document describes a package that runs in the
setting provided by PCP. It includes procedures for a
remote process to debug at the assembly-language level,
any process known to the local process. The package
contains procedures for manipulating and searching the
process' address space, for manipulating and searching
its symbol tables, and for setting and removing
breakpoints from its address space. Its data stores hold
process characteristics and state information, and the
contents of program symbol tables.
Pathname: [SRI-ARC] <NLS>LLDBUG.TXT
People:
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RFC 661 November 1974
Schedule:
A demonstration of the National Software Works concept is to
be performed in July 1975.
Recent developments:
The set of documents cited above is available.
Postel [Page 21]