Network Working Group                                   Steve Crocker
Request for Comments: 1                                          UCLA
                                                         7 April 1969


                         Title:   Host Software
                        Author:   Steve Crocker
                          Installation:   UCLA
                          Date:   7 April 1969
             Network Working Group Request for Comment:   1


CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

  I. A Summary of the IMP Software

     Messages

     Links

     IMP Transmission and Error Checking

     Open Questions on the IMP Software

 II. Some Requirements Upon the Host-to-Host Software

     Simple Use

     Deep Use

     Error Checking

III. The Host Software

     Establishment of a Connection

     High Volume Transmission

     A Summary of Primitives

     Error Checking

     Closer Interaction

     Open Questions





 
RFC 1                        Host Software                 7 April 1969


 IV. Initial Experiments

     Experiment One

     Experiment Two

Introduction

   The software for the ARPA Network exists partly in the IMPs and
   partly in the respective HOSTs.  BB&N has specified the software of
   the IMPs and it is the responsibility of the HOST groups to agree on
   HOST software.

   During the summer of 1968, representatives from the initial four
   sites met several times to discuss the HOST software and initial
   experiments on the network.  There emerged from these meetings a
   working group of three, Steve Carr from Utah, Jeff Rulifson from SRI,
   and Steve Crocker of UCLA, who met during the fall and winter.  The
   most recent meeting was in the last week of March in Utah.  Also
   present was Bill Duvall of SRI who has recently started working with
   Jeff Rulifson.

   Somewhat independently, Gerard DeLoche of UCLA has been working on
   the HOST-IMP interface.

   I present here some of the tentative agreements reached and some of
   the open questions encountered.  Very little of what is here is firm
   and reactions are expected.

I.   A Summary of the IMP Software

Messages

   Information is transmitted from HOST to HOST in bundles called
   messages.  A message is any stream of not more than 8080 bits,
   together with its header.  The header is 16 bits and contains the
   following information: