JOHNSON%northeastern.edu@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA.UUCP (07/11/86)
1) Re: the recent flurry of messages concerning ARPANET info input to
ISO.
I'm glad this is happening. It would be VERY nice to avoid many of
the mistakes that have been seen in ARPALAND. However, we've all been on
committees too and know the problems. The NIH syndrome for example.
Avoiding that while in an international conference is going to be fun. In
our zeal to get the right technical issues resolved let us not forget that
ISO has other problems than just technical ones. Like keeping some peace
in the international technical community for one.
2) Re: comments awhile back on insufficient vertical information flow
from layer to layer.
At The last DEC DECUS gathering I had a chance to talk to some of
the DECNET wizards. We discussed the problems mentioned here a while back
that when solving a congestion problem at one level you might just move it
to another layer. We know that TCP/IP has this problem. DECNET has it too
as does x.25. Come to that, I've even seen it happen in KERMIT
interactions with operating systems. DEC seems to have a good loud voice at
ISO according to DEC. I asked if this problem was being addressed at all
at ISO. The problem was admitted but no known discussions were taking
place at ISO concerning it. The reason I'm mentioning it is because I
fought this one myself on an x.25 style system for some time once.
Resolving it took more vertical information flow about what was happening at
various layers than is permitted by the protocol definition. Everybody
must have seen this at one time or another and knows it's a real pain.
Does anybody know if this is being dealt with at ISO gatherings? If not
then perhaps it should be.
3) Re: netable standards.
WONDERFUL idea. I'd also like to see some IEEE standards on the
net, especially the 802.x ones. The only Ethernet spec I have came from
DEC a few years ago and we know that IEEE changed it's packet format. If
these are out there somewhere then would someone please tell me where. If
not then maybe they should be.
If any of this makes sense, good. If not then just delete it.
US mail:
Chris Johnson
Academic Computer Services
Northeastern University 39RI
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA. U.S.A. 02115
Phone: (617) 437-2335
CSNET: johnson@northeastern.edu
ARPANET: johnson%northeastern.edu@relay.cs.net
[ "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much
as you want."
Mark Twain
A Great Philosopher :-]