[bit.listserv.ibmtcp-l] gateway protocols in IBM TCP

jas@PROTEON.COM (John A. Shriver) (01/09/90)

It is generally agreed by the Internet architects that hosts should
not participate in routing protocols.  (See RFC 1122 and RFC 1123).
This is the repsonsibility of routers.  While the IBM TCP software
does offer some dual-homing capabilities, it is probably not supported
as a router, and certainly does not meet RFC 1009.  (Would you want to
use your expensive S/370 cycles to route?)  Thus, it has no need to
participate in interior or exterior gateway protocols (RIP, EGP, BGP,
HELLO, ...).

Hosts presently are supposed to find routers by being configured with
a default router, and by listening to ICMP redirects.  This is how the
IBM TCP works.  The Internet research community is currently working
on improved methods for hosts finding a router, since the default
router paradigm has its limitations.