RFC 54 - An Official Protocol Proffering

• Status: Unknown
• Published: June 18, 1970
• Stream: Legacy
• Updated by: RFC 57
• Errata: No Errata

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Document Information

• RFC Number: 54
• Title: An Official Protocol Proffering
• Authors: Steve Crocker (UCLA), Jon Postel (UCLA), John Newkirk (Harvard), Mike Kraley (Harvard)
• Date: June 1970
• Category: Unknown
• Updated by: RFC 57

Abstract

RFC 54 proposes the first official protocol for the ARPA Network. It defines a connection as a simplex communication path between two processes, specifies the message formats used to establish, regulate and terminate connections, and lists the control commands (NOP, RTS, STR, CLS, ALL, INR, INS, ECO, ERP and ERR) exchanged over the control link. Only network-wide issues (message formats and restrictions on message content) are covered; the implementation of a Network Control Program (NCP) and the choice of system calls are left to each host. The memo also revises the flow control procedure, reviews error detection, start-up and shut-down, query and response, and describes how hosts should come onto the network.

Table of Contents

• I. Introduction
  • Only the Protocol
  • Flow Control
• II. The Protocol
  • Network Control Commands
  • Control Command Formats
    • No Operation
    • Request Connection, Receiver to Sender
    • Request Connection, Sender to Receiver
    • Close
    • Allocate
    • Interrupt Sent by Receiving Process
    • Interrupt Sent by Sending Process
    • Echo Request
    • Echo Reply
    • Error Detected
• III. Conclusion
  • Extensions to the Protocol
  • Coming onto the Network
  • Private Networking
• Acknowledgments

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Related Resources

• Official RFC: RFC 54
• DataTracker: RFC 54 Info
• Errata: RFC Editor Errata