Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!ercm20 From: ercm20@castle.ed.ac.uk (Sam Wilson) Newsgroups: uk.misc,eunet.followup,comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Internet routing Europe - USA -} Europe... Summary: The JNT is wokring on it! Keywords: TCP/IP JANET OSI Coloured Books Message-ID: <6200@castle.ed.ac.uk> Date: 7 Sep 90 13:30:55 GMT References: <1990Aug30.091435.1982@ircam.ircam.fr <6190@vanuata.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> Organization: Edinburgh University Computing Service Lines: 35 In the absence of any response from any of my more competent colleagues, here goes! The JNT has set up an Advisory Group (known as the DOD Advisory Group - not exactly accurate but can anyone provide a better generic term for the entirely of the IP-related protocol set?). We have met once and are due to meet again on Sept 24. Our (largely self imposed) remit is to produce a paper recommending how the JNT might provide a fully supported IP service in the UK. Note that that does not say 'over JANET' or even 'over X.25', though in all probablility it would end up that way. The fact that we recommend anything to the JNT, or that they recommend anything to whoever their masters might be by the time it gets that far, of course provides no guarantee that anything will come of it, but the JNT is aware and doing something. On a historical note: someone mentioned the bizarre hardware that used to be (and in many cases still is) attached to JANET - the JNT's stance on Coloured Book software ensured (very) good connectivity then and still does. The fact that TCP/IP may now have overtaken the Coloured Book stuff shouldn't obscure that fact. On a futuristic note: one of the reasons why the JNT is plugging connection oriented OSI network services (CONS) vs connectionless (CLNS, does the tendency of its proponents to call it 'ISO IP' say anything about *their* prejudices?) is that in the UK we already have a very highly developed X.25 network. Why waste what you've got? Europe is still divided (after all, they effectively invented X.25) and I believe the Japanese are now going for CONS. The outlook is still not clear cut. Sam Wilson Network Services, Edinburgh University Computing Service Disclaimer: the usual - not an official pronouncement!