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From: bob@MorningStar.Com (Bob Sutterfield)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Argh!  What is SLIP and PPP ???
Message-ID: <BOB.91May15163559@volitans.MorningStar.Com>
Date: 15 May 91 20:36:11 GMT
References: <8475@uceng.UC.EDU>
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Reply-To: bob@MorningStar.Com (Bob Sutterfield)
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In-Reply-To: dsims@uceng.UC.EDU's message of 15 May 91 17:42:46 GMT

In article <8475@uceng.UC.EDU> dsims@uceng.UC.EDU (david l sims) writes:
   ...explain a bit more about what they are and what they do?

SLIP allows two machines to exchange IP datagrams over serial lines,
hence its name "Serial Line Internet Protocol."  It can be considered
a "first cut" at providing the basic capability, and even calls itself
a non-standard.  With the experience gained from a few years of use,
PPP addresses many of the weaknesses of SLIP and is the current
IETF-blessed Internet standard in its domain of application.

   Also, if [SLIP and PPP] are some sort of standard, where can I get
   the document that explains the standard?

SLIP is documented in RFC 1055, and PPP is documented in RFCs 1171 and
1172.  Many SLIP and PPP implementations also incorporate TCP header
compression, as described in RFC 1144.  Get them all from
nic.ddn.mil's rfc: area, or from any number of other repositories
nearer you.

   From what I've been able to glean, I think I will be very
   interested in SLIP.

If you haven't started using either of them yet, and you don't need to
talk to something that can *only* talk SLIP; then don't bother with
SLIP.  Start directly instead with PPP.  Read the DEFICIENCIES section
of RFC 1055 and the Introduction of RFC 1171 for a discussion of why.