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From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>)
Newsgroups: net.lan
Subject: Re: OSI international standard layers
Message-ID: <10566@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 9-May-85 23:23:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.10566
Posted: Thu May  9 23:23:31 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 12-May-85 00:08:15 EDT
References: <1187@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 60

> I've heard a lot lately about the OSI international standards, and even
> some rumors that the DOD may drop TCP/IP in favor of the OSI protocols,
> when layer 4 (network) is approved as an international standard. 
> 
Rumors yes, truth no.

This is a reproduction of a memo written by Donald Latham of the 
office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense on the subject of
DoD's evaluation of the TP-4 protocols.

                    ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
                       Washington, D.C. 20301-3040


MEMORANDUM FOR DIRECTOR, DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY

SUBJECT:  National Research Council Report on Transport Protocols
          for DoD Data Networks

     [RFC 942 is] ... the final report on "Transport Protocols for 
Department of Defense Data Networks" from the National Research Council
(Board on Telecommunications and Computer Applications, Commission on 
Engineering and Technical Systems).  The report recommends that DoD 
immediately adopt the International Standards Organization Transport 
Protocol (TP-4) and Internetwork Protocol (IP) as a DoD co-standard to 
the current DoD standard Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and IP and
move ultimately toward exclusive use of TP-4.

     Whenever international standards are available and can be used to 
support military requirements, they will be implemented as rapidly as 
possible to obtain maximum economic and interoperability benefits.  
However, TP as a proven commercial offering is not available at this 
time.  The progress of TP will be monitored carefully and once 
commercially available, TP will be tested and evaluated for use in 
military applications.

     In order to insure that DoD is in a posture to evaluate TP once it
is in wider use in the commercial sector, request you initiate the 
following actions:

     (1)  develop the DoD military requirement specification for TP to
          insure that industry is aware of DoD needs as TP is 
          commercially implemented.

     (2)  insure that appropriate advisory representation is provided to
          commercial standards working groups that are currently refining
          TP under the auspices of the National Bureau of Standards.

     (3)  insure that the DCA protocol test facility can accommodate TP
          testing as required when commercial implementations are available.

     (4)  develop a transition strategy for Option 2 of the report to 
          include estimated resource requirements.

     (5)  evaluate the detailed recommendations presented in the Report
          (pages 61-64) as they apply to Option 2.

                                           Donald C. Latham

cc:  NBS, Mr. Bob Blanc