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From: mo@SEISMO.CSS.GOV (Mike O'Dell)
Newsgroups: mod.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: IEEE-ISO Brain Death
Message-ID: <8606281229.AA25219@seismo.CSS.GOV>
Date: Sat, 28-Jun-86 08:29:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: seismo.8606281229.AA25219
Posted: Sat Jun 28 08:29:46 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jun-86 22:58:36 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
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Approved: tcp-ip@sri-nic.arpa

It is clear the dreaded ISOOSI virus rotted the brain tissue
of the IEEE committee, but why not solve the problem simply...

(1) ARP is basically part of the mechanism for encapsulating
IP datagrams on a local network.

(2) There is a LSAP (or whatever) assigned for the DOD-IP suite.

So.....

Just change the "official" IP encapsulation to start with a 16-bit
TYPE field, followed by whatever is defined by that field.  With that,
you can get ARP, you can get IP, you can get experimental protocols,
you can get on with your life in spite of the crufty IEEE spec.

Problems?? It breaks things.  Well, so does their change.  And it is
early in the upheaval cycle.

The other alternative is to get an LSAP defined for an EXTENSIBLE
structure, with a field, and an Official Assigner.  That has far
more geopolitical problems than getting IP implementers to use
the "sanctioned" IP encapsulation, but is desirable for more
global reasons.  Anyway, this approach would solve our problem, and
move its administration back into a universe with lower entropy
and more reality.

	-Mike O'Dell

(I guess this is really a "secret" OLD ETHERNET type disguised
as DOD-IP.  So be it.  Someone has to be clever around here.
It sure ain't the people designing standards.)