Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!EDN-VAX.ARPA!swanson
From: swanson@EDN-VAX.ARPA (John Swanson)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: TCP-IP Verification Suite
Message-ID: <8802060414.AA03141@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 5 Feb 88 15:16:54 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 19

Phil,

Having helped produce the verification suite for DoD I can't
keep quiet any longer.  I think you are confusing the tools
with their usage.  First I wonder how much detailed thought went 
into the ad-hoc testing you are talking about.  Are the authors
concerned with compliance to the standards or "getting their
Problem fixed".  When we examined the specifications for each
protocols we documented those descrepancies for DCA and
asked for clarification and factored any response into the 
test suite.  Obviously since the verification suite is a
tool I doubt if it can twist anyones arm.  However, if a vendor
is required to pass the verification suite of tests perhaps
there would not be as many "broken" implementations.  Therefore
I would think those people who really want testing would be
trying to support the NVLAP process the Government is trying
to start up, rather than reinvent the testing wheel.

John