Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!UDEL.EDU!Mills
From: Mills@UDEL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re:  Exchanging serial numbers
Message-ID: <8803011000.aa04204@Huey.UDEL.EDU>
Date: 1 Mar 88 15:00:41 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 20

Brian,

With all due respect, this is a terrible idea and is not worth even the
effort to determine if other implementations will/will not break if the
option is used. The IP Security Option is a much better mechanism and
understood by most implementations known to me. If your scheme is less
than ubiquitous using this option, the Protocol Police would even be
expected to cooperate, since there are a lot of folks who are concerned
about the issue. If the option does not satisfy your needs and you have
a concrete proposal to add another, ubiquitous option that does, then
please honk and I expect the INENG and/or INARC Task Forces will take it
seriously. As it is, a copy-protect option that works only at TCP initial-
connection time will not be taken seriously.

Notwithstanding my view taken here, I would very much like to encourage
you to pursue the issue vigorously. In particular, I suggest you take it
up with Steve Kent's Privacy Task Force and with Deborah Estrin's
Autonomous Networks Task force. I will certainly keep it nearby in the
INARC Task Force.

Dave