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rfc:rfc7

Network Working Group G. Deloche Request for Comment: 7 University of California at Los Angeles NIC: 4693 May 1969

                         Host-Imp Interface
    G. Deloche      -->  Prof. J. Estrin
                         Prof. L. Kleinrock
                         Prof. B Bussel
                         D. Mandell
                         S. Crocker
                         L. Bonamy
 Object: Arpa Network - Specification Outlines for Host-IMP (HI)
 Interface Programs.
                                Outline
 I.  Introduction
 II.  Scope of the software organization.
         II-1    Network program
         II-2    Handler program
 III.  Questions
 [The original of RFC 7 was hand-written, and only partially illegible
 copies exist.  RFC 7 was later typed int NLS by the Augmentation
 Research Center (ARC) at SRI.  The following is the best
 reconstruction we could do.  RFC Editor.]

Deloche [Page 1] RFC 7 Host-IMP Interface May 1969

I. Introduction

 This paper is concerned with the preliminary software design of the
 Host IMP interface.  Its main purpose is on the one hand to define
 functions that will be implemented, and on the other hand to provide
 a base for discussions and ...(unreadable).
 This study is based upon a study of the BBN Report No. 763.

II. Scope of the software organization.

 The system is based upon two main programs: the Handler program that
 drives the channel hardware unit, and the Network program which
 carries out the user's transmission requests.
 As the communication is full duplex, each of these programs can be
 viewed as divided into two parts: one is concerned with the output
 data, the other with the input. (See Fig. 1)
 These two programs exchange data through a pool of buffers, and
 logical information through an interface table.
 In the following we only focus on the output part of each program
 (See Fig. 2).  The input part would be very similar.

II-1. Network program.

II-1-1. Multiplex function.

 This program multiplexes the outgoing messages (and distributes the
 incoming messages).  The multiplexing consists in stacking up all the
 user's (or caller, or party) requests and filling up the pool of
 buffers so as to keep the handler busy emitting.
 Multiplexing (and distribution) is based on the link identification
 numbers.  (Link = logical connection between two users).  The
 multiplexing problem is closely related to the interface between a
 user's program and the network program, that is in
 fact...(unreadable) operating system (See below: Questions).

II-1-2. Output message processing.

 When a user's program wants to send out text it should indicate the
 following information (through a macro, or as call parameters): text
 location, text length in bytes, and destination.

Deloche [Page 2] RFC 7 Host-IMP Interface May 1969

 Using these data the Network program:
  • prepares a 16 bit Host heading (1 bit: trace, 2 bits: spares, 8

bits: link identification no., 5 bits: destination host)

  • inserts a 16 bits marking between the header and the text so as

to start the text at a word boundary. This marking consists of

       a one preceding the first bit of the text and, in turn,
       preceded by fifteen zeros to fill up the gap.
  • checks the length of the user's text - if it exceeds 1006 bytes
        +-                                                     -+
        |8080 (max host message length) - 32 (heading + marking)|
        |-------------------------------------------------------|
        |                8 (byte = 8 bits)                      |
        +-                                                     -+
 the program breaks down the text into a sequence of messages whose
 maximum length is 1006 bytes - Each of these messages is preceded by
 a heading as explained above.
 Remark: in that case one of the heading space bits could be used for
 indicating that several messages belong to the same text.
  • _transcodes_ the EBCDIC characters constituting the messages

into ASCII characters.

  • _fills_ the buffers of the pool with the content of the

messages.

  • _updates_ the content of the interface table and moves the

filling pointers (see below).

II-2. Handler program.

 This program is initiated either by the network program, or by the
 I/O interrupt.
 This program will be very short.  It will be coded in master mode
 (privileged instructions) and should be integrated in the I/O
 supervisor of the operating system.

Deloche [Page 3] RFC 7 Host-IMP Interface May 1969

 This program:
  • _controls_ the channel hardware unit. It initiates the

emission, eventually provides data chaining between the

       buffers, tests the different device status upon receiving an
       interrupt.
  • _empties_ the buffers that are filled up by the network

program.

  • _explores_ and _updates_ the interface table (see below).
  • can eventually insure a control transmission procedure with the

IMP (See Questions).

II-3 Buffers and Interface Table.

II-3-1 Buffers.

 They should be large enough for containing the maximum host message
 text + heading and marking (1006 + 4 = 1010 bytes).
 Consequently the buffer size could be chosen equal to 256 words (1024
 bytes).  As for the buffer number it will determine the link
 utilization frequency -

II-3-2 Interface table.

 It is through this table that the network program informs the handler
 with the location and length of the emitting data.
 This table could be a ring table with 2 pointers: one for filling,
 the other for extracting.  They are respectively updated by the
 network and the handler program.

Deloche [Page 4] RFC 7 Host-IMP Interface May 1969

                    [Length] of the message
                         contained
                         in the buffer
                             ^
                             |
         +--------------+----------+
         | Buffer addr. | nb bytes |
         +--------------+----------+
         |              |          | <== Filling pointer
         +--------------+----------+         |
         |                         |         V
         |                         |
         //                        //
         |                         |
         |                         |
         |                         |
         +--------------+----------+
         | Buffer addr. | nb bytes | <== eEtracting pointer
         +--------------+----------+         |
         | Buffer addr. | nb bytes |         V
         +--------------+----------+

III. Questions.

III-1. Why is there not a simple control procedure between the HOST and

      the IMP?  What happens if a message, issued from the HOST,
      reaches the IMP with an error due to the transmission?
 From the BBN specifications it appears that this error will be
 transmitted as far [as] the receiving HOST.
 In that case must an HOST-HOST control procedure be provided?

III-2. Where will the special channel hardware unit be connected

      (MIOP/SIOP)?
 How will this device be notified of an outgoing message end in order
 to start the padding?
 (The program will provide to the MIOP SIOP the number of bytes of the
 outgoing message, and will receive back an interrupt when the last
 byte is sent out.  Is it that signal which will be also sent to the
 special device?)
 Vice versa how does the Handler know the length of the incoming
 message?  From the contents of the previous one or should this

Deloche [Page 5] RFC 7 Host-IMP Interface May 1969

 program always ready to receive a message of maximum length?  (Then
 an interrupt should be triggered when the real end is detected by the
 hardware).

III-3. When does the Gordo documentation will be available in order to

      design the user-network program interface.  What are the
      mechanisms for program initiations, transferring parameters from
      one program to another, etc...
                         HOST (Sigma 7) <--|/|--> Outside world
 Users                                     |/|
  |                                        |/|
  |                                        |/|   Special  Standard
  V                                        |/|      |       |
       +--------------+   +------------+   |/|      V   |   V
  o----|              |   |            |   |/|   +------+------+
       |   Output     |-->|   Output   |-->|/|-->|      |      |-->IMP
  . . .|              |   |            |   |/|   |             |
       |              |   |            |   |/|   |      |      |
  o----| (Multiplex)  |   |            |   |/|   |             |
       |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ |   |_ _ _ _ _ _ |   |/|   | _ _ _| _ _ _|
  o----|              |   |            |   |/|   |      |      |
       |   Input      |<--|    Input   |<--|/|<--|             |<--IMP
  . . .|              |   |            |   |/|   |      |      |
       |              |   |            |   |/|   |             |
  o----|(Distribution)|   |            |   |/|   +------|------+
       |              |   |            |   |/|       HARDWARE
       +--------------+   +------------+   |/|       Interface
           NETWORK          HANDLER        |/|
           Program          Program        |/|
                                           |/|    (Fig. 1)

Deloche [Page 6] RFC 7 Host-IMP Interface May 1969

                                                 +------------------+
                                                 | | |              |
                                                 | | | interface    |
                                                 | | |              |
                                                 |                  |
                                                 | ====> Data       |
                                                 |                  |
                                                 | ----- Logical    |
                                                 |       information|
                                                 +------------------+
                    + - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
                    |                            |
                            interface table
                    |        +----------+        |               | |
      | |              +---->|          |<----+                  | |
      | |           |  |     +----------+     |  |   interrupt   | |
      | |           ^  |                      |     +----<-------| |
      | |           |  |    +-          -+    |  |  |            | |
      | |           |  V    |  _________ |    V  V  V            | |
 o----| |-+  +---------+-+  | |         ||  +-+--+--+---+        | |
      | |  \ |+---------+|  | |_________||  |+---------+|        | |
      | |   \||         ||  |            |  ||         ||        | |
      | |    +|         ||  | - - - - - -|  ||         ||        | |
      | |    ||         ||  |            |  ||         ||        | |
  - - - - - -|| NETWORK ||=>-  _________ -=>|| HANDLER ||=======>| |
      | |    +| Progr.  ||  | |         ||  || Progr.  ||        | |
      | |   /||         ||  | |_________||  ||         ||        | |
      | |  / |+---------+|  |            |  |+---------+|        | |
 o----| |-+  +-----------+  |  _________ |  +----+------+        | |
 ^    | |                   | |         ||       |               | |
 |    | |                   | |_________||       +--->---------->| |
 |     ^                    +-    ^     -+         Commands      | |
 Users |                          |                              | |
       |                    Pool of buffers                      | |
     User's                                                       ^
    Interface                                                     |
                                                            Hardware
                                                           Interface
                         (Fig. 2)
       [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
 [ into the online RFC archives by Bob German & Lorrie Shiota 1/02 ]

Deloche [Page 7]

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