Workshop on multi-site executive programs
A tentative workshop on command programs for accessing resources across hosts.
Thomas, R., "Workshop on multi-site executive programs", RFC 471, DOI 10.17487/RFC0471, March 1973, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc471>.
@misc{rfc471,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 471,
howpublished = {RFC 471},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0471},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc471},
author = {R. Thomas},
title = {{Workshop on multi-site executive programs}},
pagetotal = 2,
year = 1973,
month = mar,
} RFC text
Network Working Group Bob Thomas
Request for Comments: #471 BBN-TENEX
NIC #14800 March 13, 1973
Announcement Of A (Tentative) Workshop
On Multi Site Executive Programs
An executive program is one which accepts and interprets commands from a
user, calling upon other programs to provide the resources required to
satisfy each command. There is currently interest in making resources on
the ARPANET available to the user via a standard, conversational
facility which one might call an ARPANET Executive. With such a facility
a user at a Host site or a TIP could conveniently access a wide range of
resources at other sites without mastering the idiosyncrasies of each
Host operating system which is contributing resources.
For example, the ARPANET executive could make it possible to locate (by
name) a user logged in anywhere on the network and to establish a
teletype link to that user in order to engage in an on-line dialogue. It
could also provide status information on the subnet and on all Hosts,
on-line ARPANET news service, on-line collections of trouble reports,
etc. The range of possible services is practically unlimited once a
basic structure is devised for calling upon these services.
Major areas of interest here are:
1. How can the interfaces to resources of interest be standardized so
as to be accessible by "server" processes;
2. How can communications with such server processes be standardized?
(an ARPANET Executive protocol?)
3. To what extent can the conversational user interface be standardized
in the user processes? (an ARPANET Executive language?)
4. How can access authentication and accounting procedures be modified
to permit a user to "login" only once, yet use resources at many
Host sites?
If you are interested in discussing these and related issues forward
your name to Bob Thomas (BTHOMAS @BBN-TENEX), Bolt Beranek and Newman,
Inc., 50 Moulton Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, (617) 491-1850,
extension 483. If there is sufficient response, a Workshop (tentatively
planned for April) will be hosted by the BBN TENEX and BBN TIP groups.
The Workshop will permit participants to present relevant work and to
discuss the issues raised above.
In the meantime, an example of an executive program which interprets a
limited set of commands in a multi-site context is available for
experimental use by TIP and TENEX users. The "N" command of the TIP and
the RSEXEC (Resource Sharing Executive) subsystem on TENEX, provide
command interpretation in the context of TENEX and ITS sites. Users
whose access to the network is neither via a TIP or a TENEX may use the
RSEXEC by directing their user TELNET to ICP to socket 367 (Octal) at
BBN-TENEX.
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ISO Plain Language
On this page
§1A Common Interface Across Hosts
Bob Thomas describes an executive program as one that accepts and interprets user commands and calls other programs to provide resources. The RFC says there is interest in a standard conversational facility that could let users access resources at other sites without learning each host's operating-system details.
An executive program accepts user commands and asks other programs to carry them out. The proposed ARPANET version would give users one way to reach resources at many sites.
§2Possible Network Services
The RFC gives examples of possible services: locating a user by name and linking to that user's teletype, providing host and subnet status, offering network news, and maintaining collections of trouble reports. It says the range could be broad once there was a basic way to call services.
The proposed facility might locate users, create terminal links, show network status, and provide news or trouble reports. These are examples, not a completed service list.
§3Questions for the Workshop
The announcement lists questions about standard interfaces for server processes, a common communication protocol, a shared conversational command language, and access authentication and accounting. One goal under discussion is letting a user log in once and use resources at multiple hosts.
The RFC says the workshop would be held if there were sufficient response, tentatively in April, and names existing TIP and TENEX facilities available for experimental use.
The group would discuss common commands, communication rules, authentication, and accounting. The workshop itself was tentative, depending on how many people responded.