RFC 700-799 index: Request For Comments summary notes: 700-799
A short, annotated list of a hundred RFCs, with a note on each one.
Postel, J. and J. Vernon, "Request For Comments summary notes: 700-799", RFC 800, DOI 10.17487/RFC0800, November 1982, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc800>.
@misc{rfc800,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 800,
howpublished = {RFC 800},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0800},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc800},
author = {J. Postel and J. Vernon},
title = {{Request For Comments summary notes: 700-799}},
pagetotal = 10,
year = 1982,
month = nov,
} RFC text
Network Working Group J. Postel
Request for Comments: 800 J. Vernon
ISI
November 1982
Requests For Comments Summary
Notes: 700-799
This RFC is a slightly annotated list of the 100 RFCs from RFC 700
through RFC 799. This is a kind of status report on these RFCs.
RFC Author Date Title
--- ------ ---- -----
799 Mills Sep 81 Internet Name Domains
A suggestion that, as the internet grows, the space of host names
cannot remain a flat space of globally unique names, and that a
hierarchy of name domains be introduced; see also RFC 822.
798 Katz Sep 81 Decoding Facsimile Data From the
Rapicom 450
A description of the encoding/decoding procedure for Rapicom450
facsimile machine.
797 Katz Sep 81 Format for Bitmap Files
The description of a simple file format for bitmap data.
796 Postel Sep 81 Address Mappings
A description of the way the addresses of a few actual networks are
mapped into internet addresses.
795 Postel Sep 81 Service Mappings
A description of how the internet type of service is mapped into the
actual service parameters of a few particular networks, and vice
versa.
794 Cerf Sep 81 Pre-Emption
Discusses how pre-emption of TCP connection can be implemented.
Replaces IEN 125.
793 Postel Sep 81 Transmission Control Protocol
The specification of TCP. Replaces RFCs 761 and 675.
792 Postel Sep 81 Internet Control Message Protocol
The specification of ICMP. Replaces RFCs 777 and 760.
791 Postel Sep 81 Internet Protocol
The specification of IP. Replaces RFC 760.
790 Postel Sep 81 Assigned Numbers
The list of numbers assigned for networks, protocols, etc. Replaces
RFCs 776, 770, 762, 758, 755, 750, 739, 604.
789 Rosen Jul 81 Vulnerabilities of Network Control
Protocols: An Example
A description of an outage in ARPANET service and the process of
determining the cause; also, subtleties of designing network
protocols.
788 Postel Nov 81 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
An old version; see RFC 821.
787 Chapin July 81 Connectionless Data Transmission
Survey/Tutorial
A discussion of datagram service. Intended for submission to
international standards bodies.
786 Sluizer July 81 Mail Transfer Protocol: ISI TOPS20
MTP-NIMAIL Interface
The description of the way mail is passed between the MTP and the
NIMAIL programs in ISI TOPS20. Outdated.
785 Sluizer July 81 Mail Transfer Protocol: ISI TOPS20
File Definitions
The description of the file format for passing mail to the MTP program
from user mail programs in ISI TOPS20. Outdated.
784 Sluizer July 81 Mail Transfer Protocol: ISI TOPS20
Implementation
The description of the program structure for the MTP implementation in
the ISI TOPS20. Outdated.
783 Sollins June 81 The TFTP Protocol Revision 2
The specification of TFTP. Replaces RFCs 768, 764 and IEN 133.
782 Nabielsky undated A Virtual Terminal Management Model
A description of the elements of a virtual terminal and the management
of communications between them.
781 Su May 81 A Specification of the Internet
Protocol IP Timestamp Option
The description of IP Timestamp option, now included in the IP
specification (RFC 791).
780 Sluizer May 81 Mail Transfer Protocol
An outdated Mail protocol; see RFC 821.
779 Killian Apr 81 TELNET SEND-LOCATION Option
Definition of this Telnet option.
778 Mills 18 Apr 81 DCNet Internet Clock Service
Specifies a format and procedure for the exchange of messages to
maintain synchronized clocks.
777 Postel Apr 81 Internet Control Message Protocol
An old version; see RFC 792.
776 Postel Jan 81 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
775 Mankins Dec 80 Directory Oriented FTP Commands
The definition of additional FTP Commands related to directory
management.
774 Postel Oct 80 Internet Protocol Handbook Table of
Contents
An out-of-date table of contents for an Internet Protocol Handbook.
773 Cerf Oct 80 Comments on NCP/TCP Mail Service
Transition Strategy
A discussion of issues in the transition from NCP to TCP, particularly
as related to MAIL Service.
772 Sluizer Sep 80 Mail Transfer Protocol
An old version of a Mail Protocol; see RFC 821.
771 Cerf Sep 80 Mail Transition Plan
A plan for supporting mail service in the transition from NCP to TCP;
see also RFC 801.
770 Postel Sep 80 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
769 Postel 26 Sep 80 Rapicom 450 Facsimile File Format
The definition of the exchange format of the encoded facsimile data of
the Rapicom 450; see also RFC 798.
768 Postel 28 Aug 80 User Datagram Protocol
The specification of the UDP.
767 Postel Aug 80 A Structured Format for Transmission
of Multi-Media Documents
The definition of the format for the document of a multimedia message.
766 Postel Jul 80 Internet Protocol Handbook
An out-of-date table of contents for the Internet Protocol Handbook.
765 Postel Jun 80 File Transfer Protocol
The specification of FTP.
764 Postel Jun 80 Telnet Protocol Specification
The specification of Telnet.
763 Abrams 7 May 80 Role Mailboxes
A call for mailboxes with role names, such as "Management".
762 Postel Jan 80 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
761 Postel Jan 80 DOD Standard Transmission Protocol
An old version; see RFC 793.
760 Postel Jan 80 DOD Standard Internet Protocol
An old version; see RFC 791.
759 Postel Aug 80 Internet Message Protocol
The definition of the protocol and format for the exchange of
multimedia mail. Replaces RFC 753.
758 Postel Aug 79 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
757 Deutsch 10 Sep 79 A Suggested Solution to the Naming,
Addressing, and Delivery Problem for
ARPANET Message Systems
Discusses several proposals for handing the name to address to route
processing for computer mail. Favors a solution based on unique-ids
and a data base, see also RFCs 759, 821 and 822.
756 Pickens Jul 79 The NIC Name server--A Datagram-Based
Information Utility
Describes a Host Name to Address look up service.
755 Postel 3 May 79 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
754 Postel 6 Apr 79 Out-of-Net Host Addresses for Mail
A discussion of options for addressing computer mail beyond the
ARPANET.
753 Postel Mar 79 Internet Message Protocol
An old version; see RFC 759.
752 Crispin 3 Jan 79 A Universal Host Table
Describes the host table used at MIT and Stanford. This has several
extensions and generalizations from the NIC standard and the table
used by most Tenex and TOPS20 hosts.
751 Lebling 10 Dec 78 Survey of FTP Mail and MLFL
A survey of hosts' responses to probes of their FTP servers to see if
servers (a) accept mail for unknown users and (b) support the MAIL and
MLFL commands.
750 Postel 26 Sep 78 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
749 Greenberg 18 Sep 78 Telnet SUPDUP-OUTPUT Option
Updates RFC 736; see also RFCs734, 746 and 747.
748 Crispin 1 Apr 78 TELNET RANDOMLY-LOSE Option
Defines this Telnet option (note the date of this memo).
747 Crispin 21 Mar 78 Recent Extensions to the SUPDUP
Protocol
An update to the SUPDUP protocol (RFC 734); see also RFCs 749, 746 and
736.
746 Stallman 17 Mar 78 The SUPDUP Graphics Extension
An extension of SUPDUP for Graphics; see also RFCs 734, 736, 747 and
749.
745 Beeler 30 Mar 78 JANUS Interface Specifications
The specification of a symmetrical 1822 style interface.
744 Sattley 8 Jan 78 MARS - A Message Archiving and
Retrieval Service
The description of a database service for computer mail messages,
which operates via computer mail.
743 Harrenstien 30 Dec 77 FTP extension: XRSQ/XRCP
An extension to FTP mail to allow more efficient transmission of
computer mail. Now incorporated into SMTP; see RFC788.
742 Harrenstien 30 Dec 77 NAME/FINGER Protocol
Defines the Name or Finger Protocol which allows one to get "who is
on" or "where is user x" information from another host.
741 Cohen 22 Nov 77 Specifications for the Network Voice
Protocol NVP
Defines the protocol used in the ARPANET packet speech experiments.
740 Braden 22 Nov 77 NETRJS Protocol
Defines the protocol used for Remote Job Entry on the UCLA CCN IBM
system; replaces RFCs 599 and 189.
739 Postel 11 Nov 77 Assigned Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
738 Harrenstien 31 Oct 77 Time Server
Defines the Time Server Protocol; see IEN 142 for the TCP and VDP
versions.
737 Harrenstien 31 Oct 77 FTP Extension: XSEN
An extenion to the Mail procedures. This function is incorporated in
the SMTP; see also RFC 821.
736 Crispin 31 Oct 77 TELNET SUPDUP Option
Defines the procedure for negotiating to use the SUPDUP, protocol as a
TELNET option; see also RFCs 734, 746, 747 and 749.
735 Crocker 3 Nov 77 Revised TELNET Byte Macro Option
Obsoletes 40306
Defines a Telnet option for assigning codes to stand for strings in
Telnet connections. Replaces RFC 729.
734 Crispin 7 Oct 77 SUPDUP Protocol
Description of a terminal control protocol used at STANFORD and MIT;
see also RFCs 736, 746-749.
733 Crocker 21 Nov 77 Standard for the Format of ARPA Network
Text Messages
Specification of the format for the headers of computer mail. An old
version; see RFC 822.
732 Day 12 Sep 77 TELNET Data Entry Terminal Option
The specification of a Telnet Option for the control of a data entry
display terminal. Replaces RFC 731.
731 Day 27 Jun 77 TELNET Data Entry Terminal Option
An old version; see RFC 732.
730 Postel 20 May 77 Extensible Field Addresing
Discusses some ideas on addressing that come up in the context of
changing from 8-bit to 24-bit network addresses.
729 Crocker 13 May 77 TELNET Byte Macro Option
An old version; see RFC 735.
728 Day 27 Apr 77 A Minor Pitfall in the Telnet Protocol
Warns of the possibility of an unexpected occurence in Telnet
resulting from the interaction between option subnegotiations and the
telnet SYNCH operation.
727 Crispin 27 Apr 77 TELNET Logout Option
Defines a telnet option for causing a logout.
726 Postel 8 Mar 77 Remote Controlled Transmission and
Echoing Telnet Option
Defines a Telnet option for controlling the transmission and echoing
of data to smooth the response to use in high transmission delay
environments; see also RFCs 719 and 718.
725 Day 1 Mar 77 An RJE Protocol for a Resource Sharing
Network
Describes a possible Remote Job Entry protocol.
724 Crocker 12 May 77 Proposed Official Standard for the
Format of ARPA Network Messages
An old version; see RFC 822.
722 Haverty 16 Sep 76 Thoughts on Interactions in Distributed
Services
A discussion on the design of interactive distributed services and the
kinds of primitive operations that are needed.
721 Garlick 1 Sep 76 Out of Band Control Signals in a Host
to Host Protocol
A discussion of the control signals in transport protocols (e.g.,
NCP's Interrupt or TCP's Urgent).
720 Crocker 5 Aug 76 Address Specification Syntax for
Network Mail
A discussion of computer mail addresses, with comments on real names
vs. mailboxes, and mailing lists; see also RFC 819.
719 Postel 22 Jul 76 Discussion on RCTE
A short discussion of RCTE implementation issues; see also RFCs 726
and 718.
718 Postel 30 Jun 76 Comments on RCTE from the TENEX
Implementation Experience
A short note on the Tenex implementation of RCTE; see also RFCs 726
and 719.
717 Postel 1 Jul 76 Assigned Network Numbers
An old version; see RFC 790.
716 Levin 24 May 76 Interim Revision to Appendix F of BBN
1822
A short note updating the specification of the very Distant Host 1822
interface.
714 McKenzie 21 Apr 76 A Host/Host Protocol for an
ARPANET-type Network
A specification of a NCP-like protocol for an ARPA-like network.
Interesting to compare to the NCP specification to see what the author
would do differently.
713 Haverty 6 Apr 76 MSDTP -- Message Services Data
Transmission Protocol
The specification of a set of Data Primitives for building interactive
services.
712 Donnelley 5 Feb 76 A Distributed Capability Computing
System DCCS
A description of a Distributed Capability based computing system.
708 White 5 Jan 76 Elements of a Distributed Programming
System
A description of a Distributed programming system; see also RFC 707.
707 White 23 Dec 75 A High-Level Framework for
Network-Based Resource Sharing
A description of a programming environment for network-based programs;
see also RFC 708.
706 Postel 8 Nov 75 On the Junk Mail Problem
A short note pointing out that the ARPANET maybe subject to a "denial
of service" attack by a misbehaving host.
705 Bryan 5 Nov 75 Front-End Protocol
Describes a protocol used between a PDP-11 (the ARPANET front end) and
a B6700 to support network communication.
704 Santos 15 Sep 75 IMP/Host and Host/IMP Protocol Change
Describes the changes to the 1822 interface to eliminate the
restriction of 63 IMPs.
703 Dodds 11 Jul 75 Survey of New-Protocol Telnet Servers
A poll of Telnet servers to check implementation status and Telnet
options. Updates RFCs 702, 701, 679 and 669.
702 Dodds 25 Sep 74 Survey of New-Protocol Telnet Servers
An earlier poll of Telnet server implementation status; see also
RFC's703, 701, 679, and 669.
701 Dodds Aug 74 Survey of New-Protocol Telnet Servers
An earlier poll of Telnet server implementation status; see also RFCs
703, 702, 679 and 669.
700 Mader Aug 74 A Protocol Experiment
Describes a protocol based loosely on a very early version of TCP,
used to send data to a printer server.
ISO Plain Language
On this page
§1A Status Report on a Hundred RFCs
RFC 800 is a slightly annotated list of the 100 RFCs from RFC 700 through RFC 799. The RFC calls itself a kind of status report on these RFCs, and it was written by Jon Postel and Joyce Vernon at ISI in November 1982.
The purpose it serves is simple. By 1982 the series already had a long tail of documents that had been quietly replaced by newer ones. An Assigned Numbers memorandum, for instance, appeared in many versions, and the early versions of the core protocol specifications had all been superseded. A reader who picked up an old RFC had no way of telling whether it was still the current statement of the protocol or not, so the list answers that question in a line for each entry.
The material covered by these hundred documents is broad. It includes the founding specifications of the Internet itself and of the protocols that ran over it, the first work on electronic mail, the beginnings of a name system, a long series of Telnet options, and a great deal of housekeeping about assigned numbers. The list also captures a period when the protocols were still being designed rather than merely documented, with several entries describing proposals and surveys rather than final specifications.
The list was written so that a reader holding an old document could tell at a glance whether it still mattered. For most entries the answer is a pointer to the document that replaced it.
§2The Shape of Each Entry
Every entry has the same four-part header line: the RFC number, the author's name, the date, and the title. Beneath that is a short annotation, usually one or two sentences, saying what the document contains.
The header lines are set out in columns, with the RFC number first, then the author, then the date, and then the title, which wraps where it is long. The dates are given in the compact form of the period, with a two-digit year, so RFC 793 is dated Sep 81 and RFC 700 is dated Aug 74.
The annotations are written as descriptions rather than as reviews. For example, the entry for RFC 797, Format for Bitmap Files, reads that it is the description of a simple file format for bitmap data. The entry for RFC 787, Connectionless Data Transmission Survey/Tutorial, notes that it is a discussion of the datagram service intended for submission to international standards bodies. Where a document has a particular standing, the annotation says so: RFC 778, DCNet Internet Clock Service, specifies a format and procedure for exchanging messages to keep clocks synchronised, and RFC 785 through RFC 784 are each marked as describing the ISI TOPS20 mail transfer program and are marked outdated.
Every entry looks the same: number, author, date, title, and a sentence about what is inside. The wording is plain, and it is meant to be read quickly rather than studied.
§3What the Hundred RFCs Were About
The most important documents in the list are the specifications of the protocols the Internet is built on, and the entries make that clear. RFC 791 is the Internet Protocol, replacing RFC 760. RFC 793 is the Transmission Control Protocol, replacing RFCs 761 and 675. RFC 792 is the Internet Control Message Protocol, replacing RFCs 777 and 760. RFC 768 is the User Datagram Protocol. RFC 765 is the File Transfer Protocol and RFC 764 is the Telnet Protocol Specification.
Mail occupies a large part of the list, and it shows the protocol settling down. RFC 733 and RFC 724 are earlier versions of the format for computer mail headers, and both are annotated as old versions of RFC 822. RFC 772, RFC 780 and RFC 788 are earlier mail transfer protocols, all pointed at RFC 821. Several documents in the 780s describe the ISI TOPS20 mail transfer implementation in detail and are marked outdated.
Names and addresses get their own thread. RFC 799 suggests that as the Internet grows, host names cannot remain a flat space of globally unique names and that a hierarchy of name domains should be introduced. RFC 756 describes a host name to address lookup service, RFC 752 describes the host table used at MIT and Stanford, and RFC 799 and RFC 757 both discuss ways of getting from a name to an address.
Two entries are worth singling out because they read as warnings rather than specifications. RFC 789 describes an outage in ARPANET service and the process of determining the cause, along with subtleties in designing network protocols. RFC 706 points out that the ARPANET might be subject to a denial of service attack by a misbehaving host, and RFC 728 warns of an unexpected occurrence in Telnet resulting from the interaction between option subnegotiations and the SYNCH operation.
The list covers the protocols everyone uses, the mail and file transfer systems of the time, the first attempts to give the Internet a hierarchy of names, and a few notes from the operating incidents that shaped later design.
- RFC 791Internet Protocol — The specification of IP. Replaces RFC 760.
- RFC 793Transmission Control Protocol — The specification of TCP. Replaces RFCs 761 and 675.
- RFC 792Internet Control Message Protocol — The specification of ICMP. Replaces RFCs 777 and 760.
- RFC 768User Datagram Protocol — The specification of UDP.
- RFC 765File Transfer Protocol — The specification of FTP.
- RFC 764Telnet Protocol Specification — The specification of Telnet.
- 1974RFC 700, A Protocol Experiment
- 1976RFC 721, Out of Band Control Signals in a Host to Host Protocol
- 1977RFC 734, SUPDUP Protocol
- 1978RFC 745, JANUS Interface Specifications
- 1980RFC 759, Internet Message Protocol
- 1981RFC 793, Transmission Control Protocol
§4How the List Tracks Supersession
The annotations carry the status information, and they use a small set of repeated phrases.
An entry that has been replaced by a later document reads as an old version and points to the newer number. RFC 776 is an old version and the entry says to see RFC 790. RFC 777 is an old version and the entry says to see RFC 792. RFC 761 is an old version and the entry says to see RFC 793. This phrase is used for a long run of the Assigned Numbers memoranda, from RFC 758 and RFC 755 through RFC 750 and RFC 739, and also for the early versions of the mail and message formats.
The newer document points back. RFC 790, the Assigned Numbers memorandum, says that it replaces RFCs 776, 770, 762, 758, 755, 750, 739 and 604. RFC 791 replaces RFC 760, RFC 792 replaces RFCs 777 and 760, and RFC 793 replaces RFCs 761 and 675.
Three other phrasings appear. A document that has been absorbed into a later protocol is described as now incorporated into it: the FTP mail extension in RFC 743 is now incorporated into SMTP, and the FTP extension XSEN in RFC 737 is incorporated in SMTP. A document that is simply gone is marked outdated, as with the ISI TOPS20 mail transfer documents. And a see also phrase points at a related document without saying which one replaced which, as with RFC 757, which points at RFCs 759, 821 and 822, and RFC 799, which points at RFC 822.
The status is in the wording. An old document says so and names the replacement; the replacement names the documents it took over from. A few entries are marked outdated or point sideways to something related.
- An old version; see RFC NUsed on the earlier Assigned Numbers and protocol documents that a later one replaced.
- Replaces RFCs ...Used on the newer document, naming the ones it took over from.
- OutdatedUsed for the ISI TOPS20 mail transfer documents, which described an implementation long gone.
- Now incorporated into ...Used where a later protocol absorbed the function of an earlier one.
- See also RFC ...Used to point at related documents without saying which replaced which.
§5What the List Still Shows
Read as a whole, the list is a snapshot of the Internet at a particular moment. The dates run from Aug 74, when RFC 700 describes a protocol experiment loosely based on a very early version of TCP and used to send data to a printer server, through to Sep 81, when RFC 793 and RFC 792 were written. The intervening years show the protocol suite being written down, replaced and written down again.
Several entries are about the design process rather than a finished protocol. RFC 714 specifies a host-to-host protocol for an ARPANET-like network and is noted as interesting to compare with the NCP specification to see what the author would do differently. RFC 722 discusses the design of interactive distributed services and the kinds of primitive operations needed. RFC 703, 702 and 701 are successive surveys of new-protocol Telnet servers, each checking implementation status and Telnet options, and each pointing at the ones before it.
The housekeeping entries fill much of the list. Assigned Numbers was reissued many times, each version naming the ones it replaced, and the list is the clearest single view of how often that happened. The remaining entries cover terminal options and protocols for specific host systems, facsimile formats, a database service for computer mail messages, and a set of remote job entry protocols.
Taken together the entries are a record of the Internet being designed rather than just written down, with the housekeeping of assigned numbers running through the whole thing.