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X3S3.3/90-88R
20 April, 1990
ACCREDITED STANDARDS COMMITTEE
X3 - INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEMS
Proposed
Standards Development Project
for
INTERNET CONTROL MESSAGE PROTOCOL (ICMP)
SECRETARIAT:
Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association (CBEMA)
Page 2
1 IDENTIFICATION OF PROPOSED PROJECT
1.1 Title: INTERNET CONTROL MESSAGE PROTOCOL
1.2 Proposer: Task Group X3S3.3 (Network and Transport Layers)
A. Lyman Chapin, Chairman
Data General Corporation
4400 Computer Drive
Westborough, MA 01580
(508) 870-6056
1.3 Date Submitted: 20 April, 1990
Page 3
2 JUSTIFICATION OF PROPOSED STANDARD
2.1 Needs
The need for an American National Standard for ICMP is based on the
widespread market penetration and growing commercial importance of
computer systems that use the TCP/IP suite of internet protocols
for host-to-host communication. Users and vendors would benefit
greatly from a consolidated specification of ICMP, drawn from the
existing Internet Request for Comments (RFC) documentation, which
could be used to evaluate the conformance of products that imple-
ment it and to place ICMP in a formal context in which its rela-
tionship to other standard protocols may be clearly established.
2.2 Recommended Scope of Standard
The proposed standard will specify ICMP as it is currently under-
stood within the Internet engineering community. The scope of the
proposed standards development project does not include the speci-
fication of any function or feature that has not been accepted
within the community that is currently implementing, deploying, and
using ICMP.
2.3 Existing Practice in Area of Proposed Standard
The proposed standard will formalize accepted existing practice,
based on existing documentation, in which ICMP is used in conjunc-
tion with the Internet Protocol (IP).
2.4 Expected Stability of Proposed Standard
The architecture of the TCP/IP protocol suite, with which ICMP is
closely associated, is well understood and stable. New architec-
tures for end-to-end communications are likely to generate entirely
new sets of standards, rather than destabilize the standard for
ICMP.
Page 4
3 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT
3.1 Type of Document
The proposed development project will produce an American National
Standard for Internet Control Message Protocol.
3.2 Definitions of Concepts and Special Terms
3.3 Expected Relationship with Approved X3 Reference Models
The proposed standard will define a protocol that supports func-
tions and capabilities associated with the Network layer of the
Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model (ISO 7498)
architecture. It will not, however, define an "OSI Network Layer
Protocol".
3.4 Recommended Program of Work
The program of work will consist of the preparation, from existing
documentation concerning ICMP, of a document that captures all of
the currently accepted ICMP practice, in a form that is as close to
the existing internet documentation as the rules for the presenta-
tion of American National Standards permit.
3.5 Resources
The resources of Task Group X3S3.3, Network and Transport Layers,
are expected to be available to carry out the program of work.
X3S3.3 has 26 voting members, representing a broad spectrum of
users and suppliers of computer and communications equipment and
services. The resources of the Internet Activities Board, which
administers the internet standards that apply to the operation of
the internet, and of the Internet Engineering Task Force, which is
responsible for the technical specification of ICMP (and the other
internet protocols), are also expected to be available.
Page 5
3.6 Recommended X3 Development Technical Committee
It is recommended that the proposed project, if approved, be
assigned to Task Group X3S3.3, Network and Transport Layers, of X3
Technical Committee X3S3, Data Communications. The proposed
project is closely related, both technically and administratively,
to project 365, which has previously been assigned to X3S3.3.
3.7 Anticipated Frequency and Duration of Meetings
If the proposed project is pursued by task group X3S3.3, as recom-
mended above, it is anticipated that the equivalent of one hour
during each of the task group's 6 five-day meetings each year will
be devoted to work on the project.
3.8 Target Date for dpANS to X3
A draft proposal for an American National Standard Transmission
Control Protocol could be conveyed to X3 by October 1, 1990.
3.9 Estimated Useful Life of Standard
The useful life of the proposed standard coincides with the useful
life of the set of internet standards that comprise the "TCP/IP
protocol suite". This lifetime is expected to be very long,
spanning at least several decades.
4 IMPLEMENTATION IMPACTS
4.1 Impact on Existing User Practices and Investments
The proposed standard will formalize existing user practice in the
area without modification. The impact of the proposed standard
will therefore be limited to the salutary regularization of the
documentation and points of reference for ICMP.
Page 6
4.2 Impact on Supplier Products and Support
As above; with the additional benefit that suppliers of products
that implement or use ICMP will be able to focus their evaluation
of ICMP standard compliance requirements on a single reference
point.
4.3 Techniques and Costs for Compliance Verification
Verification of compliance with the proposed standard will be
performed in conjunction with verification of compliance with the
associated Internet Protocol. The contribution of ICMP testing to
the total cost of Internet Protocol conformance testing is expected
to be very small, on the order of 1%.
4.4 Legal Considerations
No special legal issues are raised by the proposed project, which
covers material that is non-proprietary and freely distributed.
5 CLOSELY RELATED STANDARDS ACTIVITIES
5.1 Existing Standards
The proposed project will formalize the existing internet standard
for ICMP, for which the basic references are RFCs 792 and 1122.
5.2 X3 Standards Development Projects
The proposed project is closely related to the work on the OSI
Internetwork Protocol under X3 project 365.
5.3 X3/SPARC Study Groups
The proposed project has no relationship to any existing X3/SPARC
Study Group.
Page 7
5.4 Other Related Domestic Standards Efforts
The internet standards effort pursued by the Internet Engineering
Task Force and its parent organization, the Internet Activities
Board, is and will continue to be the source of technical input to
the process of developing an American National Standard for ICMP.
5.5 ISO Standards Development Projects
There is no related ISO standards development project, and it is
not anticipated that the proposed project will result in the
initiation of any new work in ISO.
5.6 Other Related International Standards Development Projects
As above.
5.7 Recommendations for Coordinating Liaison
None.
5.8 Recommendations for Close Liaison
Close liaison, in the form of joint development work and/or joint
meetings, with the Internet Activities Board and the Internet
Engineering Task Force (and/or its appropriate working groups) will
be essential.