Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol functional and interface specification
RFC 938

• Status
• IESG evaluation record
• IESG writeups
• Email expansions
• History

• Versions

Network Working Group                                       Trudy Miller
Request for Comments: 938                                            ACC
                                                           February 1985

                 Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol
                 Functional and Interface Specification

STATUS OF THIS MEMO

   This RFC is being distributed to members of the DARPA research
   community in order to solicit their reactions to the proposals
   contained in it.  While the issues discussed may not be directly
   relevant to the research problems of the DARPA community, they may be
   interesting to a number of researchers and implementors.  This RFC
   suggests a proposed protocol for the ARPA-Internet community, and
   requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.  Distribution
   of this memo is unlimited.

ABSTRACT

   The Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol (IRTP) is a transport
   level host to host protocol designed for an internet environment.  It
   provides reliable, sequenced delivery of packets of data between
   hosts and multiplexes/demultiplexes streams of packets from/to user
   processes representing ports.  It is simple to implement, with a
   minimum of connection management, at the possible expense of
   efficiency.

Miller                                                          [Page i]



RFC 938                                                    February 1985
Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol

TABLE OF CONTENTS

   INTRODUCTION

      1.1   Purpose .........................................  1
      1.2   Underlying Mechanisms ...........................  1
      1.3   Relationship to Other Protocols .................  2

   IRTP HEADERS

      2.1   Header Format ...................................  3
      2.2   Packet Type .....................................  3
      2.3   Port Number .....................................  3
      2.4   Sequence Number .................................  4
      2.5   Length ..........................................  4
      2.6   Checksum ........................................  4

   INTERFACES

      3.1   User Services Provided By IRTP ..................  5
      3.2   IP Services Expected by IRTP ....................  5

   MODEL OF OPERATION

      4.1   State Variables .................................  6
      4.2   IRTP Initialization .............................  7
      4.3   Host-to-Host Synchronization ....................  7
      4.3.1   Response to SYNCH Packets .....................  7
      4.3.2   Response to SYNCH ACK Packet ..................  8
      4.4   Transmitting Data ...............................  8
      4.4.1   Receiving Data From Using Processes ...........  8
      4.4.2   Packet Retransmission ......................... 10
      4.5   Receiving Data .................................. 10
      4.5.1   Receive and Acknowledgment Windows ............ 11
      4.5.2   Invalid Packets ............................... 12
      4.5.3   Sequence Numbers Within Acknowledge Window .... 12
      4.5.4   Sequence Numbers Within the Receive Window .... 12
      4.5.5   Forwarding Data to Using Processes ............ 13

   IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

      5.1   Retransmission Strategies ....................... 14
      5.2   Pinging ......................................... 14
      5.3   Deleting Connection Tables ...................... 16

Miller                                                         [Page ii]



RFC 938                                                    February 1985
Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol

   LIST OF FIGURES

      Figure 1-1    Relationship of IRTP to Other Protocols .  2
      Figure 2-1    IRTP Header Format ......................  3
      Figure 4-1    SYNCH Packet Format .....................  8
      Figure 4-2    SYNCH ACK Packet Format .................  8
      Figure 4-3    DATA Packet Format ......................  9
      Figure 4-4    DATA ACK Packet Format .................. 11
      Figure 4-5    PORT NAK Packet Format .................. 11

   ABBREVIATIONS

      ICMP        Internet Control Message Protocol
      IP          Internet Protocol
      IRTP        Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol
      RDP         Reliable Data Protocol
      TCP         Transmission Control Protocol
      UDP         User Datagram Protocol

Miller                                                        [Page iii]



RFC 938                                                    February 1985
Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

   The Internet Reliable Transaction Protocol (IRTP) is a full duplex,
   transaction oriented, host to host protocol which provides reliable
   sequenced delivery of packets of data, called transaction packets.

   Note: throughout this document the terms host and internet address
   are used interchangeably.

   1.1 Purpose