Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!ANDREW.CMU.EDU!ddp+ From: ddp+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Drew Daniel Perkins) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc Subject: Re: SLIP for IBM-PC Message-ID:Date: Tue, 1-Dec-87 04:49:35 EST Article-I.D.: andrew.AVgYaUy00UoJyPo2N2 Posted: Tue Dec 1 04:49:35 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 4-Dec-87 06:34:53 EST References: <12354771588.11.BILLW@MATHOM.CISCO.COM> Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 29 I've been thinking about this for quite a while now and I have a few ideas. I've been planning on putting together a proposal but haven't gotten the time... There are three options that I see: 1. Use the MIT SLIP. It provides IP address assignment in the link layer protocol. Gross, but it works. The problem with this option is that it requires a modified driver at the server end. I.e. it doesn't work with the UNIX SLIP driver. 2. Use BOOTP more or less unmodified. You quickly run into the issue Bill Westfield pointed out, lack of a unique serial number (ethernet address). However, assuming that the IP address is associated with the incoming port and NOT the PC, this is not a problem since the BOOTP server would always answer the same IP address to queries received on that port. It wouldn't be too hard to modify the boot server to do this. 3. Invent a new BOOTP-like protocol more appropriate for serial line use. I think this protocol should be more capable than bootp/rarp type protocols and should allow you to configure a SLIP line in a number of different ways. It should allow either end to request an address from the remote end OR allow either end to tell the remote end who it wants to be. The remote end should have the capability of rejecting the desired address if that address would not allow packets to be routed correctly. Both ends of the connection would be configured to operate in either mode, either through some kind of configuration info or maybe hardcoded into the particular implementation. I.e. maybe a UNIX SLIP implementation wouldn't allow the remote end to specify it's own address. Drew