RFC 1149 - Standard for the transmission of IP datagrams on avia
Network Working Group D. Waitzman
Request for Comments: 1149 BBN STC
1 April 1990
A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers
Status of this Memo
This memo describes an experimental method for the encapsulation of
IP datagrams in avian carriers. This specification is primarily
useful in Metropolitan Area Networks. This is an experimental, not
recommended standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Overview and Rational
Avian carriers can provide high delay, low throughput, and low
altitude service. The connection topology is limited to a single
point-to-point path for each carrier, used with standard carriers,
but many carriers can be used without significant interference with
each other, outside of early spring. This is because of the 3D ether
space available to the carriers, in contrast to the 1D ether used by
IEEE802.3. The carriers have an intrinsic collision avoidance
system, which increases availability. Unlike some network
technologies, such as packet radio, communication is not limited to
line-of-sight distance. Connection oriented service is available in
some cities, usually based upon a central hub topology.
Frame Format
The IP datagram is printed, on a small scroll of paper, in
hexadecimal, with each octet separated by whitestuff and blackstuff.
The scroll of paper is wrapped around one leg of the avian carrier.
A band of duct tape is used to secure the datagram's edges. The
bandwidth is limited to the leg length. The MTU is variable, and
paradoxically, generally increases with increased carrier age. A
typical MTU is 256 milligrams. Some datagram padding may be needed.
Upon receipt, the duct tape is removed and the paper copy of the
datagram is optically scanned into a electronically transmittable
form.
Discussion
Multiple types of service can be provided with a prioritized pecking
order. An additional property is built-in worm detection and
eradication. Because IP only guarantees best effort delivery, loss
of a carrier can be tolerated. With time, the carriers are self-
regenerating. While broadcasting is not specified, storms can cause
data loss. There is persistent delivery retry, until the carrier
drops. Audit trails are automatically generated, and can often be
found on logs and cable trays.
Security Considerations
Security is not generally a problem in normal operation, but special
measures must be taken (such as data encryption) when avian carriers
are used in a tactical environment.
Author's Address
David Waitzman
BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation
BBN Labs Division
10 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02238
Phone: (617) 873-4323
EMail: dwaitzman@BBN.COM
User Contributions: 1 Samwell ⚠ How about using pigeons for sending and recieving messages such as happy thoughts for the day? 2 Survivor @ Ground.Zero ⚠ At long last we finally will have a communications protocol secure from interception by terrorists abroad. I also believe malicious hackers in mainland China and the former Soviet Republic will find this protocol beyond their reach, without our resorting to cumbersome encryption algorithms. The third paragraph devoted to Frame Format immediately makes apparent the novelty of the approach, though I believe there is a typographical error. I believe the sentence, "A typical MTU is 256 milligrams." should in fact read as follows: "A typical MTU is 256 millimeters." This revision would reasonably describe the median height of a typical packet in resting state. 3 Goresh ⚠ I believe there has been some recent work on a proposed amendment to RFC1149 that would allow modification of the link layer by subtitution of the current paper based link layer with solid state memory cards. Given the vastly increased packet size this allows, a boost from at most a couple of k to over 4 GB with very little impact on transmission speed, this would appear to be a worthwhile gain and I feel the IEEE and other standards bodies should be approached immediately to get the standard ratified.Recent testa in Israel by Dr Yossi Vardi, Ami Ben-Bassat and Guy Vardi achieved an average throughput of 2.27Mbit/sec with there test set up of three carrier pigeons each carrying a 4Gb card over a distance of 100km from Ohalo to Ramat Hasharon. There is still unfortunately considerable variation between links with transmission times of 2hrs 17min, 3hr 15min, and 4hrs 51min measured respectively from each carrier.It is proposed that this new protocol be named TCP/MC ie Transport via Carrier Pigeon via Memory Card. 4 hdante ⚠ ** Problems with audit trails **There seems to be a potential problem with audit trails in high bandwidth 1149 connections. The problem is that a congestion on the receiver side could generate bad odor and, worse, damage to the mechanical parts of the system and anger to the user. A possible workaround would be to disable temporarily the trails by means of a cilindrical object, while a definite solution is not agreed upon. 5 Eran Levy ⚠ RFC was tested in my city and it works,but you need to feed the carrier with peanuts. 6 Horatio ⚠ The reliability depends on geo-cultural region! In certain cultures, festivities are celebrated by discharging firearms into the air (e.g. in Texas and Afghanistan). Depending on the expected type of armament in the civilian population - semi-automatic rifles in Texas / assault rifles in Afghanistan - this can lead to loss phenomena similar to either "entropic" or "burst" loss.It is essential, that such limitations be considered in your RFC. I could currently see the following options: (1) slug vests for the carriers (open loop) and (2) festival calendars and flight-route mapping (closed loop).It must simply be considered - right now - that the 3+1D (time!) ether is not left unperturbed, and is not expected to be exclusive for the carriers until WW III. 7 RockyH ⚠ Alternatively, a small container of suitable material can be attached to the carrier with the paper copy of the datagram inside. This reduces the MTU marginally but provides a secure encapsulation of the datagram. Note that the power of modern pocked knives has made the requirement for high strength containers a necessity. 8 Neil E. Garcia ⚠ Not a good choice for a layer 1 protocol, service is only available from sun up to sun down.... 9 IngDelMonte ⚠ Can Avian Flu be considered a factor of data loss? 10 Sajith ⚠ What about long distance communication ? We may have to setup relay stations. And ofcourse relay stations can be potential place for information mishandling. Some form of standardization is needed for the stations. 11 bluyonder ⚠ This is just the type of technology that USB pocket drives were developed for. They dramatically increase the maximum packet size. 12 MStair ⚠ H5N1 updates are needed for CPIP administrators to detect and handle datagrams in accordance with the latest CDC and WHO/EPR guidelines. 13 Earlybird ⚠ This standard can be useful for pigeon sport events. A ping datagram is sent with each avian carrier; the ping reply datagrams are sent over the Internet. The fastest combination of pigeon and Internet transfer wins.Instead of OCR, would use of barcode datagrams be of any advantage in speed and reliability? 14 ScottB ⚠ We're suffering very high packet loss near our local shooting range in our IP/Avia network. 15 Paul Donovan - RefreshMyPC.com ⚠ That's great that we finally found a transmission media that is free from international problems. But dont forget that there are weak points such as touch down, and threats that could result as data loss such as Feline Bots. 16 Brandon ⚠ Oct 13, 2021 @ 12:12 pm More data loss occurring, need to know how to handle COVID-19 packets. 17 kamal ⚠ Oct 23, 2022 @ 9:21 pm I have sent the message in 2001 but still, Today is 1 jan 2099,I'm waiting for the reply ...! Comment about this RFC, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:
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