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List:       tuhs
Subject:    [TUHS] Re: Research Datakit notes
From:       Paul Ruizendaal <pnr () planet ! nl>
Date:       2022-06-29 20:21:13
Message-ID: E9381999-4EFD-4891-ABBA-E1DAA5DC05E8 () planet ! nl
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> Would you happen to know where I can find copies of these three
> papers?
> 
> A. G. Fraser, "Datakit - A Modular Network for Synchronous and
> Asynchronous Traffic", Proc. ICC 79, June 1979, Boston, Ma.,
> pp.20.1.1-20.1.3
> 
> G. L. Chesson, "Datakit Software Architecture", Proc. ICC 79, June
> 1979, Boston Ma., pp.20.2.1-20.2.5
> 
> G. L. Chesson and A. G. Fraser, "Datakit Network Architecture," Proc.
> Compcon 80, February 1980, San Fransisco CA., pp.59-61


I just remembered that I had received a copy of a file note (50+ pages) that Greg \
Chesson wrote in 1982 about the "CMC" control software for Datakit. I think it covers \
the same ground as the 1979 paper, but in far greater detail and with two more years \
of development. In short, the connection protocol in CMC is based on the exchange of \
binary messages. That was replaced (for the most part) by text-based messages in the \
later TDK control software.

It is here (it is a 16MB pdf):

https://www.jslite.net/notes/dk3.pdf

To compare, here are the first two design documents on sockets. I looked for these \
for many years (even had the Berkeley library manually search the boxes with CSRG \
documents that Kirk McKusick had sent there - to no avail), and then in 2021 Rich \
Morin found them in the papers of Jim Joyce. I'm still very thankful for this.

These two papers were written in the summer of 1981 and circulated to the newly \
formed steering committee for what was to become 4.2BSD (note: ~5MB pdf each).

The first is specifically on networking:

https://www.jslite.net/notes/joy1.pdf

The second outlines the overall ambitions for the new version (including a summary of \
the above document). It has an interesting view of John Reiser's VM code in its \
section 3.17 as well:

https://www.jslite.net/notes/joy2.pdf

What was proposed is not quite the sockets we know, but the general direction is set \
and the reasoning is explained. Reading the Chesson and Joy paper side by side makes \
for an interesting comparison of thinking on these topics in the early 80's.

Maybe they are worth storing in the TUHS archive.

Wbr,

Paul


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