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author | Thomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> | 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100 |
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committer | Thomas Voss <mail@thomasvoss.com> | 2024-11-27 20:54:24 +0100 |
commit | 4bfd864f10b68b71482b35c818559068ef8d5797 (patch) | |
tree | e3989f47a7994642eb325063d46e8f08ffa681dc /doc/rfc/rfc794.txt | |
parent | ea76e11061bda059ae9f9ad130a9895cc85607db (diff) |
doc: Add RFC documents
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/rfc/rfc794.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | doc/rfc/rfc794.txt | 116 |
1 files changed, 116 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/rfc/rfc794.txt b/doc/rfc/rfc794.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..82e550c --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/rfc/rfc794.txt @@ -0,0 +1,116 @@ + + +Network Working Group V. Cerf +Request for Comments: 794 ARPA +Replaces: IEN 125 September 1981 + PRE-EMPTION + +In circuit-switching systems, once a user has acquired a circuit, the +communication bandwidth of that circuit is dedicated, even if it is not +used. When the system saturates, additional circuit set-up requests are +blocked. To allow high precedence users to gain access to circuit +resources, systems such as AUTOVON associate a precedence with each +telephone instrument. Those instruments with high precedence can +pre-empt circuit resources, causing lower precedence users to be cut +off. + +In message switching systems such as AUTODIN I, incoming traffic is +stored on disks (or drums or tape) and processed in order of +precedence. If a high precedence message is entered into the system, it +is processed and forwarded as quickly as possible. When the high +precedence message arrives at the destination message switch, it may +pre-empt the use of the output devices on the switch, interrupting the +printing of a lower precedence message. + +In packet switching systems, there is little or no storage in the +transport system so that precedence has little impact on delay for +processing a packet. However, when a packet switching system reaches +saturation, it rejects offered traffic. Precedence can be used in +saturated packet switched systems to sort traffic queued for entry into +the system. + +In general, precedence is a tool for deciding how to allocate resources +when systems are saturated. In circuit switched systems, the resource +is circuits; in message switched systems the resource is the message +switch processor; and in packet switching the resource is the packet +switching system itself. + +This capability can be realized in AUTODIN II without adding any new +mechanisms to TCP (except to make precedence of incoming connection +requests visible to the processes which use TCP). To allow pre-emptive +access to a particular terminal, the software (i.e., THP) which supports +terminal access to the TAC can be configured so as to always have a +LISTEN posted for that terminal, even if the terminal has a connection +in operation. For example in the ARPANET TENEX systems, the user TELNET +permits a user to have many connections open at one time - the user can +switch among them at will. To the extent that this can be done without +violating security requirements, one could imagine a multi-connection +THP which always leaves a LISTEN pending for incoming connection +requests. If a connection is established, the THP can decide, based on +its precedence, whether to pre-empt any existing connection and to +switch the user to the high precedence one. + +If the user is working with several connections of different precedence +at the same time, the THP would close or abort the lowest precedence + + +Cerf [Page 1] + + + September 1981 +Pre-Emption + + +connection in favor of the higher precedence pre-empting one. Then the +THP would do a new LISTEN on that terminal's port in case a higher +precedence connection is attempted. + +One of the reasons for suggesting this model is that processes are the +users of TCP (in general) and that TCP itself cannot cause processes to +be created on behalf of an incoming connection request. Implementations +could be realized in which TCPs accept incoming connection requests and, +based on the destination port number, create appropriate server +processes. In terms of pre-empting access to a remote terminal, +however, it seems more sensible to let the process which interfaces the +terminal to the system mediate the pre-emption. If the terminal is not +connected or is turned off, there is no point in creating a process to +serve the incoming high precedence connection request. + +For example, suppose a routine FTP is in operation between Host X and +Host Y. Host Z decides to do a flash-override FTP to Host X. It opens +a high precedence connection via its TCP and the "SYN" goes out to the +FTP port on Host X. + +FTP always leaves one LISTEN pending to pre-empt lower precedence remote +users if it cannot serve one more user (and still keep a LISTEN +pending). In this way, the FTP is naturally in a state permitting the +high precedence connection request to be properly served, and the FTP +can initiate any cleaning up that is needed to deal with the +pre-emption. + +In general, this strategy permits the processes using TCP to accommodate +pre-emption in the context of the applications they support. + +A non-pre-emptable process is one that does not have a LISTEN pending +while it is serving one (or more) users. + +The actions taken to deal with pre-emption of TCP connections will be +application-process specific and this strategy of a second (or N+1st) +LISTEN is well suited to the situation. + +Pre-emption may also be necessary at the site initiating a high +precedence connection request. Suppose there is a high precedence user +who wants to open an FTP connection request from Host Z to Host X. But +all FTP and/or TCP resources are saturated when this user tries to start +the user FTP process. In this case, the operating system would have to +know about the precedence of the user and would have to locally pre-empt +resources on his behalf (e.g., by logging out lower precedence users). +This is a system issue, not specific only to TCP. Implementation of +pre-emption at the source could vary greatly. Precedence may be +associated with a user or with a terminal. The TCP implementation may +locally pre-empt resources to serve high precedence users. The +operating system may make all pre-emption decisions. + + +[Page 2] Cerf + |