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+Network Working Group A. Bressen
+Request for Comments: 2321 Cohesive Network Systems
+Category: Informational 1 April 1998
+
+
+ RITA -- The Reliable Internetwork Troubleshooting Agent
+
+Status of this Memo
+
+ This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
+ not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
+ memo is unlimited.
+
+Copyright Notice
+
+ Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.
+
+Abstract
+
+ A Description of the usage of Nondeterministic Troubleshooting and
+ Diagnostic Methodologies as applied to today's complex
+ nondeterministic networks and environments.
+
+1. Introduction
+
+ Increasingly, IETF efforts have been devoted to aiding network
+ management, troubleshooting, and diagnosis. Results have included
+ SNMP, cflowd, and RMON, and ongoing projects at the time of this
+ writing include Universal Logging Protocol and Distributed
+ Management. These tools work well within the horizon of
+ deterministic situations in which the configuration of the network or
+ relevant components is known or can be relatively easily determined.
+ They do not well address many problems that are related to the
+ complex internetworks we have today, such as:
+
+ o Networks where the root bridge for a world-wide bridged
+ network is suboptimally located, such as under the desk of a
+ secretary who kicks off her shoes when she arrives in the
+ morning.
+ o Networks where a hub is located adjacent to a monitor that
+ emits disruptive RF when displaying certain graphics.
+ o Networks where an ISP and several of their customers use
+ network 10.0.0.0 internally and do not hide RIP broadcasts from
+ one another.
+ o Networks where gateways are data-sensitive
+ o Networks where vendors inadvertently ship units with
+ duplicate MAC addresses to the same end-user or where all users
+ have a tool for changing MAC addresses.
+
+
+
+Bressen Informational [Page 1]
+
+RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
+
+
+ In this document we introduce a new hardware-based tool for diagnosis
+ and repair of network related hardware and software problems. This
+ tool is best suited to addressing nondeterministic problems such as
+ those described above. This tool has broad areas of application at
+ all levels of the OSI model; in addition to uses in the physical,
+ network, transport and application layers, it has been used to
+ successfully address problems at the political and religious layers
+ as well. RITA, the Reliable Internet Troubleshooting Agent, was
+ developed initially at The Leftbank Operation (now known as Cohesive
+ Network Systems, New England Division) based on a hardware platform
+ supplied by Archie McPhee (Reference [1]). A typical RITA unit is
+ depicted in Figure 1.
+
+ comb neck body feet
+ | | | |
+ v v V V
+ ,^/'/, ,______________________. ,
+ i' ' / / =========<-
+ / <o> `---------/ \ `
+ .;__. ,__,--------. / ,
+ / ,/ vv \ =========<-
+ '-' `-----------------------' `
+ ^ ^ ^
+ | | |
+ beak wattles legs
+
+ Figure 1.
+
+2. Specification
+
+ A typical RITA is 51.25 cm long and yellow-orange in color. Either
+ natural or artificial substances may be used for construction. RITA
+ has very flexible characteristics, and thus can interoperate within
+ fairly broad parameters. Unlike most other tools described in
+ forthcoming RFC's, RITA does not require any IANA namespace
+ management. It is not anticipated that versions will be
+ incompatible, thus no versioning field is present. Interoperability
+ testing may be conducted at a future meeting of the IETF.
+
+3. Diagnostic Usage:
+
+ RITA may be applied in two diagnostic fashions, however only one of
+ these methods, described below in 3.1, has been refined to a state
+ such that we feel comfortable publishing the methodology.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Bressen Informational [Page 2]
+
+RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
+
+
+ 3.1 The first method provides a broad-spectrum evaluation of
+ quality of the entity tested, and is thus known as the BS eval test.
+ This method can be used with great success on both deterministic and
+ non-deterministic problems. Testing is performed by placing the RITA
+ unit on top of a suspect piece of hardware, or, in the case of
+ software, placing the unit on a packaged copy of the program, or hard
+ copy of the source code.
+
+ If the RITA does not get up and fly away, the hardware or software
+ being tested is misconfigured, fubar, or broken as designed. While
+ this method does identify all equipment and software as sub-optimal,
+ Sturgeon's Law (see reference [5]) indicates that at least 90% of
+ these results are accurate, and it is felt that a maximum 10% false
+ positive result is within acceptable parameters.
+
+ 3.2 The second method involves applications of traditional techniques
+ of haruspication (see reference [3]) and to date has been practiced
+ with much greater success using implements other than RITA. The
+ absence of entrails in the RITA unit may contribute to this; future
+ design enhancements may address this issue by the addition of
+ artificial giblets.
+
+ An alternative approach that has been discarded involved cleromantic
+ principles (see reference [3]), and was known as "flipping the bird".
+
+4. Corrective Usage:
+
+ Corrective usage of RITA is most successful in dealing with the most
+ difficult class of networking problems: those that seem to exhibit
+ sporadic, non-deterministic behavior.
+
+ RITA units enhance normal corrective measures of these problems,
+ methods such as rebooting, reseating of components and connectors,
+ changing tabs to spaces or vice-versa in configuration files, blaming
+ third-party vendors, and use of ballistic implements to effect
+ wholesale displacement of systems and software, to at least 100% of
+ their normal efficacy.
+
+ Specific Problem Methodologies:
+
+ o Physical Layer: Wave RITA unit towards malfunctioning
+ components.
+ o Network Layer: Wave RITA unit towards malfunctioning
+ components.
+ o Transport Layer: Wave RITA unit towards malfunctioning
+ components.
+
+
+
+
+
+Bressen Informational [Page 3]
+
+RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
+
+
+ o Application Layer: Strike product vendor representative
+ (or programmer, if available) with RITA, preferably on the top
+ of the skull, while shouting, "Read The Fine RFC's comma darn
+ it!"
+ o Political Layer: Strike advocates of disruptive or
+ obstructive policies with RITA, preferably on the top of the
+ skull. In extreme cases insertion of RITA into bodily apertures
+ may become necessary. WARNING: subsequent failure to remove RITA
+ may cause further problems.
+ o Religious Layer: Strike advocates of disruptive or
+ obstructive religions, and their vendor representatives, with
+ RITA, preferably on the top of the skull. In extreme cases, the
+ RITA may be used as a phlactory, funerary urn, or endcap for
+ bus-and-tag cables.
+
+5. Further Work
+
+ A RITA MIB is under development. This may require adding interface
+ technology and hardware to RITA; a prototype is depicted in Figure 2.
+
+ comb neck body feet
+ | | | |
+ v v V V
+ ,^/'/, ,______________________. ,
+ i' ' / / =========<-
+ / <o> `---------/ \_____________m
+ .;__. ,__,--------. / ,
+ / ,/ vv \ =========<-
+ '-' `-----------------------' `
+ ^ ^ ^ ^
+ | | | |
+ beak wattles legs ethernet
+
+ Figure 2.
+
+ There has been to date no investigation of the possible use of RITA
+ to implement RFC 1149.
+
+ Additionally, this tool has been used with some success for dealing
+ with non-network problems, particularly in the debugging of SCSI bus
+ malfunctions.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Bressen Informational [Page 4]
+
+RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
+
+
+6. Security Considerations
+
+ The RITA will only have serious impact on system security facilities
+ if it is filled with lead shot. It does however, increase the
+ personal security of system administrators; few network toughs are
+ willing to face down a sysadmin armed with a RITA and a confident
+ demeanor.
+
+7. Citations and References
+
+ [1] Postel, J., and J. Reynolds, "Instructions to RFC Authors", RFC
+ 2223, October 1997.
+
+ [2] McPhee, A., http://www.mcphee.com
+
+ [3] http://www.clix.net/5thworld/no-osphere/3e/manteia.html
+
+ [4] Waitzman, D., "Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers"
+ RFC 1149, April 1990.
+
+ [5] Raymond, E. (editor), "The New Hacker's Dictionary" 2nd ed., MIT
+ Press, September 1993. ISBN 0-262-18154-1
+
+8. Acknowledgments
+
+ Initial Development of RITA, Editing, and excellent leather jacket
+ provided by Bob Antia, first reading by John "cgull" Hood,
+ illustrations done using equipment provided by Elizabeth Goodman and
+ Gerry Goodnough.
+
+9. Author's Address
+
+ Andrew K. Bressen
+ 72 Endicott Street
+ Somerville, MA
+
+ Phone: 617-776-2373
+ EMail: bressen@leftbank.com, bressen@cohesive.com, bressen@mirror.to
+
+
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+Bressen Informational [Page 5]
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+RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
+
+
+10. Full Copyright Statement
+
+ Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.
+
+ This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
+ others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
+ or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
+ and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
+ kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
+ included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this
+ document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
+ the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
+ Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
+ developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
+ copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
+ followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
+ English.
+
+ The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
+ revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.
+
+ This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
+ "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
+ TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
+ BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
+ HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
+ MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
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+Bressen Informational [Page 6]
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