D. Waitzman bs"d
BBN Technologies
1 April 2002
Ubiquitous IP
Status of this Memo
This memo defines Experimental Protocols for the Internet community.
It does not specify Internet Standards of any kind. Discussion and
suggestions for improvement are requested. Distribution of this memo
is unlimited. This memo is not an RFC.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) David Waitzman (2002). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
The Internet Protocol has become ubiquitous and can run over
basically anything. As an example, see RFC 1149, "A Standard for the
Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers". This memo documents
a number of new methods of transmission of IP datagrams.
This is an experimental, not recommended, standard.
Overview and Rationale
While IP can run over anything, the increasing use of firewalls
threatens to make it impossible for some users to communicate. The
Internet philosophy has a fundamental belief that ability of all end
systems to communicate with each other is of paramount importance.
The only exception to this is the communication of SPAM, which is
getting bad enough to make some of us in the Internet control room
want to turn off the big switch that allows email to go through.
This memo documents a number of new ways that IP can be encapsulated,
thus increasing the ability of all to communicate.
A number of the ideas take advantage of the fact that it is perfectly
valid in IP for communications to be unidirectional. Unlike
protocols such as ATM with hard state and the associated set up
phases requiring bidirectional communications, IP can be used for
effective communications with just one packet. This allows "passive
networking" whereby fixed value IP packets are encapsulated on some
medium for later transmission.
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IP over IM
Instant Messaging (IM) is widely implemented and there is ongoing
work at standardizing the messaging formats. IM is frequently
allowed through firewalls. IM therefore is a perfect vehicle for
tunneling IP. With a little end system work, a fairly high bandwidth
channel can be created. The IP packets merely need to be "ascii
armored" for transmission as an IM. With the use of font changes,
such as bold face, a primitive priority labeling system can be
applied at the link (aka IM) level.
IP over Bar Code
IP over Bar Code is a variant of IP over Cellulose. Consider the
difficulty for supermarket staff to update the cash register
computers with every different product's bar code information,
because many new products arrive every week. Note that as bar code
technology increases, the storage capacity of the information
increases. This leads to a first cut solution of putting a URL to
product information in the bar code. This has the flaw in that is
relatively inflexible. With IP over Bar Code, the bar code
encapsulates a sequence of IP packets to update the cash register, as
needed, from the supplier's web site and possibly the supermarket
chain headquarters web site. An IM packet can even be in the bar
code to flash to the cashier's monitor to check for a valid ID of the
purchaser for liquor and other age controlled products.
A variation with even more power is to have Active Networks packets
in the bar code. The purchase of a phone card could trigger an IP
packet, to the Telephone company associated with the card, to
activate the card in their network.
IP over Covert Channels
T e us o C ve an el is nt res i g he c le e is e
imit d b t r e a ab e. M re i rm tio i av i ab v ht p: /ww
. s .go / x . t l
IP over PI
The following encapsulation was suggested by an Enron Network
Architect:
Pi, the transcendental number, has infinite length but it is possible
to determine the value of an arbitrary digit of Pi. As any IP packet
can be encoded as a sequence of numbers, it is possible to devise a
sequence of equations that generate the indexes into Pi that
correspond to an arbitrary IP packet. Since Pi is well known, you
don't need to transmit it. Therefore, IP over Pi can be sent without
sending the actual data, thus preserving it to be resold multiple
times.
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IP over SPAM
If you look at many of the SPAM messages you receive, you will note a
funny sequence of apparently random characters often appears in the
subject line or the last lines of the message. This is actually IP
over SPAM. A message, say from a politically undesired group, is
compressed, encrypted, and encoded in a variant of uuencoding. It is
then split amongst multiple SPAM messages and broadcast out. As SPAM
reaches almost everybody, this solves the problem of the politically
undesired group organized into distinct cells finding each others'
email addresses, as the email addresses are forced to change due to
surveillance by majority political parties.
IP over IETF List
The IETF mailing list has a very low signal to noise ratio, with
reoccuring religious battles and other nonsense. IP Packets, encoded
using MIME, can be broadcast into the IETF list and will rapidly
reach most IETF members. An equivalent to ICMP Destination
Unreachable messages will be received as many "Out of the Office"
messages. The resulting increase in traffic on the list will likely
not be noticeable amidst all the other junk traffic.
IP (Active Networks) over Active Roadways
Also known as Smart Packets for Smart Roads for Dumb Drivers.
Smart roads involves putting low powered directional transmitters in
roadways to communicate information to drivers and/or their cars.
For maximum flexibility, this can be done with IP packets. An
example is transmitting the current traffic regulations pertaining to
that roadway or an upcoming intersection, such as "No left turn 7am
to 9am". This is particularly useful in times of inclement
visibility by the driver, and would show the message in a heads up
display (aka pop up window).
IP over Tin Cans
This is an old idea whereby IP is sent over a taut wire between two
tin cans. Vibrations from a speaker impinging on a can at one end of
the wire travel down the string to the other can and cause a
corresponding vibration. The latest revision from the IEEE now
mandates the use of aluminum cans, as actual tin cans are obsolete.
While the underlying technology is simple and easy to replicate, the
encoding and decoding of IP packets is not trivial. Old experiments
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piping the IP packets through /dev/audio on Suns generated packets
fine, but the receiver logic was never debugged.
Excessive line noise due to stuff left in the cans means FEC (Food
Error Correction) is critical.
IP over Cosmic Strings
This is conceptually a variation of IP over Tin Cans. It again is a
point to point technology.
Cosmic strings have strange properties and possibly not-quite-finite
length. It is also believed that the propogation time through the
string may not be bound by the speed of light. The endpoints of the
string, in order to have a stable base for transmitting and receiving
packets, may need to be dark matter based. Thus while the technical
hurdles to implement the technology are high, the payoff is huge.
(Please consider this paragraph to be prior art to any patent claims
over the next few hundred years with this technology.)
IP over matter spiraling into a Black Hole
When matter spirals into a black hole, huge bursts of X-rays are
emitted. With careful control over the injection rate, a bit
encoding, similar to that used on ethernet, can be used to encode IP
in the X-ray bursts. The advantage to this scheme is that it is a
truely Universal broadcast medium. Firewalls, unless they include
sufficient lead or other dense material, can not filter the signals.
Media companies are particularly excited about the development of
media formats that can only be read via spiraling into a black hole.
These have a natural "play-once" property.
One technical challenge to address is encoding a potentially infinite
TTL in a finite length IP packet.
There is some discussion in yet another MPLS subworking group about
tunneling through the black holes. VC firms, even in 2000, were
suprisingly cautious about funding startups in this area. The last
known exploration of this space was a Disney funded VC in 1979.
There is a endian-like issue to consider. An often repeated fallacy,
which we will assume to be true for getting this thesis done, is that
funnel spirals go in different directions (clockwise versus counter-
clockwise) in the northern versus southern hemispheres. The
direction of the spirals can affect the phase of the bursts.
Therefore, this memo mandates that the southern hemisphere of a black
hole only be used.
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References
Waitzman, D., "A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on
Avian Carriers", RFC 1149, 1 April 1990.
Waitzman, D., "IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service", RFC
2549, 1 April 1999.
Acknowledgments
Bergen Linux Users Group (http://www.blug.linux.no/rfc1149/) for
showing me that even the craziest ideas are implementable by the open
source community.
BBN Department 7B for letting me practice my humor.
IANA Considerations
It is unlikely that the IANA will be asked to assign any numbers for
these protocols. If IANA is asked, we are sure that the laughter
will make it worth the trouble.
Security Considerations
Many of the encapsulations mentioned in this memo are completely
insecure. Experience has shown that this doesn't bother most
Internet users. Therefore, security would be desirable but it is
hard so let's avoid it.
Author's Address
David Waitzman
BBN Technologies
10 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 873-1656
EMail: djw(_at_)bbn(_dot_)com
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