On 9/5/06, Sam Hartman <hartmans-ietf(_at_)mit(_dot_)edu> wrote:
There are a
lot of complexities--for example while we hope every IP stack works
with every other IP stack, two machines may not share a common
upper-layer protocol or application protocol.
I worry that such text will encourage sprawling specifications that
make requirements across many layers. I think the example you give is
a little misleading, since it can be harmful for specifications to
make requirements on lower layers as well. For example, HTTP requires
a reliable transport, but I think it's good that RFC2616 does not
include text like "HTTP implementations MUST support TCP/IP, but may
support other transport protocols".
In other words, universal interoperability will not be achieved by
making RFC2119 demands in documents. It can be achieved by writing
small documents that confine themselves to one layer.
--
Robert Sayre
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