Internet Control Message Protocol

Abstract: The transport layer of the protocol suite, especially in connectionless protocols, has considerable functionality and is typically executed in software by the host processor at the end points of the network. It is thus considered a likely source of processing overhead. However, a preliminary examination has suggested to the authors that other aspects of networking may be a more serious source of overhead. To test this proposition, a detailed study was made of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the transport protocol from the Internet protocol suite. In this set of protocols, the functions of detecting and recovering lost or corrupted packets, flow control, and multiplexing are performed at the transport level. The results of that study are presented. It is concluded that TCP is in fact not the source of the overhead often observed in packet processing, and that it could support very high speeds if properly implemented. >

Abstract: This document specifies a set of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) messages for use with version 6 of the Internet Protocol (IPv6).

Abstract: This memo describes a technique for dynamically discovering the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of an arbitrary internet path. It specifies a small change to the way routers generate one type of ICMP message. For a path that passes through a router that has not been so changed, this technique might not discover the correct Path MTU, but it will always choose a Path MTU as accurate as, and in many cases more accurate than, the Path MTU that would be chosen by current practice.

Abstract: This document describes the Network Time Protocol (NTP), a protocol for synchronizing a set of network clocks using a set of distributed clients and servers. NTP is built on the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which provides a connectionless transport mechanism. It is evolved from the Time Protocol and the ICMP Timestamp message and is a suitable replacement for both. This RFC suggests a proposed protocol for the ARPA-Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.