RFC 1371 (rfc1371) - Page 1 of 9

Choosing a Common IGP for the IP Internet

Network Working Group                                  P. Gross, Editor
Request for Comments: 1371                              IETF/IESG Chair
                                                           October 1992


              Choosing a "Common IGP" for the IP Internet
                 (The IESG's Recommendation to the IAB)

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
   unlimited.

Special Note

   This document was originally prepared as an Internet Engineering
   Steering Group (IESG) recommendation to the Internet Architecture
   Board (IAB) in mid-summer 1991, reaching the current version by the
   date shown above.  Although the document is now somewhat dated (e.g.,
   CIDR and RIP II are not mentioned), the IESG felt it was important to
   publish this along with the recent OSPF Applicability Statement [11]
   to help establish context and motivation.

Abstract

   This memo presents motivation, rationale and other surrounding
   background information leading to the IESG's recommendation to the
   IAB for a single "common IGP" for the IP portions of the Internet.

   In this memo, the term "common IGP" is defined, the need for a common
   IGP is explained, the relation of this issue to other ongoing
   Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) routing protocol development
   is provided, and the relation of this issue to the goal for multi-
   protocol integration in the Internet is explored.

   Finally, a specific IGP is recommended as the "common IGP" for IP
   portions of the Internet -- the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
   routing protocol.

   The goal of this recommendation is for all vendors of Internet IP
   routers to make OSPF available as one of the IGP's provided with
   their routers.








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