RFC 495 (rfc495) - Page 1 of 2
Telnet Protocol specifications
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group A. McKenzie
Request for Comments: 495 BBN-NET
NIC #15371 1 May 1973
Categories: TELNET, Protocols
References: RFCs 318, 435; NIC 7104
TELNET Protocol Specification
Following much discussion of TELNET via the RFC series, an open meeting
was held at UCLA on 5 March to formulate a new specification for the
TELNET Protocol. Two attached documents (TELNET Protocol Specification,
NIC #15372, and TELNET Option Specifications, NIC #15373) report the
results of that meeting, which was attended by: Alex McKenzie, BBN-NET,
co-chairman; Jon Postel, UCLA-NMC, co-chairman; Bob Braden, UCLA-CCN;
Vint Cerf, Stanford University; Bernie Cosell, BBN-NET; Dave Crocker,
UCLA-NMC; Steve Crocker, ARPA; John Davidson, Univ. of Hawaii; Gary
Grossman, Univ. of Illinois; Bob Merryman, UCSD; Lou Nelson, UCLA-NMC;
Mike Padlipsky, MIT-MULTICS: Milt Reese, FNW; Bob Thomas, BBN-TENEX;
Steve Wolfe, UCLA-CCN.
The two attached specifications referenced above have been reviewed by
the meeting attendees, and should be viewed as the "official" TELNET
Protocol (subject to the implementation schedule given below).
Nevertheless, these documents are still subject to minor revisions and
any pertinent comments should be addressed to me at the NIC as AAM, or
by mail at:
Alex McKenzie
Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc.
50 Moulton Street
Cambridge, Ma. 02138
There are two key dates for a phasing in of the new protocol: the
date when sites should feel free to send the "new" form of TELNET
commands and special codes without expecting to receive "error"
responses, and the date when sites may remove the code which
processes the "old" form of TELNET commands. Between these two
dates, sites may gradually implement and test the "interpreter" for
the new commands. It was the sense of the meeting that appropriate
lead times to these two dates were about 60 and 260 days.
Accordingly, these two dates are hereby established as 1 July 1973
and 1 January 1974.
McKenzie
