Subject: [tcpm] TCP options - tcp-parameters IANA registry

From: Alfred Hönes <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:57:42 +0100 (MEZ)

Hello all,
there are currently several proposals for new TCP options.

It has turned out onerous to get an overview of the TCP options
defined in the past, because the IANA 'tcp-parameters' registry
had not seen any additions until recently, for more than a decade,
and has not been maintained as carefully as might be desirable,
and because there are some apparently very obscure entries.

I have perceived the desire to build a more sound foundation
for my understanding of the issues related with those old and
proposed TCP options.  To this end, I have tried to perform a
survey of the non-RFC IANA-registered TCP options, by sending
out a questionnary to personal registrants last January, and I
have tried to collect and condense information contained in RFCs,
and from the distributed wisdom of the net.

I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of those individuals who have
assisted my attempts to get in contact with the owners of legacy
registrations, and who have taken the time to fill in the
questionnary and to supply additional information.

Due to lack of spare time and a rather small rate of feedback
I eventually arrived at for the survey, it took me until now to
prepare an updated, corrected, amended, and annotated version of
the latest IANA 'tcp-parameters' file.

I hope that sharing this information with the list will help to

o   complete the information, and

o   serve as a solid base of additional information for ongoing
    and starting discussions on various issues related to
    (existing and) newly proposed TCP options.

Furthermore, I'm interested to hear whether it might make sense
to start an 'authorized' effort to improve and update the
'tcp-parameters' IANA registry, incorporating some of the
changes I have performed on my local copy.

Currently, an update to the IANA Considerations for the 'protocols'
registry is submitted (from within and) to the IESG for publication
as an RFC, and a similar effort is being discussed for the
'port-numbers' registry as well.
This therefore might be a good opportunity for a cleanup of the
'tcp-parameters' registry as well, closing the gaps and facelifting
the file.

I have enclosed as an attachment my current working copy of that
registry file, including `==>` tagged lines pointing to specific
solicitations for additional information.
For informational purposes, I have also left therein a few traces
of the history of the file, as recovered from local backup media.

Please send comments to the list or in private communication,
as deemed useful.
I will honor requests for non-disclosure of information sources
and/or details received in personal communication, and will try
to update the working copy based on feedback received, in a neutral
and abstract way -- following the style you'll already find there
currently.

( see attached file: annotated_tcp-parameters.20070216 )

Kind regards,
   Alfred.

-- 

+------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| TR-Sys Alfred Hoenes   |  Alfred Hoenes   Dipl.-Math., Dipl.-Phys.  |
| Gerlinger Strasse 12   |  Phone: (+49)7156/9635-0, Fax: -18         |
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