TriNetre - Archive for March 13, 2004
(no longer updated)
Government Computer News is reporting DARPA's intention to scrutinise the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI), Internet Protocol (IP) and von Neumann architecture models.
The 7 layer OSI model is one of the most sacred models in networking community and a lot of researchers have been calling for a fresh look at the layering restrictions. When I started my Masters at CIR, two of my colleagues were working on what was eventually called the TCP HACK version of the TCP protocol. Summarising crudely, the proposal was to let the relatively dumb IP layer pass up some packets that were corrupted, to the TCP layer so that the more "intelligent" TCP layer could make more apt deductions. Important information could still be retrieved from a corrupt IP packet that would otherwise be dropped at the IP layer.
This proposal did not, in general, sit well with the networking community, since it broke the isolation mandated by the OSI layer model. Even though the simulations and real-life demonstrations showed that TCP HACK did indeed perform better, the research died a premature death and all that is left are some journal and conference papers and Linux kernel 2.2 codes.High school was ok, but my real love was the stage crew, of which I was electrician. Nobody likes M.I.T. People respect it. I respect it. But like it? Does anyone like taking a drink from a fire hose? I am still in awe of the place. I loved Berkeley and the Bay Area.
Did you experience culture shock going from M.I.T. to Berkeley?
Oh my goodness. Yes. It was so strange to be in an environment with people having I.Q.'s below 150 and where it wasn't necessary to study 12, 13, 14 hours a day, seven days a week just to keep up.
- from Prof. Andrew S. Tanenbaum's FAQ
