COMPUTER NETWORKS
Invitation to a professional workshop for people new to computer networks research.
Crocker, S.D., "COMPUTER NETWORKS", RFC 169, DOI 10.17487/RFC0169, May 1971, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc169>.
@misc{rfc169,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 169,
howpublished = {RFC 169},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0169},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc169},
author = {S.D. Crocker},
title = {{COMPUTER NETWORKS}},
pagetotal = 4,
year = 1971,
month = may,
} RFC text
Network Working Group S. Crocker
Request for Comments: 169 UCLA-NMC
NIC 6789 Computer Science
Categories: B, C, C 27 May 1971
Obsoletes: None
Updates: None
IEEE Computer Society Workshop
West Coast Committee
COMPUTER NETWORKS
Lake Arrowhead, California
September 8 - September 10, 1971
Co-Chairmen: David J. Farber -- University of California, Irvine
Stephen D. Crocker -- ARPA/IPT
The number of networks has grown to the point where not all
participants are familiar with each other; more networks are under
development. This workshop is intended especially for those
manufactureers, users and researchers who have just entered, or are
about to enter, the network field. Presentations are invited on all
aspects of computer networks, particularly including user
communities, inter-node protocols, terminal and switching equipments,
and communications technology.
Presentations on embryonic systems are especially invited.
Tentative Agenda
Session I and II -- Description of Specific Systems
Presentation of specific systems with emphasis on such topics as the
aim of the system and scope; the constraints applied by the
application; the equipment used; protocols; expected lifetime; etc.
Session III -- Functional Capabilities - Alan Weis - IBM Research
This session will discuss such topics as file transmission, the
referencing of foreign data sets, remote job entry protocols,
resource control, data standards, etc.
Session IV -- Limitations of Hardware and Software Systems for
Networks - Al Irvine - NCR
Multiplexers, terminals, software systems, and hardware design will
be among the topics discussed at this session.
Panel Session -- Network Management Problems - Einar Stefferud -
Consultant
Participation in the workshop will be by invitation from the program
committee and will be limited to 65 persons, in order to facilitiate
discussion. To encourage free discussion of tentative conclusions,
no workshop proceedings will be published. The workshop should
stimulate generation of high quality papers for subsequent
publications.
Should you desire to participate in this workshop, please return the
attached questionnaire to the program committee prior to 20 July
1971. Be sure to arrange any release required by your organization.
A registration fee of $45 includes means and housing.
Invitations will be mailed to selected participants approximately 15
August 1971. Whether or not you plan to participate, please call
this announcement to the attention of qualified colleagues who have
been omitted from the mailing.
For further information as either a presenter or as a participant
please contact:
Prof. David J. Farber
University of California
Information and Computer Science Department
Irvine, California 92664
(714) 833-6891
or
Steve Crocker
Advanced Research Projects Agency - room 730
1400 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Virginia 22209
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GENERAL INFORMATION ON IEEE WORKSHOPS
What is a Workshop?
The objectives of these workshops are:
To clarify, by exhaustive and off-the-record discussion between
active workers in the field, the merits and disadvantages of
controversial alternative approaches to a specific phase of
computer organization, and to establish the basis for a group of
high-quality papers for IEEE meetings and publications.
The workshop involves four (4) key concepts:
1. Small number of participants to permit exhaustive discussion:
2. Off-the-record proceedings to allow discussion of incomplete and
preliminary results:
3. Selected mature participants to obviate the need for tutorial and
introductory material:
4. A carefully defined topic to keep the discussion in focus.
Off-The-Record Meetings
To permit discussion of incomplete and tentative results, information
at the workshop cannot be published. Slides or blackboards may not
be photographed so the workshop does not constitute disclosure in the
sense of the Patent Law. After the meeting, participants are
encouraged to publish significant contributions.
Selected Participants
By limiting the workshop to a small number of active workers, mature
scientists knowledgeable in the specific area under discussion,
formal papers can be displaced by brief opening statements followed
by an open discussion.
General Information on IEEE Workshops
Page 2.
Publication of Results
One measure of the success of a workshop is the resulting publication
of research. While the workshop itself is closed, it should serve as
a stimulus to generate a series of high-quality papers for subsequent
open meetings.
Session Organization
The workshop is divided into four (4) scheduled sessions, each
centered on one phase of the problem to be discussed. Normally, the
workshop chairman will assign to each session chairman the task of
clarifying the subsidiary questions to be discussed in his session.
Each session is divided into "talks." The speakers are designated as
discussion leaders. Most participants at the workshop will be
discussion leaders at one of the sessions. The session chairman will
attempt to provide each speaker with the time he requests (within
limits). Normally, five to ten minutes will be allowed for formal
presentation, with 15 to 30 minutes reserved for discussion and
debate. In addition, the chairman may include a general discussion
period at the end of the session.
AI ELI5
On this page
§1The Workshop
RFC 169 announces an IEEE Computer Society West Coast workshop on computer networks to be held at Lake Arrowhead, California on September 8-10, 1971. Organized by David Farber (UC Irvine) and Stephen Crocker (ARPA), the workshop was designed especially for people newly entering the networking field, including manufacturers, users and researchers.
Participation was limited to 65 people to encourage discussion, and attendance was by invitation only. The workshop was off-the-record, meaning slides and blackboards could not be photographed and discussions would not be published—allowing participants to discuss preliminary and incomplete results freely.
In September 1971, computer scientists were invited to a three-day meeting in the mountains. Only 65 people could come. It was secret—no one could publish what was said there.
§2Sessions and Topics
The workshop had four main sessions. Sessions I and II focused on descriptions of specific network systems, their aims, scope, constraints, equipment, protocols and expected lifetime. Session III on functional capabilities covered file transmission, accessing foreign data, remote job entry, resource control and data standards. Session IV addressed limitations of hardware and software, including multiplexers, terminals and network-capable systems.
A panel session on network management problems completed the agenda. Presentations were brief (5-10 minutes) followed by 15-30 minutes of discussion. Participants were encouraged to present preliminary and embryonic systems, not just finished work.
The four days had talks about different network systems, what jobs they could do, what hardware problems they had, and how to manage a network. Everyone got to argue and ask questions.
§3Philosophy and Goals
The workshop followed IEEE principles for technical gatherings: it brought together active workers in the field for exhaustive discussion of controversial approaches; it used selected mature participants to avoid need for tutorials; it kept discussion focused on a defined topic; and it was limited in size to permit in-depth conversation.
The goal was not to publish proceedings but to stimulate high-quality papers for IEEE meetings afterward. Participants paid a registration fee of $45 covering meals and housing. Invitations were sent around August 15, 1971, for the September meeting.
The idea was to get smart people in one room to argue about hard problems, and then have them write good papers about what they figured out.