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RFC 41 UNKNOWN OPERATIONAL · NETWORK · MESSAGES

IMP-IMP Teletype Communication

Request to add timestamps to IMP-to-IMP network messages

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
March 1970
AUTHORS
J.T. Melvin
STREAM
Legacy
TIME FORMAT
24-hour time with time zone
DOI
10.17487/RFC0041

RFC text

Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗ 
Network Working Group                           John Melvin
Request for Comments: 41                        SRI/ARC
                                                30 March 1970



               IMP/IMP Teletype Communication



        I have occasionally found myself in a situatuation in
Which I see a message from site X on my IMP teletype, but I don't
know the time and date of the message.


        I find this annoying, since a response to it may be in order
if it is (say) less than an hour old, but not if it is several hours
old. The situation is not improved by the existence of sites that
now span all time zones of the U.S. and do not have direct voice
connection.


        It is requested that everyone tag their IMP to IMP tele-
type messages that cause no response at the receiving IMP.


        The transmitting IMP site should use 24 hour time and include
the time zone designation.


   [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
   [ into the online RFC archives by Larry Campbell 7/97   ]

AI ELI5

On this page
PROBLEMWhen an operator sees a message from another network site on their teletype, they do not know when it was sent, making it hard to decide whether to respond.
MECHANISMThis note requests that IMPs add a timestamp to each teletype message they send, using 24-hour time with a time zone designation.
OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTA small but useful operational improvement that helped early network administrators manage time-sensitive interactions.

§1The Problem

An IMP (Interface Message Processor, the early network's routing computers) teletype sometimes receives messages from other sites without timing information. The operator receiving the message does not know if it is fresh or hours old. This is particularly difficult across time zones: many sites span all U.S. time zones and have no direct voice connection, so an operator cannot quickly ask when the message was sent.

Messages appear on a screen but you don't know when they arrived, which matters for deciding if you should answer.

§2Proposed Solution

The RFC requests that every IMP teletype message that causes no response at the receiving end should be tagged with a timestamp. The sending IMP should use 24-hour time and include the time zone designation so the receiving operator knows both what time it was and where that time came from.

Tag each message with the time it was sent, using a format anyone can understand.

§3Impact

This is a straightforward operational improvement for the early network. It is requested that all sites adopt this practice. The note is brief and directed at operators and system administrators of the IMPs rather than specifying a formal protocol change.

It is a simple idea, but it helps people talking across the network understand each other better.