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RFC 450 UNKNOWN NETWORK SERVICES · COMPUTING ACCESS

MULTICS sampling timeout change

Increasing the time limit for trial use of a remote computer system.

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
February 1973
AUTHORS
M.A. Padlipsky
STREAM
Legacy
ORIGINAL TIMEOUT
1 CPU minute
NEW TIMEOUT
5 CPU minutes
DOI
10.17487/RFC0450

RFC text

Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗ 
Network Working Group                                   M. Padlipsky
Request for Comments # 450                              MIT-MULTICS
NIC # 14134                                             February 8, 1973



                    MULTICS SAMPLING TIMEOUT CHANGE


In response to popular demand, and in view of the fact that we've found
an extra bit of budget, the timeout on sampling ("anonymous") use of
Multics via the Net has been increased to 5 cpu minutes (from 1 cpu
minute); coupled with various internal speedups, this change should
allow the performance of substantive experiments in a single session.










       [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
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AI ELI5

On this page
PROBLEMResearchers trying out MIT's Multics system over the network had only one CPU minute for a trial session, which was too short for meaningful experiments.
MECHANISMMIT increased the trial usage limit from one CPU minute to five, and added internal speedups to make experiments feasible within a session.
SERVICE IMPROVEMENTThe extended time allowed users to run substantive experiments without needing to reconnect, improving the trial experience.

§1The Sampling Timeout Change

RFC 450 announces a change to the MIT Multics system's remote access policy. Multics allowed anonymous sampling (trial) use over the ARPANET network, but the timeout on these sessions was only one CPU minute. This time limit was too brief for users to run real experiments or evaluate the system properly.

MIT's remote computer system let anyone try it over the network, but only for one minute.

§2The Improvement

In response to user demand and thanks to a budget adjustment, MIT raised the sampling timeout to five CPU minutes. Additionally, internal performance improvements made the system faster, allowing users to accomplish more within a single session. The combined effect was that visitors could now conduct meaningful experiments and evaluations during their trial period.

MIT gave users five minutes instead of one, and made the system run faster, so users could actually try real work.

§3Supporting Remote Access

This change reflects the growing importance of remote access to computing resources over the ARPANET. Providing adequate trial periods encouraged sites to use network-accessible systems and helped build a culture of resource sharing among research institutions. The timeout increase demonstrates how operational adjustments to remote services could improve their utility and adoption.

Letting people try the computer for longer made more researchers want to use it over the network.