CRONUS Virtual Local Network
W.I. MacGregor, D. Tappan · 1982
Virtual Local Network RFC 824 permits the Cronus design to assimilate existing software components providing electronic mail, remote terminal access, and file transfer in a straightforward manner.In addition to the roles of such services in the Cronus system, they are needed as support for the design and development process.The prototype Cronus cluster, called the Advanced Development Model (ADM), will be connected to the ARPANET, and it is important that the ADM conform to the standards and conventions of the DARPA internet community.The substitutability goal reflects the belief that different instances of the Cronus cluster will utilize different physical local networks.Substitution may be desirable for reasons of cost, performance, or other properties of the physical local network such as mechanical and electrical ruggedness.The existence of the VLN interface definition suggests a procedure for physical local network substitution, namely, reimplementation of the VLN interface on each Cronus host.The implementations will be functionally equivalent but can be expected to differ along dimensions not specified by the VLN interface definition.Since different physical local networks DOS-26 Rev A Virtual Local Network RFC 824 programming details of the interface are host-dependent and unspecified.The precise representation of the VLN data structures and operations can be expected to vary from machine to machine, but the functional capabilities of the interface are the same regardless of the host. . .