[ih] A laugh and a question

[David L. Mills]

Noel,

A little digging through my own archives shows that ping functionality 
did exist in the Gateway-Gateway Protocol (GGP) implemented by BBN circa 
1980 and in the Fuzzball at the same time. It was called GGP Echo and 
GGP Echo Reply in RFC823 (1982), but that obsoleted earlier IENs that 
mentioned it. The Fuzzball PING program evolved from the GGP program 
circa 1980, although I didn't document it until IEN-194 (1981). I do 
claim first use "Packet InterNet Groper" in RFC889 (1983). Strangely 
enough, the first Gateway Requirements RFC985, written by my on behalf 
ot the NSF Network Technical Asdvisory Group (NTAG), didn't cast this in 
stone until 1986.

You might remember a bakeoff in 1985 where Proteon, BBN, (cisco?) and 
Fuzzball competed for the NSF Phase-I project gateways. Fuzzball won 
possible not on its own merit, but because it was free.

Dave

Noel Chiappa wrote:

> > From: Jon Snader <jsnader at ix.netcom.com>
>
> > Here's the story from the man who invented it:
>
> It's probably useful to point out that the basic "ping" functionality (not
> sure about the timing aspect), and programs to send them, existed 
> before Mike
> Muuss did the Unix "ping" command.
>
> I don't have the energy to dig through any of my source listings 
> archive from
> the late-70's'/early-80's, and I don't offhand recall the names those
> commands went by, but ICMP Echo Request and Echo Reply existed from a 
> fairly
> early stage (in fact, probably prior to the existence of ICMP as a 
> separate
> protocol).
>
> Maybe someone has the energy to dig through the early RFC's and add 
> more...
>
> Noel