[ih] When did "32" bits for IP register as "not enough"?

[Craig Partridge]

On Thu, Feb 14, 2019 at 1:29 AM Brian E Carpenter <
brian.e.carpenter at gmail.com> wrote:

> Responding to two messages in one:
>
> >> I wonder when (and if) the Internet ever graduated from "interim
> >> solution" status...
> >>
> >> /Jack Haverty
>
> In Europe, it was somewhat official when RARE, the research networks'
> association (later renamed TERENA and now named GÉANT) recognized TCP/IP
> as an acceptable solution in January 1990 "without putting into question
> its OSI policy." I think that Dennis Jennings' choice of TCP/IP for NSFnet
> in 1986 (?) was determinant in the US.
>
> A related question is when the various OSI strategies were formally
> dropped.
> Possibly never, because of the amour-propre of civil servants.
>

I've argued that the OSI vs. TCP/IP process went through multiple stages.

Dennis' decision to adopt TCP/IP for NSFNET was critical.  What it led to
was a boom in TCP/IP deployment and thus TCP/IP-based networking
engineering expertise and products.  By 1988/1989, the market for TCP/IP
products was much bigger (and visibly so) than OSI and we had (a small
number of) thousands of network engineers who understood how to put
together and operate TCP/IP networks.  Furthermore, it was clear that
Novell's solutions didn't scale nicely, so the world-wide network
interconnection space was TCP/IP's, barring unexpected bumps.

But saying that out loud was a good way to invite retribution.  I suffered
one such case in 1989 when in a public forum about network management, I
wanted to point out that the OSI network management protocols wouldn't
work.  But I inadvertently said "OSI won't work", which was understood in
context, but got picked up by a reporter... As late as 1991/1992, the IAB
still felt it needed to nod towards OSI in official statements, even though
it was clear OSI was dead.  It took a while for that need to be politic to
go away.

Notably, post-Kobe, the IETF promptly killed all its OSI-centered WGs.

Craig
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