[ih] History question -- multi-homing

[Dave Crocker]

On 9/12/2026 2:06 AM, vinton cerf via Internet-history wrote:
> It would be an interesting exercise to posit a different identification
> scheme that would scale and also permit multi-homing. Has someone already
> worked that out? Would it require a flat ID space?


Not sure whether this fits, but I'll add it, just in case.  Back when 
this sort of topic was getting attention in the IETF, I pursued the 
usual methodology of looking for a way to add a level of indirection, 
since that solves all problems.

I discovered that TLS is embedded in a generic mechanism that qualifies 
as a general session layer.  The major appeal of this was that adding 
functionality to the mechanism could possibly then involve only a 
library upgrade. And there was already experience using that library.

The drafts I developed did not gain traction.  Fwiw, here they are:


    CHOICES FOR MULTIADDRESSING (Internet-Draft, 2003)

    🔗
    https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-crocker-mast-analysis-01
    <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-crocker-mast-analysis-01>

    MULTIPLE ADDRESS SERVICE FOR TRANSPORT (MAST):AN EXTENDED PROPOSAL
    (Internet-Draft, 2003)

    🔗
    https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-crocker-mast-proposal-01
    <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-crocker-mast-proposal-01>


d/

-- 
Dave Crocker

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