    Network Working Group                                     Bob Thomas
    RFC # 504                                                 BBN
    NIC # 16155                                               April 30, 1973

                             Workshop Announcement

    Title: Automated Resource Sharing on the ARPANET

    Date:  Monday May 21, 1973

    Time:  9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

    Place: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

    Hosts: TENEX and TIP Groups at BBN

    Theme:
    -----

    This workshop will focus on various aspects of the question:

        What steps can be taken to automate access to the distributed
        resources on the ARPANET?

    In particular, how can we move from where we are today toward an
    environment which facilitates resource sharing by moving the burden of
    dealing with the network from the human user to processes which act on
    his behalf?  Additionally, operating systems themselves perform various
    operations not directly initiated by human users which could better be
    performed with the availability of resources on other systems (e.g.
    file system backup); how can we move toward an environment which
    facilitates such system-system cooperation?

    Objectives of Workshop:
    ----------------------

    1.  To identify and clarify the issues raised by automated resource
        sharing.
        What are the obstacles preventing more widespread resource sharing
        on the ARPANET?  Are they technical, political, administrative in
        nature?  Is it that there are few resources worth sharing (we don't
        think so)?  Is automated sharing a bad idea (We don't think so)?

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    RFC 504                  Workshop Announcement                April 1973

    2.  To identify resources at various network sites appropriate for
        automated sharing; and to identify the need for resources which
        don't but should exist.

    3.  To formulate a series of experiments for the purpose of evaluating
        relative merits and disadvantages of different approaches to
        automating resource sharing.
        The intent of such experimentation is to gain experience through
        construction and use of prototype systems which support automated
        sharing.

    Format of Workshop:
    ------------------

    Morning:

    In order to get the workshop "up to speed", each participant will be
    expected to give a brief presentation of relevant work he (his site) is
    currently engaged in, is planning to do, or to identify and discuss
    issues he feels are relevant to the subject.  Time will be allowed for
    brief discussion after each presentation.

    Afternoon:

    General discussion of the issues raised during the morning session.
    Possible subjects for discussion include (but need not be limited to):

    1.  Identification of possible multi-site "services".
        Intersite mail, terminal linking, status information are some
        examples - what are others?

    2.  Identification of resources appropriate for remote utilization.
        File systems, compilers, on-line query systems, manuscript
        preparation systems are some examples - what are others?

    3.  Access to remote resources.
        Possibility of access paths other than the standard logger port.  To
        what extent (if at all) can the access paths to a variety of
        different resources be standardized?  How can resources which may
        move from Host to Host or may be available on several Hosts be
        dynamically located and selected for use?  The need for
        (desirability of) a "broadcast ICP".

    4.  Problems of accounting for resource utilization.
        Some form of network wide accounting would be a great convenience.
        For example, it would be nice if a user could use the same account
        at many (all?) sites.  What are the problems (if any) preventing
        this?

    Thomas                                                          [Page 2]

    RFC 504                  Workshop Announcement                April 1973

    5.  Problems of security and access control.
        Authentication of users/processes attempting to use resources.  As
        with network wide accounts, the ability to use the same name and
        password at all sites would be convenient.  How can a user's
        password and other sensitive data be protected in such an
        environment?
        The notion of a third party password validation and user
        authentication service.

    6.  Approaches to automating resource sharing.
        It is possible without difficulty to identify several which on the
        surface appear to be different:

        a.  Multi-site executive programs which make resources accessible to
            the user at the command language level; e.g.  the inter-site,
            user-user interaction and file maintenance activity supported by
            the RSEXEC.
        b.  A programming language environment designed to facilitate
            resource sharing; e.g. LISP is a machine independent language -
            one could imagine a multi-computer LISP system which supported
            automated resource sharing.
        c.  The "collect a resource" approach - identify an Editor here,
            file storage service there, a compiler somewhere else, etc; and
            build a "workshop" environment which provides convenient access
            to these resources.

        What are the relative merits and disadvantages of these approaches?
        What aspects do these approaches have in common?  Is it possible to
        identify a common base capable of supporting them all?

    7.  Protocols to support automated resource sharing.
        It would be inappropriate to attempt to generate a detailed protocol
        specification at this workshop. However, it is appropriate to
        discuss the kinds of activity a protocol should support. Existing
        protocols (excepting Host-Host protocol and possibly, the new TELNET
        protocol) appear to be oriented toward human users. Automated
        resource sharing suggests processes acting on behalf of human users
        to interface to remote resources; this in turn suggests that the
        protocols should be highly process oriented. For example, because
        there should be minimal human intervention in error recovery, the
        protocols should be extremely robust; e.g., include well specified
        time outs, etc.

    Thomas                                                          [Page 3]

    RFC 504                  Workshop Announcement                April 1973

    Arrangements:
    ------------

    If you are planning to attend the workshop, please notify Bob Thomas at
    BBN (send net mail to BTHOMAS@BBN, telephone (617) 491-1850, x483).  If
    you would like us to make motel reservations for you (at the homestead
    Inn at Fresh Pond) call Mrs Terry Bernier at BBN (x545).

    It is possible that a single day will prove to be insufficient for this
    workshop.  If that is the consensus of the attendees, the workshop will
    continue through Tuesday May 22.

    Position papers, memos, notes, etc. prepared by participants in advance
    of the workshop will help contribute to the success of the workshop and
    are requested.  All such papers received before May 11 will be
    distributed, in advance, to workshop attendees.

    The following questions may be helpful in focusing your thinking:

    - What resources would your site be willing to make available for use in
      automated resource sharing experiments?
    - Under what conditions would your site be willing or able to
      participate in such experiments?
    - What administrative and/or technical considerations would prevent your
      site from entering into a network wide resource sharing agreement?
    - If you employ accounting Procedures that require cost recovery, how,
      if at all, should they be modified to work in a network resource
      sharing environment?

    Reading List:
    ------------

    We are aware of little that has been written on the subject of automated
    resource sharing.  However, the following items are relevant (at least
    marginally) to the workshop.  Please inform us of others of which you
    are aware.

    1.  ARPANET NEWS, Issue 2, Report on COMPCON 73 "Birds of a Feather
        Session" on Resource Sharing Networks, NIC 15337.
    2.  "A Resource Sharing Executive for the ARPANET", R. Thomas, Preprint
        of paper for 1973 National Computer Conference, BBN Report 2522, NIC
        #14689.
    3.  "Terminal Access to the ARPANET - Experience and Improvements", N.
        Mimno, B. Cosell, Walden, et. al., COMPCON 73 Proceedings, NIC
        14791.
    4.  "A Tentative Proposal for a Modified User Protocol", M. Padlipsky,
        RFC 451, NIC #14135.

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    RFC 504                  Workshop Announcement                April 1973

    5.  "Interentity Communication - An experiment", R. Bressler, R. Thomas,
        RFC 441, NIC 13773.
    6.  "Netbank", J. Postel, RFC 408, NIC #12390.

           [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
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    Thomas                                                          [Page 5]