NWG/RFC# 748 MRC 1-APR-78 44125

Telnet Randomly-Lose Option

Network Working Group                                         M. Crispin
Request for Comments 748                                           SU-AI
NIC 44125                                                   1 April 1978

TELNET RANDOMLY-LOSE Option

1. Command name and code.

   RANDOMLY-LOSE        256

2. Command meanings.

   IAC WILL RANDOMLY-LOSE
   
      The sender  of this command  REQUESTS  permission  to, or confirms
      that it will, randomly lose.
   
   IAC WON'T RANDOMLY-LOSE

The sender of this command REFUSES to randomly lose.

   IAC DO RANDOMLY-LOSE
   
      The sender  of this command  REQUESTS that the receiver, or grants
      the receiver permission to, randomly lose.
   
   IAC DON'T RANDOMLY-LOSE

The command sender DEMANDS that the receiver not randomly lose.

3. Default.

   WON'T RANDOMLY-LOSE
   
   DON'T RANDOMLY-LOSE

i.e., random lossage will not happen.

4. Motivation for the option.

   Several  hosts appear  to provide  random  lossage,  such  as  system
   crashes,  lost data,  incorrectly functioning programs, etc., as part
   of their services.   These services are often undocumented and are in
   general  quite confusing  to the novice  user.   A general  means  is
   needed to allow the user to disable these features.

NWG/RFC# 748 MRC 1-APR-78 44125

Telnet Randomly-Lose Option

5. Description of the option.

   The normal  mode does not allow random  lossage; therefore the system
   is not allowed  to crash,  mung user files, etc.  If the server wants
   to provide  random lossage, it must first ask for permission from the
   user by sending IAC WILL RANDOMLY-LOSE.
   
   If the user wants  to permit  the server  to randomly lose, it replys
   with  IAC  DO   RANDOMLY-LOSE.    Otherwise   it   sends   IAC   DONT
   RANDOMLY-LOSE, and the server is forbidden from randomly losing.
   
   Alternatively, the user could request the server to randomly lose, by
   sending  IAC DO RANDOMLY-LOSE,  and the server will either reply with
   IAC WILL RANDOMLY-LOSE,  meaning that it will then proceed to do some
   random  lossage  (garbaging  disk files is recommended for an initial
   implementation).   Or,  it could send IAC WONT RANDOMLY-LOSE, meaning
   that it insists upon being reliable.
   
   Since  this is implemented  as a TELNET  option,  it is expected that
   servers  which do not implement  this option  will not randomly lose;
   ie, they will provide 100% reliable uptime.