As per Relevance of the word provided, we have this rfc below:
Network Working Group A.
Request for Comments: 2321 Cohesive Network
Category: Informational 1 April 1998
RITA -- The Reliable Internetwork Troubleshooting
Status of this
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
memo is unlimited
Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved
A Description of the usage of Nondeterministic Troubleshooting
Diagnostic Methodologies as applied to today's
nondeterministic networks and environments
1.
Increasingly, IETF efforts have been devoted to aiding
management, troubleshooting, and diagnosis. Results have
SNMP, cflowd, and RMON, and ongoing projects at the time of
writing include Universal Logging Protocol and
Management. These tools work well within the horizon
deterministic situations in which the configuration of the network
relevant components is known or can be relatively easily determined
They do not well address many problems that are related to
complex internetworks we have today, such as
o Networks where the root bridge for a world-wide
network is suboptimally located, such as under the desk of
secretary who kicks off her shoes when she arrives in
morning
o Networks where a hub is located adjacent to a monitor
emits disruptive RF when displaying certain graphics
o Networks where an ISP and several of their customers
network 10.0.0.0 internally and do not hide RIP broadcasts
one another
o Networks where gateways are data-
o Networks where vendors inadvertently ship units
duplicate MAC addresses to the same end-user or where all
have a tool for changing MAC addresses
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RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
In this document we introduce a new hardware-based tool for
and repair of network related hardware and software problems.
tool is best suited to addressing nondeterministic problems such
those described above. This tool has broad areas of application
all levels of the OSI model; in addition to uses in the physical
network, transport and application layers, it has been used
successfully address problems at the political and religious
as well. RITA, the Reliable Internet Troubleshooting Agent,
developed initially at The Leftbank Operation (now known as
Network Systems, New England Division) based on a hardware
supplied by Archie McPhee (Reference [1]). A typical RITA unit
depicted in Figure 1.
comb neck body
| | | |
v v V
,^/'/, ,______________________. ,
i' ' / / =========<-
/ `---------/ \ `
.;__. ,__,--------. / ,
/ ,/ vv \ =========<-
'-' `-----------------------' `
^ ^ ^
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beak wattles
Figure 1.
2.
A typical RITA is 51.25 cm long and yellow-orange in color.
natural or artificial substances may be used for construction.
has very flexible characteristics, and thus can interoperate
fairly broad parameters. Unlike most other tools described
forthcoming RFC's, RITA does not require any IANA
management. It is not anticipated that versions will
incompatible, thus no versioning field is present.
testing may be conducted at a future meeting of the IETF
3. Diagnostic Usage
RITA may be applied in two diagnostic fashions, however only one
these methods, described below in 3.1, has been refined to a
such that we feel comfortable publishing the methodology
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RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
3.1 The first method provides a broad-spectrum evaluation
quality of the entity tested, and is thus known as the BS eval test
This method can be used with great success on both deterministic
non-deterministic problems. Testing is performed by placing the
unit on top of a suspect piece of hardware, or, in the case
software, placing the unit on a packaged copy of the program, or
copy of the source code
If the RITA does not get up and fly away, the hardware or
being tested is misconfigured, fubar, or broken as designed.
this method does identify all equipment and software as sub-optimal
Sturgeon's Law (see reference [5]) indicates that at least 90%
these results are accurate, and it is felt that a maximum 10%
positive result is within acceptable parameters
3.2 The second method involves applications of traditional
of haruspication (see reference [3]) and to date has been
with much greater success using implements other than RITA.
absence of entrails in the RITA unit may contribute to this;
design enhancements may address this issue by the addition
artificial giblets
An alternative approach that has been discarded involved
principles (see reference [3]), and was known as "flipping the bird".
4. Corrective Usage
Corrective usage of RITA is most successful in dealing with the
difficult class of networking problems: those that seem to
sporadic, non-deterministic behavior
RITA units enhance normal corrective measures of these problems
methods such as rebooting, reseating of components and connectors
changing tabs to spaces or vice-versa in configuration files,
third-party vendors, and use of ballistic implements to
wholesale displacement of systems and software, to at least 100%
their normal efficacy
Specific Problem Methodologies
o Physical Layer: Wave RITA unit towards
components
o Network Layer: Wave RITA unit towards
components
o Transport Layer: Wave RITA unit towards
components
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RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
o Application Layer: Strike product vendor
(or programmer, if available) with RITA, preferably on the
of the skull, while shouting, "Read The Fine RFC's comma
it!"
o Political Layer: Strike advocates of disruptive
obstructive policies with RITA, preferably on the top of
skull. In extreme cases insertion of RITA into bodily
may become necessary. WARNING: subsequent failure to remove
may cause further problems
o Religious Layer: Strike advocates of disruptive
obstructive religions, and their vendor representatives,
RITA, preferably on the top of the skull. In extreme cases,
RITA may be used as a phlactory, funerary urn, or endcap
bus-and-tag cables
5. Further
A RITA MIB is under development. This may require adding
technology and hardware to RITA; a prototype is depicted in Figure 2.
comb neck body
| | | |
v v V
,^/'/, ,______________________. ,
i' ' / / =========<-
/ `---------/ \_____________
.;__. ,__,--------. / ,
/ ,/ vv \ =========<-
'-' `-----------------------' `
^ ^ ^ ^
| | | |
beak wattles legs
Figure 2.
There has been to date no investigation of the possible use of
to implement RFC 1149.
Additionally, this tool has been used with some success for
with non-network problems, particularly in the debugging of SCSI
malfunctions
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RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
6. Security
The RITA will only have serious impact on system security
if it is filled with lead shot. It does however, increase
personal security of system administrators; few network toughs
willing to face down a sysadmin armed with a RITA and a
demeanor
7. Citations and
[1] Postel, J., and J. Reynolds, "Instructions to RFC Authors",
2223, October 1997.
[2] McPhee, A., http://www.mcphee.
[3] http://www.clix.net/5thworld/no-osphere/3e/manteia.
[4] Waitzman, D., "Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers
RFC 1149, April 1990.
[5] Raymond, E. (editor), "The New Hacker's Dictionary" 2nd ed.,
Press, September 1993. ISBN 0-262-18154-1
8.
Initial Development of RITA, Editing, and excellent leather
provided by Bob Antia, first reading by John "cgull" Hood
illustrations done using equipment provided by Elizabeth Goodman
Gerry Goodnough
9. Author's
Andrew K.
72 Endicott
Somerville,
Phone: 617-776-2373
EMail: bressen@leftbank.com, bressen@cohesive.com, bressen@mirror.
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RFC 2321 RITA 1 April 1998
10. Full Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied,
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
included on all such copies and derivative works. However,
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other
English
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns
This document and the information contained herein is provided on
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
Bressen Informational [Page 6]
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