internet meeting notes, 15 August 1977.

Postel: An address is just a string of bits, with each address parser consuming part of the string, to give a gateway an address reserve one value of the set of values representable in the bits the gateway parses, that reserved value means "here".

Kirstein expressed concern about the address space in the individual networks. Also concerned about translations necessary when going between datagram and virtual call networks.

Cerf: Does the way a thing is named specify the way one gets to it? Especially if a thing is multi-hommed?

Shoch: One way is all gates are in the same net and have exactly one address. Another way is that a gateway has distinct host address on each net it is connected to.

Cerf: If the gateway control center has to talk to the gateway and the gateway has two names, which name does the control center use?

Shoch: Someone has to take responsibility for choosing.

Jacobs: Where do the global unique names come from?

Postel: They are external. We always have a unique description, usually by location, for objects. The gateway control center will have to have for each gateway a unique (external) name, and associated with that a list of internal addresses.

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