A Survey of Terminal Protocols
Abstract The Virtual Terminal approach has been used by first by the ARPANET in the U.S. In the last few years, the problem of defining Virtual Terminal Protocols has been approached by several international organizations such as EIN, Euronet, IFIP and by national organizations such as the Belgian University Networks, the German PIX Network, the French Cyclades Network and INFORREP (french' user association'). Asociated manufacturers have also presented a proposal. Till now, an internationally accepted Virtual Terminal Protocol has not yet emerged. The aim of this paper is to compare different protocols. It is divided into four main parts: 1. Presentation of the relationships between Virtual Terminal Protocol and network architecture. 2. Analysis of the different virtual terminal model. 3. Analysis of the set of primitives intended to data structure definition and management. 4. Introduction to the synchronization mechanisms of the protocol.