12 Network Truths (RFC1925 Free Translation)
Although I have been working in telecom for 5 years and I read various standards regularly, I came across this old standard of 1996 recently.
I think it will be useful and interesting to everyone, from programmers and designers, to any other people who are involved in the creation, design, operation of something more complicated than a can opener.
(original - RFC1925 The Twelve Networking Truths )
R. Callon,
IOOF publisher April
1, 1996
This document provides information for the online community. This document is not an Internet standard of any kind. The distribution of this document is not limited.
This document describes the fundamental network truths of the Internet community. This document defines not a standard, but the feeling that all standards must implicitly conform to fundamental truths.
The truths described in this document are the result of extensive research by many people over a long period of time, some of these people did not plan to make any contribution to this work. The publisher simply gathered all the truths together, and thanks the Internet community for their original presentation.
This RFC provides information on fundamental network truths. These truths apply to building networks in general; they are not limited only to TCP / IP, the Internet, or any other subset of the network community.
1) This should work.
2) Despite all your efforts, you cannot increase the speed of light.
3) After the necessary push, the pig will fly well enough. However, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is very difficult to predict where the pig will land, and it is just as dangerous to sit down when it flies overhead.
4) Some things in life can never be appreciated without being experienced first of all in one’s own life experience. Some things in networking cannot be fully understood by anyone who has never built commercial networking equipment and never managed a working network.
5) It is always possible to combine many different problems into a single complex independent solution. In most cases, this is a bad idea.
6) It is easier to transfer, move the problem (for example, move it to another part of the entire network architecture), rather than solve it.
7) There are always special circumstances / events / conditions.
8) This is much more complicated than you think.
9) Despite all your existing resources, you always need more.
10) One size does not fit all.
11) Each old idea will be proposed again under a different name and different presentation, regardless of whether it works.
12) In protocol design, perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to reduce.
I think it will be useful and interesting to everyone, from programmers and designers, to any other people who are involved in the creation, design, operation of something more complicated than a can opener.
12 network truths
(original - RFC1925 The Twelve Networking Truths )
R. Callon,
IOOF publisher April
1, 1996
Status of this document
This document provides information for the online community. This document is not an Internet standard of any kind. The distribution of this document is not limited.
Short review
This document describes the fundamental network truths of the Internet community. This document defines not a standard, but the feeling that all standards must implicitly conform to fundamental truths.
Official statement
The truths described in this document are the result of extensive research by many people over a long period of time, some of these people did not plan to make any contribution to this work. The publisher simply gathered all the truths together, and thanks the Internet community for their original presentation.
1. Introduction
This RFC provides information on fundamental network truths. These truths apply to building networks in general; they are not limited only to TCP / IP, the Internet, or any other subset of the network community.
2. Network truths
1) This should work.
2) Despite all your efforts, you cannot increase the speed of light.
2.a) (therefore). No matter how hard and persistently you try, you will not be able to get a baby faster than in 9 months. Trying to speed up this process MAY slow it down, but it will never help a birth happen earlier.
3) After the necessary push, the pig will fly well enough. However, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is very difficult to predict where the pig will land, and it is just as dangerous to sit down when it flies overhead.
4) Some things in life can never be appreciated without being experienced first of all in one’s own life experience. Some things in networking cannot be fully understood by anyone who has never built commercial networking equipment and never managed a working network.
5) It is always possible to combine many different problems into a single complex independent solution. In most cases, this is a bad idea.
6) It is easier to transfer, move the problem (for example, move it to another part of the entire network architecture), rather than solve it.
6.a) (therefore). It is always possible to add another level to create a workaround.
7) There are always special circumstances / events / conditions.
7.a) (therefore). Good, Fast, Cheap: choose any two points (it is impossible to have all three at the same time).
8) This is much more complicated than you think.
9) Despite all your existing resources, you always need more.
9.a) (therefore). Each network problem requires more time to solve than, as you think, it should have.
10) One size does not fit all.
11) Each old idea will be proposed again under a different name and different presentation, regardless of whether it works.
11.a) (therefore). See rule 6.a.
12) In protocol design, perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to reduce.