Protocol Portability through Module Encapsulation

Author(s)
Calvert, Kenneth L.
Krupczak, Bobby
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Abstract
Because protocol software is difficult and expensive to implement and test, it is often ported between systems, instead of being rewritten from scratch. Unfortunately, porting protocol software can be nearly as difficult as from-scratch development, due to inherent differences in subsystem design and services provided. Thus, protocol subsystems can have a profound effect on the portability of a protocol implementation. In this paper, we propose an approach permitting the incorporation of new protocols into a subsystem other than their "native" one, without the drawbacks or expense of porting and original development. Our approach is based on protocol module encapsulation, which allows unmodified protocol code developed for one protocol subsystem to be used within another. We relate our experiences designing, implementing, and measuring the performance of our protocol encapsulation modules, using an AppleTalk protocol stack as a baseline.
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Date
1996
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219293 bytes
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Text
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Technical Report
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