Coloured Book protocols
{{Short description|UK set of communication protocols}}
{{for-multi|the compact disc standards series|Rainbow Books|the series of U.S. government publications on computer security standards|Rainbow Series}}
The Coloured Book protocols were a set of communication protocols for computer networks developed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. These protocols were designed to enable communication and data exchange between different computer systems and networks. The name originated with each protocol being identified by the colour of the cover of its specification document. The protocols were in use until the 1990s when the Internet protocol suite came into widespread use.
History
In the mid-1970s, the British Post Office Telecommunications division (BPO-T) worked with the academic community in the United Kingdom and the computer industry to develop a set of standards to enable interoperability among different computer systems based on the X.25 protocol suite for packet-switched wide area network (WAN) communication. First defined in 1975, the standards evolved through experience developing protocols for the NPL network in the late 1960s and the Experimental Packet Switched Service in the early 1970s.{{Cite book |last=Naughton |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbonCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT290 |title=A Brief History of the Future |date=2015 |publisher=Orion |isbn=978-1-4746-0277-8 |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Cambell-Kelly |first=Martin |date=1987 |title=Data Communications at the National Physical Laboratory (1965-1975) |url=https://archive.org/details/DataCommunicationsAtTheNationalPhysicalLaboratory |journal=Annals of the History of Computing |language=en |volume=9 |issue=3/4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/DataCommunicationsAtTheNationalPhysicalLaboratory/page/n0 221]-247}}{{Cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Ed |last2=Miller |first2=Chris |last3=Norton |first3=Jim |date=2017 |title=Packet Switching: The first steps on the road to the information society |url=https://www.npl.co.uk/getattachment/about-us/History/Famous-faces/Donald-Davies/UK-role-in-Packet-Switching-(1).pdf.aspx?lang=en-GB |access-date= |website=National Physical Laboratory}}{{Cite journal |last=Kirstein |first=Peter T. |date=2009 |title=The early history of packet switching in the UK |journal=IEEE Communications Magazine |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=18–26 |doi=10.1109/MCOM.2009.4785372 |s2cid=34735326}}{{cite journal |last1=Kirstein |first1=P.T. |date=1999 |title=Early experiences with the Arpanet and Internet in the United Kingdom |journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=38–44 |doi=10.1109/85.759368 |s2cid=1558618}}
The Coloured Book protocols were used on SERCnet from 1980,{{Cite web|url=https://www.uknof.org.uk/uknof6/|title=6th UK Network Operators' Forum Meeting Agenda|website=www.uknof.org.uk|access-date=2020-02-12|quote=See "15:00 Starting the Commercial Internet in the UK (Peter Houlder)"|archive-date=2007-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621051719/http://www.uknof.org.uk/uknof6/|url-status=dead}} and SWUCN from 1982,{{Cite web |title=Computing Service History - BUCS - History and Archive - University Wiki |url=https://wiki.bath.ac.uk/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=52897300 |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=wiki.bath.ac.uk |archive-date=2022-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221183456/https://wiki.bath.ac.uk/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=52897300 |url-status=dead }} both of which became part of the JANET academic network from 1984.{{Cite thesis |last=Rutter |first=Dorian |title=From Diversity to Convergence: British Computer Networks and the Internet, 1970-1995 |date=2005 |degree=Computer Science |publisher=The University of Warwick |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1197/1/WRAP_THESIS_Rutter_2005.pdf}}{{Cite journal |last=Powell |first=Kit |date=1980-07-01 |title=Evolution of networks using standard protocols |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0140-3664%2880%2990069-9 |journal=Computer Communications |language=en |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=117–122 |doi=10.1016/0140-3664(80)90069-9 |issn=0140-3664|url-access=subscription }} The protocols were influential in the development of computer networks, particularly in the UK, gained some acceptance internationally as the first complete X.25 standard,{{Cite book|last1=Davies|first1=Howard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DN-t8MpZ0-wC&pg=PA2|title=A History of International Research Networking: The People who Made it Happen|last2=Bressan|first2=Beatrice|date=2010-04-26|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-3-527-32710-2|pages=2–3|language=en}}{{Cite book|last1=Earnshaw|first1=Rae|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xy7LadoXUVYC&pg=PA42|title=Digital Convergence - Libraries of the Future|last2=Vince|first2=John|date=2007-09-20|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-84628-903-3|pages=42|language=en}} and gave the UK "several years lead over other countries".{{Cite journal|date=January 1991|title=FLAGSHIP|url=http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/ccd/literature/ccd_newsletters/flagship/p012.htm|journal=Central Computing Department Newsletter|issue=12|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213100220/http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/ccd/literature/ccd_newsletters/flagship/p012.htm|archive-date=2020-02-13|url-status=dead}}
From late 1991, Internet protocols were adopted on the Janet network instead; they were operated simultaneously for a while, until X.25 support was phased out entirely in August 1997.{{Cite journal|date=September 1991|title=FLAGSHIP|url=http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/ccd/literature/ccd_newsletters/flagship/p016.htm|journal=Central Computing Department Newsletter|issue=16|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213100222/http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/ccd/literature/ccd_newsletters/flagship/p016.htm|archive-date=2020-02-13|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.webarchive.ja.net/services/publications/archive/reports/quarterly/autumn-97.html#4.1|title=Janet(UK) Quarterly Report to the Janet Community: July 1997 to September 1997|year=1997|work=Janet webarchive|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216000740/http://www.webarchive.ja.net/services/publications/archive/reports/quarterly/autumn-97.html#4.1|archive-date=February 16, 2012}}
Protocols
=Pink Book=
=Orange Book=
The Orange Book defined protocols for transport over local networks using the Cambridge Ring (computer network).
=Yellow Book=
The Yellow Book defined the Yellow Book Transport Service (YBTS) protocol, also known as Network Independent Transport Service (NITS), which was mainly run over X.25. It was developed by the Data Communications Protocols Unit of the Department of Industry in the late 1970s. It could also run over TCP.{{cite web |title=The Yellow Book Transport Service: Principles and Status |author=C. J. Bennett |date=12 August 1980 |url=https://www.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/ien/ien155.html |website=rfc-editor.org}} The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol was extended to allow running over NITS.{{cite IETF |title=Simple Mail Transfer Protocol |rfc=821 |appendix=C |author=Jon Postel |author-link=Jon Postel |date=August 1982 |publisher=IETF}}
The Yellow Book Transport Service was somewhat misnamed, as it does not fulfill the Transport role in the OSI 7-layer model. It really occupies the top of the Network layer, making up for X.25's lack of NSAP addressing at the time, which did not appear until the X.25 (1980) revision, and was not available in implementations for some years afterward. YBTS used source routing addressing between YBTS nodes—there was no global addressing scheme at that time.
=Green Book=
The Green Book defined two protocols to connect terminals across a network: an early version of what became Triple-X PAD running over X.25, and the TS29 protocol modelled on Triple-X PAD, but running over YBTS. It was developed by Post Office Telecommunications. These protocols are similar in functionality to TELNET.
=Fawn Book=
The Fawn Book defined the Simple Screen Management Protocol (SSMP)
=Blue Book=
The Blue Book defined the Network-Independent File Transfer Protocol (NIFTP), analogous to Internet FTP, running over YBTS. Unlike Internet FTP, NIFTP was intended for batch mode rather than interactive usage.
=Grey Book=
The Grey Book defined protocols for e-mail transfer (not file transfer as is sometimes claimed), running over Blue Book FTP.
=Red Book=
The Red Book defined the Job Transfer and Manipulation Protocol (JTMP), a mechanism for jobs to be transferred from one computer to another, and for the output to be returned to the originating (or another) computer, running over Blue Book FTP.
Legacy
{{Further|JANET NRS}}
Over time, as technology evolved, many of the concepts and principles from the Coloured Book Protocols were integrated into broader international standards. They remain an important part of the history and evolution of computer networking, showcasing an early effort to establish standards and protocols for efficient and reliable communication between computers. One famous quirk of Coloured Book was that components of hostnames used reverse domain name notation as compared to the Internet standard. For example, an address might be user@UK.AC.HATFIELD.STAR instead of user@star.hatfield.ac.uk.{{Cite book|last1=Mansell|first1=Robin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VOciwO7I50AC&pg=PA208|title=Inside the Communication Revolution: Evolving Patterns of Social and Technical Interaction|last2=Mansell|first2=Dixons Chair in New Media and the Internet Interdepartmental Programme in Media and Communications Robin|date=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-829656-0|pages=208|language=en}}{{cite conference|last=Reid|first=Jim|date=2007-04-03|title=The Good Old Days: Networking in UK Academia ~25 Years Ago|url=http://www.uknof.com/uknof7/Reid-History.pdf|location=Manchester|access-date=2008-04-16|book-title=UKNOF7|archive-date=2008-05-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528040321/http://www.uknof.com/uknof7/Reid-History.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y-tFrTTweRIC&pg=PA337|title=The "Hidden" Prehistory of European Research Networking|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1-4669-3935-6|language=en}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
= Sources =
- {{Cite thesis |last=Rutter |first=Dorian |title=From Diversity to Convergence: British Computer Networks and the Internet, 1970-1995 |date=2005 |degree=Computer Science |publisher=The University of Warwick |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1197/1/WRAP_THESIS_Rutter_2005.pdf}}
{{refbegin|}}
- A Dictionary of Computing. Oxford University Press, 2004, s.v. "coloured book"
{{refend}}
External links
- [http://neil.franklin.ch/Usenet/alt.folklore.computers/20020906_What_is_the_British_Grey_Book_protocol alt.folklore.computers: "What is the British Grey Book protocol?"]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090221173552/http://www.ja.net/ Janet website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coloured Book Protocols}}