Subject: [Pso-discuss] Looking for a layman example on what PSO does.

From: chiari mario <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 06 Jul 2000 18:37:08 +0200

Dear PSO,

I am trying to write a document on what ICANN and related SO are and do.

I am writing for layman reader who is very interested in Internet and could
be interested to join the ICANN's at large membership.

Due to lack of technical knowledge, I am not sure to understand what
'assignment of parameters for Internet protocols' really means. (I
understand that that is PSO main business, isn't it?) 

Any 'easy to understand'  explanation is very welcome. In particular, I
would appreciate a couple of simple examples of the kind: the protocol
..... includes the parameters ....., and they are usually fixed in such and
such way as ......... 

I have given a look at RFC 1340 : ASSIGNED NUMBERS, but I couldn't make
sense of it.

I really appreciate any advise on this matter.
Thanks Regards

mario chiari

(from Parma, Italy)

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From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 14:28:43 -0400

In message <[email-masked]>, chiari mario w
rites:
>Steve 
>
>thanks for your reply.
>It helps, though I am trying do write a less abstract statement. 
>
>Would you say that the following statement conveys a correct understanding
>of the matter of fact:  
>
>---- the Internet protocol contains numerous parameters, for example to
>identify the character set of a text, or a operating system. (A character
>set is a set of conventions to code a traditional alphabet, e.g. latin,
>cyrillic, japanese). The values of these parameters need to be assigned
>uniquely. ICANN/PSO is to make those unique assignments and to maintain a
>registry of the currently assigned values.
>
>(here I am cutting & pasting statements from IANA's web site)  
>
>mario
>
>ps do you have a two lines definition of what a port is? 

A "port" is analoguous to a room number in an office building.
The street address gets you to the building, but you go to a
particular room for particular services.

The problem is that ICANN and the PSO don't do that stuff -- IANA
does.  The PSO's main job is making sure that decisions by ICANN are
technically sound with respect to protocols on the Internet.