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All of the above were part-time activities he assumed in conjunction with his primary position as Director of the Computer Networks Division ("[[Information Sciences Institute#Division 7: Computer Networks|Division 7]]") of the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California.<ref>[http://www.isi.edu/div7/people/postel.home/ Home page]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Jon Postel Biography |June 5, 1997 |work= Information Sciences Institute web site |url= http://www.isi.edu/div7/people/postel.home/bio.html |accessdate= April 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.isi.edu/div7/ USC/ISI Computer Networks Division ("Div 7")]</ref><ref>[http://www.iana.org/ IANA]</ref><ref>[http://www.rfc-editor.org/ RFC-Editor]</ref><ref>[http://www.postel.org/remembrances/ Remembering Jonathan B. Postel] at the Postel Center</ref><ref>[http://www.isoc.org/postel/ In Memory of Jon Postel] at the Internet Society</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Jonathan B. Postel 1943&ndash;1998 |work= USC Trojan Family Magazine |date= Spring 1999 |author1= Bob Calverley |author2= Dianne Kreiger |url= http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/spring99/Postel/postel.html |accessdate= April 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.isoc.org/awards/ About the Postel Award]</ref><ref>[http://www.postel.org/postel.html The Postel Center]</ref><ref>[http://www.ln.net/ Los Nettos]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/196487.stm 'God of the Internet' is dead]</ref><ref>[http://www.domainhandbook.com/postel.html Domain Name Handbook]</ref>
All of the above were part-time activities he assumed in conjunction with his primary position as Director of the Computer Networks Division ("[[Information Sciences Institute#Division 7: Computer Networks|Division 7]]") of the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California.<ref>[http://www.isi.edu/div7/people/postel.home/ Home page]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Jon Postel Biography |June 5, 1997 |work= Information Sciences Institute web site |url= http://www.isi.edu/div7/people/postel.home/bio.html |accessdate= April 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.isi.edu/div7/ USC/ISI Computer Networks Division ("Div 7")]</ref><ref>[http://www.iana.org/ IANA]</ref><ref>[http://www.rfc-editor.org/ RFC-Editor]</ref><ref>[http://www.postel.org/remembrances/ Remembering Jonathan B. Postel] at the Postel Center</ref><ref>[http://www.isoc.org/postel/ In Memory of Jon Postel] at the Internet Society</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Jonathan B. Postel 1943&ndash;1998 |work= USC Trojan Family Magazine |date= Spring 1999 |author1= Bob Calverley |author2= Dianne Kreiger |url= http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/spring99/Postel/postel.html |accessdate= April 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.isoc.org/awards/ About the Postel Award]</ref><ref>[http://www.postel.org/postel.html The Postel Center]</ref><ref>[http://www.ln.net/ Los Nettos]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/196487.stm 'God of the Internet' is dead]</ref><ref>[http://www.domainhandbook.com/postel.html Domain Name Handbook]</ref>


===The US takeover of the DNS Root Authority===
===DNS Root Authority test, U.S. response===
On January 28, 1998, Postel, on his own authority, emailed eight of the twelve operators of Internet's regional [[root nameserver]]s and instructed them to change the root zone server from then [[Science Applications International Corporation|SAIC]] subsidiary [[Network Solutions]] (NSI)'s A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (198.41.0.4) to DNSROOT.IANA.ORG (198.32.1.98). The operators complied with Postel's instructions, thus dividing control of Internet naming between IANA and the four remaining U.S. Government roots at [[NASA]], the [[.mil]] server, [[Ballistics Research Laboratory|BRL]] and NSI. He soon received a telephone call from a furious [[Ira Magaziner]], President Clinton's senior science advisor, who instructed him to undo this change, which he did. Within a week, the US [[National Telecommunications and Information Administration|NTIA]] issued its "[http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/domainname130.htm Green Paper]" asserting the US government's definitive authority over the Internet [[DNS root zone]].
On January 28, 1998, Postel, on his own authority, emailed eight of the twelve operators of Internet's regional [[root nameserver]]s and instructed them to change the root zone server from then [[Science Applications International Corporation|SAIC]] subsidiary [[Network Solutions]] (NSI)'s A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (198.41.0.4) to DNSROOT.IANA.ORG (198.32.1.98). The operators complied with Postel's instructions, thus dividing control of Internet naming between IANA and the four remaining U.S. Government roots at [[NASA]], the [[.mil]] server, [[Ballistics Research Laboratory|BRL]] and NSI. He soon received a telephone call from a furious [[Ira Magaziner]], President Clinton's senior science advisor, who instructed him to undo this change,{{cn|date=April 2011}} which he did.<ref>{{cite news|title=Internet reconfiguration turns out to be rogue test |author=Bridis, Ted ([[The Associated Press|AP]]) |date=February 5, 1998 |publisher=[[The Daily News (Kentucky)]] |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q88aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1kcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2900,539368&dq=the+clinton+administration+said+wednesday+it+was+confident+a+researcher&hl=en}}</ref> Within a week, the US [[National Telecommunications and Information Administration|NTIA]] issued ''A proposal to improve technical management of Internet names and addresses,'' including changes to authority over the Internet [[DNS root zone]],<ref>{{cite web |title=A proposal to improve technical management of Internet names and addresses. Discussion Draft 1/30/98 |publisher=NTIA.org |date=January 30, 1998 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/19980207224402/www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/dnsdrft.htm |archivedate=1998-02-07}}</ref> which ultimately, and controversially,<ref>{{cite web |title=Wrong turn in cyberspace: Using ICANN to route around the APA and the Constitution |first=A. Michael |last=Froomkin |publisher= University of Miami School of Law |year=2000 |url=http://osaka.law.miami.edu/~froomkin/articles/icann-body.htm}} (cited 50 Duke L. J. 17 (2000))</ref> increased U.S. control.<ref>{{cite web|title=Testing times for Net guardians|first=Kenneth |last=Cukier |date=February 16, 1998 |publisher=[[Total Telecom]] |url=http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=430615}}</ref>
{{reflist}}


===Death===
===Death===

Revision as of 22:48, 17 April 2011

Jon Postel
Postel in 1994
Born(1943-08-06)August 6, 1943
DiedOctober 16, 1998(1998-10-16) (aged 55)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUCLA
Known forRequest for Comment
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
Scientific career
FieldsComputer Science
Doctoral advisorDave Farber

Jonathan Bruce Postel (/[invalid input: 'icon']pəˈstɛl/; August 6, 1943 – October 16, 1998) was an American computer scientist who made many significant contributions to the development of the Internet, particularly with respect to standards. He is known principally for being the Editor of the Request for Comment (RFC) document series, and for administering the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) until his death.

The Internet Society's Postel Award is named in his honor, as is the Postel Center at Information Sciences Institute. His obituary was written by Vint Cerf and published as RFC 2468 in remembrance of Postel and his work.

Career

Postel attended UCLA where he earned his B.S. (1966) as well as his M.A. (1968) in Engineering. Attending UCLA, he completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1974. His PhD. thesis advisor was Dave Farber.

Map of the Internet, created by Jon Postel in 1982

While at UCLA, he was involved in early work on the ARPANET. He worked briefly at Mitre Corporation, then helped set up the Network Information Center at SRI. In March 1977 he joined the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California, where he spent the rest of his career.[1] Postel was the RFC Editor from 1969 until his death, and wrote and edited many important RFCs, including RFC 791, RFC 792 and RFC 793, which define the basic protocols of the Internet protocol suite, and RFC 2223, Instructions to RFC Authors. He wrote or co-authored more than 200 RFCs.

Postel served on the Internet Architecture Board and its predecessors for many years. He was the Director of the names and number assignment clearinghouse, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), from its inception. He was the first member of the Internet Society, and was on the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society. He was the original and long-time .us Top-Level Domain administrator. He also managed the Los Nettos Network.

All of the above were part-time activities he assumed in conjunction with his primary position as Director of the Computer Networks Division ("Division 7") of the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

DNS Root Authority test, U.S. response

On January 28, 1998, Postel, on his own authority, emailed eight of the twelve operators of Internet's regional root nameservers and instructed them to change the root zone server from then SAIC subsidiary Network Solutions (NSI)'s A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (198.41.0.4) to DNSROOT.IANA.ORG (198.32.1.98). The operators complied with Postel's instructions, thus dividing control of Internet naming between IANA and the four remaining U.S. Government roots at NASA, the .mil server, BRL and NSI. He soon received a telephone call from a furious Ira Magaziner, President Clinton's senior science advisor, who instructed him to undo this change,[citation needed] which he did.[15] Within a week, the US NTIA issued A proposal to improve technical management of Internet names and addresses, including changes to authority over the Internet DNS root zone,[16] which ultimately, and controversially,[17] increased U.S. control.[18]

  1. ^ "USC Memorial Tribute for Jonathan B. Postel". University of Southern California. November 5, 1998. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  2. ^ Home page
  3. ^ "Jon Postel Biography". Information Sciences Institute web site. Retrieved April 8, 2011. {{cite web}}: Text "June 5, 1997" ignored (help)
  4. ^ USC/ISI Computer Networks Division ("Div 7")
  5. ^ IANA
  6. ^ RFC-Editor
  7. ^ Remembering Jonathan B. Postel at the Postel Center
  8. ^ In Memory of Jon Postel at the Internet Society
  9. ^ Bob Calverley; Dianne Kreiger (Spring 1999). "Jonathan B. Postel 1943–1998". USC Trojan Family Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  10. ^ About the Postel Award
  11. ^ The Postel Center
  12. ^ Los Nettos
  13. ^ 'God of the Internet' is dead
  14. ^ Domain Name Handbook
  15. ^ Bridis, Ted (AP) (February 5, 1998). "Internet reconfiguration turns out to be rogue test". The Daily News (Kentucky).
  16. ^ "A proposal to improve technical management of Internet names and addresses. Discussion Draft 1/30/98". NTIA.org. January 30, 1998. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. ^ Froomkin, A. Michael (2000). "Wrong turn in cyberspace: Using ICANN to route around the APA and the Constitution". University of Miami School of Law. (cited 50 Duke L. J. 17 (2000))
  18. ^ Cukier, Kenneth (February 16, 1998). "Testing times for Net guardians". Total Telecom.

Death

Postel died of complications after heart valve replacement surgery in Los Angeles, on October 16, 1998, 9 months after the DNS Root Authority incident.

Legacy

The significance of Jon Postel's contributions to building the Internet, both technical and personal, were such that a memorial recollection of his life forms part of the core technical literature sequence of the Internet in the form of RFC 2468 "I Remember IANA", written by Vinton Cerf. (This is no trivial thing given that between April 1969 and October 2010, only 6,044 RFCs were published).

Postel's Law

Perhaps his most famous legacy is from RFC 793, which includes a Robustness Principle which is often labeled Postel's Law: "be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others" (often reworded as "be conservative in what you send, liberal in what you accept").

In digital circuits, this principle has long been an important aspect of what is known as the static discipline.

See also

Notes

External links

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