CURRENT_MEETING_REPORT_


Reported by Mark Needleman/U California

NETFAX Minutes

The meeting began at 1:30 PM on December 5, 1990 and was Chaired
by Mark Needleman.

Mark Needleman brought up the issue of whether or not the group should
continue to meet in that not very much work had been done since the last
meeting and there was some confusion as to what problems the group was
really trying to solve.  This lead to a discussion of exactly what
problems needed to be addressed.  The group then determined that there
were two basic problems.  The rest of the meeting focused on those
problems and possible solutions for them.  The two problems addressed
were:


   o Taking ASCII text data and converting it to fax image for
     transmission to a destination fax machine.
   o Using the Internet as a mechanism for moving fax and other type
     image data around for delivery either directly to a users
     workstation or to a destination fax machine directly on the network
     or through a server to an output fax machine.



A discussion was held as to possible ways of solving these problems such
as using X.400 or posibly defining a new protocol.  Consensus was a
protocol like SMTP would work fine except for two major limitations in
SMTP - 7 bit ASCII usage and file size limitations.

The group discussed the possibility of building a new protocol based on
SMTP that would have all of the features of SMTP and would remove these
limitations.  It would also add extentions to the SMTP headers to convey
information needed for fax transmission such as phone numbers and
routing and accounting information.


   o A discussion was also held on possible additions to the Domain Name
     System for adding records that would facilitate finding out
     locations of fax servers.  Consensus was that this needed more
     research.
   o Discussion was also held as to possible implications of the work

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     being done by the newly formed 8 bit SMTP Working Group and what
     that would mean to us.  The feeling was that there was a
     possibility that the work of this group might solve the problems we
     saw in SMTP so that a new protocol would not be needed and that we
     should coordinate with them to get our input into their work and to
     make sure our needs were addressed.  The feeling was that this
     would allow SMTP to provide a general purpose solution for all of
     types of data, not just fax.


Action Items:


   o Develop detailed specification for extentions to SMTP needed to use
     protocol for fax transmission.
   o Develop detailed specifications for working of fax server.
   o Establish coordination with 8 bit SMTP Working Group.


Attendees

Cyrus Chow               cchow@orion.arc.nasa.gov
Tom Easterday            tom@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu
Steven Hunter            hunter@es.net
Ole Jacobsen             ole@csli.stanford.edu
E. Paul Love Jr.         loveep@sdsc.edu
Clifford Lynch           lynch@postgres.berkeley.edu
Carl Malamud             carl@malamud.com
Mark Needleman           mhn@stubbs.ucop.edu
Michael Roberts          roberts@educom.edu
Michael St.  Johns       stjohns@umd5.umd.edu
Jesse Walker             walker@eider.enet@decpa.dec.com



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