Article View: comp.protocols.iso
Article #1268Re: FAQ you were afraid to ask
From: Mark Boolootian
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 19:28
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 19:28
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6240 bytes
In article <Bzo7oB.B7p@world.std.com> hcb@world.std.com (Howard C Berkowitz) writes:
>The Seven Deadly Layers
I posted the following message to the ietf mailing list some time ago. I still
don't know who the originator of this version of the seven layer/seven sin
mapping is.
-- begin include text --
Date: Fri, 15 May 92 09:54:09 PDT
From: booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian)
Message-Id: <9205151654.AA00940@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov.ocf>
To: ietf@isi.edu
Subject: Seven layers, seven sins, seven dwarfs, seven days, etc...
Some time ago, someone posted a message stating the relationship between the
seven OSI layers and the seven deadly sins (I apologize profusely for not
recalling the author's name, and even more so if this was posted to another
list and not ietf). The chap in the office next door to me, John Fletcher, has
been compelled to add his commentary, which I am posting for him and here
follows:
Seventh Heaven
The opposition to Galileo consisted primarily of those who believed that
all knowledge could be arrived at deductively from first principles of a
presumedly compelling nature. Some of the opponents would not even look at
Jupiter through Galileo's telescope, because they had already deduced the
impossibility of there being any moons to be seen. A sample of their reasoning
is here quoted in translation:
There are seven windows in the head, two nostrils, two eyes, two ears, and
a mouth; so in the heavens there are two favorable stars, two unpropitious,
two luminaries, and Mercury alone undecided and indifferent. From which and
many other similar phenomena of nature, such as seven metals, etc., which it
were tedious to enumerate, we gather that the number of planets is necessarily
seven.
Among the unenumerated sevens known at that time one can think of days of
the week, wonders of the ancient world, and deadly sins. From our modern
vantage point we can list even more, including dwarves visited by Snow White
and, of course, layers of OSI protocol.
The quotation indicates that there is a natural correspondence from one
seven to the next, such as the mouth with the planet Mercury and (one may
infer) also with the metal quicksilver and the day Wednesday. So now that we
have some insight into the origins of the sevenness of the OSI layering, it
would seem that our understanding and appreciation in regard to each of those
layers might be enhanced considerably if we were able to establish its
correspondence with the members of the other sevens. Work in this direction
has already begun. A recent correspondence, which I here append, has matched
the layers with the deadly sins. I also include a result of my own
investigations.
The Seven Deadly Layers
ISO Layer Corresponding Sin Rationale
Application Wrath Application is forever angry at the
mess it sees below (it should point
fingers?).
Presentation Sloth Presentation is too lazy to do
anything productive itself.
Session Lust Session always lusted after what
truly was Application functionality.
Transport Avarice Transport always wanted all of the
end-to-end functionality (of
course, it deserved it, but life
ain't fair).
Network Gluttony Network, more precisely Connection-
Oriented Network, was always overweight
and overbearing, the result of trying
too often to eat Transport's lunch.
Data Link Envy Poor DLL is always starved for
attention (with ATM, maybe it is
finally feeling less neglected).
Physical Pride Phy roundly averted much of the
controversy and nearly all of the
embarrassment.
Snow White and the Seven Layers
ISO Layer Corresponding Dwarf Rationale
Application Doc is acting as if it is in charge, but
sometimes muddling its syntax.
Presentation Sleepy is behaving in accord with its sin of
Sloth.
Session Dopey is confused because its charter is not
very clear.
Transport Grumpy is irritated because Network has
encroached onto its turf.
Network Happy is smiling for the same reason that
Transport is irritated.
Data Link Sneezy is making loud noises in the hope of
attracting attention.
Physical Bashful is quietly going about its work,
unnoticed by the others.
-- end included text --
--
Mark Boolootian booloo@llnl.gov +1 510 423 1948
Disclaimer: My fingers type for me alone.
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov!booloo From: booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso Subject: Re: FAQ you were afraid to ask Message-ID: <144587@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> Date: 29 Dec 92 19:28:47 GMT References: <Bzo7oB.B7p@world.std.com> Sender: usenet@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lines: 128 Nntp-Posting-Host: framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov