RFC 1149: IP over birds, MTU 256 milligrams

RFC 1149 describes moving IP datagrams on avian carriers. It calls itself experimental and not a recommended standard, and it delivers the joke with a straight face.

The datagram is printed in hexadecimal on a small scroll, wrapped around one leg and held with duct tape. Service is described as high delay, low throughput and low altitude.

Check yourself

What happens when a carrier is lost? Answer: nothing dramatic. IP only promises best effort, so the RFC says the loss can be tolerated. And storms can cause data loss.

Important

The RFC also notes that audit trails are generated automatically. Your outages won't be that polite: someone has to write down what happened.

After a real outage

• ☐ Write the time it started and ended
• ☐ Record who reported it
• ☐ State facts before causes
• ☐ Name one follow-up with an owner

Incident report template — for outages without birds →

Source: rfc-editor.org, RFC 1149, 1 April 1990.