On naming considerations for networks

The basic step involved in communication across a network and inter-network is the identification and validation of entities. Normally the identification of the entity in a network takes the form of a name or an address. The naming convention and its validation can affect both the user of the system as well as the system design and communication performance. On the user side, the naming scheme can be ad hoc, difficult to understand and non-user-friendly and can lead to inefficient addressing. On the system side, the name validation may require the global information of the entity names in the network and can impose certain restrictions on the dynamic topology reconfiguration of the network. Hence the naming convention is an important issue for the network architecture and possibly for standardization. This paper examines the semantics of name with respect to the communication and users point of view. The naming convention proposed by IFIP working group 6.5 is reviewed with respect to the naming requirements on public networks.