This document provides the Error and Flow Control Protocol (EFCP) specification. EFCP provides an inter-process communication (IPC) service to an application process, which can be a (N+1)-IPC process (IPCP), with the requested Quality of Service (QoS). One or more service data units (SDUs) are passed on the (N)-port-id to the (N)-DIF (distributed IPC facility) to be sent to the destination application process. Protocol data units (PDUs) transferred by the (N)-DIF are delivered to the (N)-port-id for the using Application Process. This document describes the placement of EFCP within RINA, the components EFCP consists of, and the mechanisms and policies that are involved in EFCP’s work, and the timers and control mechanisms required to manage the connection.

EFCP comprises two logical components, the data transfer procedures (DTP), providing tightly bound mechanisms and the data transfer control procedures (DTCP), which provides loosely bound mechanisms.

This document provides:

—     the service definition;

—     an overview of EFCP;

—     a description of the placement of EFCP within recursive internetwork architecture (RINA);

—     the common elements of data transfer protocol (DTP) and data transfer control protocol (DTCP);

—     DTP structure and functions;

—     DTCP structure and functions;

—     an informative list of all policies in EFCP.en