Phil Karn
Encyclopedia
Phil Karn is an engineer from Baltimore, Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
from Cornell University
in 1978 and a master's degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
in 1979. From 1979 until 1984, Phil Karn worked at Bell Labs
in Naperville, Illinois
, and Murray Hill, New Jersey
. From 1984 until 1991, he was with Bell Communications Research in Morristown, New Jersey
. Since 1991 he has been with Qualcomm
in San Diego, where he specializes in wireless data networking protocols, security, and cryptography.
He has been an active contributor in the IETF, especially in security, but is also a strong contributor to the Internet
architecture. His name is on at least 6 RFCs
. He is the inventor of Karn's Algorithm
, a method for calculating the round trip time for IP packet retransmission.
He is well-known in the amateur radio community for his work on the KA9Q
Network Operating System
(NOS, named after his amateur callsign), early 9600 bit/s FSK radio modems, and more recently, the introduction of forward error correction
(FEC) into the Amateur Satellite Service, with FEC applied to the 400 bit/s PSK telemetry from the now-defunct AO-40
satellite.
's "Applied Cryptography" book under the rules for munitions export, it was illegal to export the source code in the book on electronic media such as a floppy disk
.
Phil Karn challenged this ruling, both in the courts and in testimony before Congress, and the case dragged on for years, until Bill Clinton
dropped almost all export controls on freely available crypto source code on January 14, 2000; Phil Karn then dropped the case, feeling that it had served its purpose.
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1978 and a master's degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in 1979. From 1979 until 1984, Phil Karn worked at Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, and Murray Hill, New Jersey
Murray Hill, New Jersey
Murray Hill is an unincorporated area within portions of both Berkeley Heights and New Providence, located in Union County in northern New Jersey, United States....
. From 1984 until 1991, he was with Bell Communications Research in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. Since 1991 he has been with Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
in San Diego, where he specializes in wireless data networking protocols, security, and cryptography.
He has been an active contributor in the IETF, especially in security, but is also a strong contributor to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
architecture. His name is on at least 6 RFCs
Request for Comments
In computer network engineering, a Request for Comments is a memorandum published by the Internet Engineering Task Force describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems.Through the Internet Society, engineers and...
. He is the inventor of Karn's Algorithm
Karn's Algorithm
Karn's Algorithm addresses the problem of getting accurate estimates of the round-trip time for messages when using TCP. The algorithm was proposed by Phil Karn in 1987....
, a method for calculating the round trip time for IP packet retransmission.
He is well-known in the amateur radio community for his work on the KA9Q
KA9Q
KA9Q, also called KA9Q NOS or simply NOS, was a popular early implementation of TCP/IP and associated protocols for amateur packet radio systems and smaller personal computers connected via serial lines. It was named after the amateur radio callsign of Phil Karn, who first wrote the software for a...
Network Operating System
Network operating system
A networking operating system , also referred to as the Dialoguer, is the software that runs on a server and enables the server to manage data, users, groups, security, applications, and other networking functions...
(NOS, named after his amateur callsign), early 9600 bit/s FSK radio modems, and more recently, the introduction of forward error correction
Forward error correction
In telecommunication, information theory, and coding theory, forward error correction or channel coding is a technique used for controlling errors in data transmission over unreliable or noisy communication channels....
(FEC) into the Amateur Satellite Service, with FEC applied to the 400 bit/s PSK telemetry from the now-defunct AO-40
AO-40
AO-40 is the on-orbit name designation of an amateur radio satellite of the OSCAR series; formerly known as Phase 3D.The Project Manager was Peter Guelzow of AMSAT Germany ....
satellite.
Crypto export lawsuit
In 1994, the US State Department Office of Defense Trade Control ruled that while it was legal to export Bruce SchneierBruce Schneier
Bruce Schneier is an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on general security topics, computer security and cryptography, and is the founder and chief technology officer of BT Managed Security Solutions, formerly Counterpane Internet...
's "Applied Cryptography" book under the rules for munitions export, it was illegal to export the source code in the book on electronic media such as a floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
.
Phil Karn challenged this ruling, both in the courts and in testimony before Congress, and the case dragged on for years, until Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
dropped almost all export controls on freely available crypto source code on January 14, 2000; Phil Karn then dropped the case, feeling that it had served its purpose.