RFC 1071 · INFORMATIONAL · 1988
WED · 29 JUL 2026
Computing the Internet checksum
Overview
RFC 1071, “Computing the Internet checksum”, is an Informational document published in September 1988 by R.T. Braden, D.A. Borman, C. Partridge. It has since been updated by RFC 1141. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.
Abstract
This RFC summarizes techniques and algorithms for efficiently computing the Internet checksum. It is not a standard, but a set of useful implementation techniques.
What “Informational” means
Published for the general information of the community. It does not define an IETF standard and carries no standards-track status.
Read this RFC
The canonical text of RFC 1071 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in TXT,HTML.
Relationships to other RFCs
Other RFCs from 1988
- RFC 1072 TCP extensions for long-delay paths
- RFC 1073 Telnet window size option
- RFC 1068 Background File Transfer Program
- RFC 1074 NSFNET backbone SPF based Interior Gateway Protocol
- RFC 1067 Simple Network Management Protocol
- RFC 1075 Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol
- RFC 1066 Management Information Base for network management of TCP/IP-based internets
- RFC 1076 HEMS monitoring and control language