Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Common Architecture for Next Generation Internet Protocol
     
         (CATNIP, originally Common Architecture
        Technology for Next-generation Internet Protocol)
     
        A network architecture designed to provide a compressed form
        of the existing {network layer} {protocols} and to integrate
        {CLNP}, {IP}, and {IPX}.  It provides for any of the
        {transport layer} {protocols} in use, including {TP4}, {CLTP},
        {TCP}, {UDP}, {IPX}, and {SPX}, to run over any of the network
        layer protocol formats: CLNP, IP (version 4), IPX, and CATNIP.
     
        CATNIP was originally proposed by Robert L. Ullmann of {Lotus
        Development Corporation} on 1993-12-22.  It was published as
        {RFC} 1707 in October 1994 but it is not an {Internet}
        standard of any kind.
     
        (1996-03-23)