Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!ENGR!WITTMANN From: wittmann@ENGR.WISC.EDU (art wittmann) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.novell Subject: Re: OSI "Needs and Wants" Message-ID: <9001171955.AA06966@erb1.engr.wisc.edu> Date: 17 Jan 90 18:55:45 GMT Sender: Novell LAN Interest Group Reply-To: Novell LAN Interest Group Lines: 83 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL10] X-To: NOVELL%SUVM.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU In-Reply-To: <9001171900.AA06643@erb1.engr.wisc.edu>; from "Lloyd Spencer" at Jan 17, 90 9:19 am > I'm looking for informal input from Novell-oriented network administrators, > systems integrators, and "users" regarding your interest in as well as > potential needs for connecting Novell networks onto an OSI network. > Since this is a very open-ended question, let me "seed" the discussion with > some possible OSI networking solutions that may be of interest to you: > > - X.400 e-mail very important. We've been waiting for X.400 mail to really go big guns into electronic mail. The more seemless the X.400 Netware mail seems, the greater the possibility that we'll continue to use netware in the long run. > - FTAM file services FTAM is essentially a type of OSI client access (right?) so it will be useful. At this point we don't have plans to use netware file servers for "non personal computers". FTAM would be useful for file exchanges. > - virtual terminal I haven't yet found a reason to want to get virtual terminal access to a netware server, unless it would be for system management. It would be useful for a netware server to act as a VTAM gateway for DOS and Macintosh workstations. > - directory services If novell's directory services were OSI compliant (thats X.500 I think), it might change the prevailing opinion here, that being that netware servers are ok for PCs, but won't be of much use for Unix workstations. (assuming that OSI will take the place of TCP/IP in 3 to 5 year time frame) > - network management Again, since we'll most likely be in a multivendor server environment, it would be useful for all servers to use the same management system. I don't know that support for OSI management would have significant bearing on our purchase decisions. > - ODA/ODIF document interchange This really depends on the rest of the market place, if good commercial applications use the facility, so will we. If no one adopts it, it won't be that important. > - IPX over CLNP (connectionless network protocol) routing CLNP support will likely be important. Our campus is considering FDDI networks on which native IPX probably wouldn't be allowed. I would guess CLNP will be allowed. > - OSI client access to NetWare servers This is important from the point of view of possible file exchanges and the like, as I said earlier, I don't think we would standardize on NetWare as a server platform for our OSI clients (I assume these will eventually be Unix workstations). Great price/performance might change this. > - OSI host access from NetWare clients The highest priority for us is X.400 mail. Next might might be IPX over CLNP, if my assumption that this would allow us to use our FDDI restricted network as a backbone for our novell servers. Some sort of global naming in definitely needed, if the ISO stuff can do what needs to be done, thats great. For ISO naming to be important it must integrate pretty well with the netware 386 naming system (what ever that may be). Assuming that ISO will be too heavy for our PCs and Macs to support, OSI host access from Netware clients will be important. Especially if the netware server does most of the processing for the client. One of the things that makes netware hard to sell around here is it's present poor (in my opinion) support for TCP/IP. As ISO becomes important, folks will look more favorably on Netware if it keeps pace with the ISO market. Art =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Art Wittmann Phone: (608) 263-1748 Network Manager Email: wittmann@engr.wisc.edu Computer Aided Engineering Center or: wittmann@cae.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin, Madison