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From: dfk@cwi.nl (Daniel Karrenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso.x400
Subject: Re: Will EasyLink Support X.400?
Message-ID: <9001181809.AA03285@mcsun.EU.net>
Date: 18 Jan 90 18:09:38 GMT
References: <9001161839.AA04478@mars.emse.fr>
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  > "Paul-Andre Pays" <pays@mars.emse.fr> writes:

  > Moreover EUnet (the european branch of UUnet, more than 700 nodes) which
  > is now using RFC-822 smtp is actively planning its migration towards OSI
  > (including X.400 MOTIS).  The plan is twofold: change network tu use and
  > provide ISO underlying service, change News and Mail application to the
  > ISO equivalent. 

Thank you Paul-Andre for making others aware of the EUnet transition plans.
Let me give a more up to date report on the situation:

     EUnet

	- is not the European branch of UUnet but a cooperative user 
	  funded network run under the auspices of the European Unix
	  Systems User Group (EUUG)

	- currently serves 1196 organisations in 19 European countries

	- (consists of 2503 externally visible nodes)

	  We have long stopped quoting the number EUnet nodes because this 
	  is not a well defined nor a significant number. Especially the
	  bigger organisations hide their local MTAs behind gateway MTAs.
	  The actual number of computers using EUnet services is estimated
	  to be between one and two orders of magnitude larger.

	- currently uses RFC822 based mail over SMTP/TCP/IP and rmail/UUCP

	- has an agreed transition strategy to OSI protocols

	 The strategy works exactly the other way as descibed above:

		- first make ISO services available over the current network
		- then phase out the old services as much as possible
		- then change the lower layers to use only ISO protocols

	- has an agreed stepwise transition plan 

	- *BUT* has taken no action yet to implement the plan because
	  the EUnet users don't see the need for it and the benefits
	  of it (yet). Currently there is much more user demand for
	  IP based services.

So the bottom line is: Yes there is a plan. No there are no decisions 
to implement it yet. The main reasons:

	- no benefit perceived by the users
	- other services more important to users
	- scarce resources

This does not mean it will never happen.  My *personal* opinion is that
it will happen as soon -and not sooner- as there are good multimedia 
UAs around and people using "the old RFC822 stuff" will get messages like:


	There was a nice little picture here, but your mail
	protocol doesn't support this.

			(Son of RFC987, your friendly gateway)


Regards

Daniel Karrenberg 
EUUG Network Executive