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From: mhyman@hsfmsh.UUCP (Marco S. Hyman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: NetBios Confusion...and Lan Technology Magazine Article
Summary: NetBIOS is NOT A PROTOCOL
Message-ID: <2575@hsfmsh.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 90 16:30:08 GMT
References: <3633@csccat.UUCP>
Organization: SoftCom, Inc.  San Francisco
Lines: 40

In article <3633@csccat.UUCP> jack@csccat.UUCP (Jack Hudler) writes:
    So I ask... The article says it require only netbios, but none came with 
    the NIC. IPX.COM must be loaded prior to NETBIOS.EXE. 
    I guess I must ask what is IPX.COM doing and is it normal for a NIC to
    come with NETBIOS, or must NETBIOS aways be layered on something and
    if so what are the different types of layers besides IPX?

    Signed.....
    Confused!

The source of this confusion is understandable.  For some reason NetBIOS
is percieved as a protocol -- it isn't.  NetBIOS was the interface
supplied with the original IBM PC network.  I quote from RFC1001

   NetBIOS defines a software interface not a protocol.  There is no
   "official" NetBIOS service standard.  In practice, however, the
   IBM PC-Network version is used as a reference.  That version is
   described in the IBM document 6322916, "Technical Reference PC
   Network"[2].

   Protocols supporting NetBIOS services have been constructed on
   diverse protocol and hardware foundations.  Even when the same
   foundation is used, different implementations may not be able to
   interoperate unless they use a common protocol.  To allow NetBIOS
   interoperation in the Internet, this RFC defines a standard
   protocol to support NetBIOS services using TCP and UDP.

It sounds like Novell also provides NetBIOS service thru their protocols
(IPX??).

I do wish the popular magazines would be more careful with their
definitions of NetBIOS.  I've even been asked to ``implement NetBIOS'' on
an imbedded system.  Lan Technology magazine should certainly get it
right.

// marc
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