Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.tcp-ip:13833 comp.sys.dec:4559
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!nic.the.net!don
From: don@nic.the.net (Donald L. Nash)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip,comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: DECnet encapsulation in TCP-IP
Message-ID: <1990Nov20.125225@nic.the.net>
Date: 20 Nov 90 19:09:00 GMT
References: <897@fred.UUCP> <90313.134117JHL1@psuvm.psu.edu> <15782@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Sender: news@ut-emx.uucp
Reply-To: don@ots.utexas.edu
Followup-To: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Organization: University of Texas System Office of Telecommunication Services
Lines: 50

In article <897@fred.UUCP>, rbraun@polygen.uucp (Richard Braun) writes:
>From: rbraun@polygen.uucp (Richard Braun)
>Subject: Re: DECnet encapsulation in TCP-IP
>Date: 19 Nov 90 20:01:53 GMT
>Organization: Polygen Corporation, Waltham, MA
>
>grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins) writes:
>>In article <90313.134117JHL1@psuvm.psu.edu> JHL1@psuvm.psu.edu writes:
>>> We're interested in encapsulating DECnet within a TCP-IP package.  We
>>> are looking primarily for a software solution...
>>
>>I believe TGV multinet can handle this...
>
>MultiNet is, IMHO, far and away the best TCP/IP package available for
>VAX/VMS.  (This after reviewing products ranging from Process Software
>to Fusion to Wollongong to...)  It's a Stanford-bred product written
>in C with some TOPS-20'isms in it.

I agree completely.  We use MultiNet extensively here, and I couldn't get along
without it.  TGV also does a good job with technical support as well.  But
anyway, back to the business at hand:

>But I fail to understand the original question:  "encapsulating DECnet
>within TCP/IP".  That just doesn't mean anything.

Perhaps a better way of saying this is "tunneling DECnet across an IP network". 
Here is an excerpt from the _MultiNet(tm)_System_Administrators'_Guide_ for
MultiNet Version 2.2.  This is the introductory paragraph for Chapter 5, found
on page 5-1:

A special DECnet device driver allows the MultiNet system manager to configure 
a DECnet line and circuit between two cooperating MultiNet systems across an
arbitrary IP network.  This special driver encapsulates DECnet packets in UDP
datagrams for transportation via the IP protocols, much like VAX/PSI
encapsulates DECnet packets in X.25 when doing Data Link Mapping.

This was quoted without permission, but I'm sure the nice folks at TGV won't
kill me for it.  Hopefully, they won't sue me for it either. :-)

I hope that clears the waters a bit.

				Donald L. Nash

				The University of Texas System
				Office of Telecommunication Services

Internet:  don@nic.the.net
THEnet:    THENIC::DON
BITNET:    DON@THENIC
PSI Mail:  311051200131::DON