Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpfcso!hpcndaw!bunten
From: bunten@hpcndaw.CND.HP.COM (Steve Bunten)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Re: LAN MANAGER Questions.
Message-ID: <1530018@hpcndaw.CND.HP.COM>
Date: 31 May 91 15:58:32 GMT
References: <1991May29.062359.29481@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au>
Organization: HP Colorado Networks Division
Lines: 44

>    >2>  Which ethernet cards are supported by LM ?

>By default, LM for DOS and OS/2 works on any NDIS driver (ask your board
>vendor for one).

Many LM vendors would ship several of the more common NDIS drivers with
their package (e.g. 3Com & HP shipped 3Com drivers, Western Digital drivers,
IBM TR driver, and HP drivers).  Other NDIS drivers would have to be hand
installed into protocol.ini, etc.

>    >3>  Is there any packages (Comercial/Shareware/Freeware) that provide
>    >    TCP/IP over LAN manager ?
    
>Most DOS and OS/2 TCP/IP packages can share the NDIS driver with LM.

HP offers both LAN Mgr OS/2 & LMX over TCP. Ungermann-Bass has LM OS/2 over
a TCP transport.  Later this year Microsoft is expected to offer LM 2.0 over
TCP.

>    >4>  Does LAN manager provide file services to UNIX boxes via NFS or does
>    >    it implement its own protocol ?  I'm not sure which of these would be
>    >    preferable, perhaps you can offer some opinion ?
    
>    LanMan uses ISO/OSI protocols.

>LM uses NETBIOS at the session layer as its network interface.  NETBIOS can
>run on TCP/IP, or OSI, or XNS, but most frequently uses LLC2 (ISO logical
>link layer, usually called 'netbeui').

As James says above LAN Mgr can run over many different protocols.  That
does obviously cause interoperability problems.  AT&T is the only vendor
that I know of who is presently shipping a LM product that uses OSI.  DEC in
their new products primarily uses DECNet although they offer some TCP
connection.  Most of the LM OS/2 vendors offer XNS or NetBEUI although UB
has TCP.  HP supports TCP.  Some day the number of protocols out there may
shrink so that interoperability will be easy.

>James B. VanBokkelen		26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA  01880
>FTP Software Inc.		voice: (617) 246-0900  fax: (617) 246-0901

Steve Bunten
Colorado Networks Division
Hewlett-Packard Company
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