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From: jmg@cernvax.UUCP (jmg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Interworking of different NETBIOS implementations
Message-ID: <396@cernvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Nov-86 07:39:12 EST
Article-I.D.: cernvax.396
Posted: Tue Nov 25 07:39:12 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Nov-86 20:57:12 EST
Reply-To: jmg@cernvax.UUCP ()
Distribution: world
Organization: CERN European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Lines: 29
Keywords: NETBIOS
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.ibm.pc:252 comp.dcom.modems:38

I am aware of many implementations offering NETBIOS to application or
presentation layer, assuming that we consider NETBIOS as session layer 5.
The one that I use for an MSNET implementation sits upon a level 4
Transport Protocol (ISO Class 4), but others do it differently: some
seem to combine layers 3 to 5 for efficiency, others use different
layered protocols. I understand that VAXmates will use DECNET Transport
protocols. I also seem to remember seeing remarks about NETBIOS on top
of TCP/IP.
What worries me in all this is the lack of compatibility between these
different implementations. I realise that where a NETBIOS implementation
is a combined level 3/4/5 product, any interworking between different systems
is likely to be impossible. However, if one assumes a layering, plus the
possibility of gateways (e.g. at Transport Level), are the contents of a
NETBIOS message/datagram sufficiently standard that two different NETBIOS
implementations could understand each other. Alternatively, is there the
possibility of a transportable NETBIOS package with a set of calls to
Transport level which could be easily mapped onto any Transport level, or
maybe directly onto Network level?
To add a bit of reality, many of our PCs have 3Com Ethernet cards, sometimes
for historical reasons, sometimes because they need them for particular
applications. Many others have BICC cards: European (important to us) and
quite performant. VAXmates will certainly arrive soon (if DEC can deliver
to Europe). However, if I have some application running on top of NETBIOS
(MSNET or PCNET or Tapestry or a gateway to IBM offering 3270 possibilities
or a general file server) then each instance of the application would seem
to be limited to one particular NETBIOS implementation.
It is likely that I have demonstrated a certain amount of ignorance in this
article. If the whole problem is a non-problem then I should be delighted
to be so told; if not then tell me how to solve it?