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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbatt!osu-eddie!bob
From: bob@osu-eddie.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: XNS vs. TCP/IP
Message-ID: <3035@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Feb-87 09:37:46 EST
Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.3035
Posted: Mon Feb  2 09:37:46 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Feb-87 02:13:59 EST
References: <470@oucs.OHIOU.EDU>
Reply-To: bob@osu-eddie.UUCP (Bob Sutterfield)
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer & Information Science
Lines: 35
Keywords: help,tcp/ip,xns
Summary: Don't Panic

In article <470@oucs.OHIOU.EDU> shapiro@oucs.OHIOU.EDU (Brian Shapiro) writes:
>Apparently this DOD standard is going to be used on a statewide
>research computer system.

Yup, it would be quite convenient for you to be able to get into all
the facilities here, and for OSU folks to get to facilities elsewhere.
That's what the TCP/IP standards are good for.  In that particular
environment (widely-distributed networks) things are getting better
understood all the time, and a lot of problems are pretty much solved.
Notice, I didn't say that all the problems are completely solved, but
there's quite a group working on them.

>Does anyone know of any drawbacks to using TCP/IP (ie. performance)
>that my higher ups should be made aware of?

For your specific application, you might inquire of the experts at
`tcp-ip@nic.sri.com' (== mod.protocols.tcp-ip).  They have quite a bit
of aggregate experience with the stuff you may be working with.

>What benefits might this bring?

Standardization and connectivity to the wider world, and new learning
opportunities about the headaches inherent therein :-)

>Can anyone send me a description of XNS vs. TCP/IP. What benefit are
>we really going to see since we are not currently involved in any
>other network that makes use of TCP/IP?

Again, ask The Wise Ones at tcp-ip.  In your situation it looks like a
wash locally, but possibly a lot of benefit in the long haul.
-- 
 Bob Sutterfield, Department of Computer and Information Science
 The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Ave. Columbus OH USA 43210-1277
 bob@ohio-state.{arpa,csnet} or ...!cb{osgd,att}!osu-eddie!bob
 (614) 292 - 0915 or (614) 292 - 5813