Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!lll-tis!mordor!sri-spam!rutgers!gatech!hao!oddjob!nucsrl!accuvax.nwu.edu!morrison
From: morrison@accuvax.nwu.edu.UUCP (Vance Morrison )
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Banyan TCP/IP bridge
Message-ID: <7080003@accuvax.nwu.edu.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jan 88 15:47:26 GMT
References: <8801252356.AA14617@ACC-SB-UNIX.ARPA>
Organization: Northwestern U, Evanston IL, USA
Lines: 33


Hello,

	Yes Banyan has anounced that it will be offering TCP/IP capabilities
in its PC server.  Unfortuately the product is not out yet.  It was 
originally scheduled for release in late December, but now it looks like
it will be out this April (but don't hold your breath).  

	The TCP/IP capability is part of release 3.0 of Vines and Banyan has
literature describing this and well as other new features of 3.0.  From
what I have been able to discover from my reading, is that Vines has
integrated the TCP/IP protocols into Vines.  This immediately means that Vines
can route IP packets through the Banyan LAN, as well as route Vines packets
across the internet.  

	At present Banyan is not making products that use this new
capability.  Instead it has made deals with others (FTP Software Inc.)
to provide products that will make the TCP capablities useful (namely
telnet, ftp etc).  These user products exist today.  One product that
is conspicuously absent, however is a internet mail bridge that will
link into Banyan's local mail system.  Banyan has provided the hooks 
for doing this, but at present will not release the name of any company
that is working on it.  In its simplest form, this is a simple piece of
software, but without it Banyan's mail system will be cut off from the
rest of the internet, severly limiting its usefulness.

	I have no doubt that such a product will come out, but frankly
it may take a while (> 6 months)


					Vance Morrison
					morrison@accuvax.nwu.edu
					morrison@nuacc.bitnet
					morrison@northwestern.arpa