Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!SEAS.UCLA.EDU!todd
From: todd@SEAS.UCLA.EDU (Todd Booth)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: NetBIOS over TCP/UDP
Message-ID: <881031.190726z.05505.todd@ATHENA.SEAS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 31 Oct 88 19:07:26 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 54

In article <187@hsi86.hsi.UUCP> stevens@hsi.UUCP (Richard Stevens) writes:
>OK, my next question is "what is the purpose of NetBIOS over TCP" ?
>I see two answers:  (1) To take the existing horde of NetBIOS
>applications and run them on other systems;  (2) To provide another
>communication interface for a programmer.

There's a more important reason.  

> (1)

A NetBIOS over TCP interface isn't required to run NetBIOS on other
systems.  Any NetBIOS interface can do that.

> (2)

NetBIOS over TCP doesn't provide a new communication interface to the
programmer.  If implemented correctly, the NetBIOS interface should
look the same if it runs on top of ISO Network, TCP, IP, LLC, IPX,
XNS, ...   The whole point of a standard interface (NetBIOS) is to
shield the programmer from the details of the lower layers.  

I see the advantage of NetBIOS over TCP/IP as the ability to provide
NetBIOS with an reliable data stream over an IP based network.

>It seems I'm missing something in the reasoning behind wanting
>NetBIOS over TCP, but given that vendors exist that sell this as a
>product there must be a need for it.  Can someone shed some light on
>just what people are doing with it ?  Thanks.

Don't know what's being done, but here's one example of what can be
done:

Simtel is a real pain for new users to access files via FTP.  Simtel
could run one of the PC DOS based network operating systems that 
require NetBIOS, for example IBM's PC LAN Program.  They could use a
NetBIOS over TCP/IP interface and develop a custom DOS application
which provides uses a menu front end to retrieving their existing
files.  This would allow other NetBIOS over TCP/IP users throughout
the internet to have a menu front end to the Simtel directories, in
full color, with optional help keys, file definitions, automatic file
downloading (note that FTP would no longer be required).  In other
words the ease of use of typical PC applications with the
communications capabilities of TCP/IP.

Disclaimer: I know very little about the NetBIOS over TCP/IP standard,
jsut a few things about layered network architechure.

--todd booth / ucla data communications

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--todd