Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!bu-cs!kwe
From: kwe@bu-cs.BU.EDU (kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent W. England))
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: TCP/IP and DECNET
Summary: He's not serious.
Message-ID: <28180@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 21 Feb 89 18:54:08 GMT
References: <8902172114.AA06098@ncsc.ARPA>
Reply-To: kwe@buit13.bu.edu (Kent England)
Followup-To: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Organization: Boston U. Information Technology
Lines: 42

In article <8902172114.AA06098@ncsc.ARPA> pete@NCSC.ARPA (Fernandez) writes:
>
>Fellow SIG Members,
>                      I don't know exactly what would satisfy the following,
>but I,m looking for a thing which can smooth the  turbulent waters between
>TCP/IPers and DECNETters; something that uses the tcp/ip in the appropriate
>levels and uses the plusses of decnet in the higher levels.  

	Oh, what you want is "DECNet-over-TCP/IP", better known as
DECNOT.  This is similar to the concept of plugging ISO application
layer protocols on top of TCP/IP, like CMOT, which is
CMIP-over-TCP/IP. 

	I was thinking of publishing the specs for DECNOT around the
first of April.  [note date]  I was thinking this might take some of
the wind out of DEC's sails when they come out with "ISO-compliant"
DECNet Phase V.

	I like the acronym, DECNOT.  Practically speaking, we should
call it DECNEVER.

	The converse stack, "TCP/IP-over-DECNet", known as TIPDEC, is
not nearly as feasible as DECNOT.  IF all you want is
"TCP/IP-over-DDCMP", that's no problem, just order TCPoMP, from
Wollamagung software.


	Kent England, Boston University


Disclaimer: None of the above should be taken seriously.  It's all a
personal whimsy of the author's.  

	Seriously, the desired mongrel stack you seek is unfeasible
and you should look for an application layer gateway, like
DECNet-on-Ultrix, or run dual stacks on your DEC nodes, like you can
with the Wollengong software.  You aren't going to see anyone gluing
lower layer TCP and DECNet together in any fashion.

	If you really want to see some fun with application gateways,
look for the "transport-gateways" for gluing TCP/IP applications onto
ISO applications.  That should be fun to watch.