Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!decvax!ima!spdcc!ftp!jbvb
From: jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Novell Net with Telnet & FTP
Summary: Packet Driver is a MAC-layer software interface, providing hardware
	 independence and sharing/demuxing for multiple protocol stacks.
Message-ID: <595@ftp.COM>
Date: 14 Mar 89 19:06:06 GMT
References: <3021@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>
Organization: FTP Software Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 23

In article <3021@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>, anderer@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (David G Anderer) writes:
> Ok, I've just gotten in over my head.  Can someone explain what the
> Packet Driver spec is, what it does, what layer it operates at, etc, etc?
> 
It is a specification for a DOS-oriented software interface between one or
more protocol stacks and a single MAC-layer hardware driver.  It provides
hardware-independent shared access for sending packets, and demultiplexing
and delivery to the proper protocol stack for incoming packets.  It does not
attempt to allow the protocol stack to be independent of the MAC layer packet
format.

Other software interfaces with comparable purpose and functionality are the
DEC "XE" driver under VMS, IBM's ASI interface for its DOS 802.5 cards, the
Microsoft/3Com NDIS spec and the Apple/Novell OLI spec.

The latest version (v1.08, still) can be anonymously FTP'ed from "ftp.com",
pub/packet-d.ascii is straight printable ascii, packet-d.prn is for an HP
Laserjet with TMS proportional II font cartridge, packet-d.mss is unformatted,
for Borland Sprint or FinalWordII.

-- 
James B. VanBokkelen		26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA  01880
FTP Software Inc.		voice: (617) 246-0900  fax: (617) 246-0901