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From: nigel@modcomp.UUCP (Nigel Gamble)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.std.misc,comp.mail.misc,comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Standardizing Email?
Message-ID: <123@modcomp.UUCP>
Date: 18 Aug 88 02:59:12 GMT
References: <145@chiron.UUCP>
Distribution: comp
Lines: 35

in article <145@chiron.UUCP>, jon@chiron.UUCP (Jon L. Griffeth) says:
> X.400 is actually a series of recommendations made by CCITT concerning
> the format of electronic messages and their subsequent transmission.
> It references numerous other recommendations and relies heavily
> on the Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ANS.1).  If anyone can tell how
> to obtain information on ANS.1, I'd be greatful.  I seem to have missed
> it in my search.

Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) is part of the Presentation Layer
(layer 6) of the ISO/OSI 7 layer comms. protocol stack.  The relevant
ISO standards are:
	DIS 8824	Specification of Abstract Syntax Notation
			One (ASN.1)
	DIS 8825	Specification of Basic Encoding Rules for
			Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1)
The corresponding CCITT document is:
	X.409		Message Handling Systems: Presentation
			Transfer Syntax and Notation
(ISO documents can be obtained from the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI), which is the United States member body in the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO).)

> P.S.  If anyone can direct me towards a GOOD book on OSI, I would
> again be greatful.  OSI is the basis for an international networking
> standard.  Anyone wanting to learn about X.400 should learn this as
> well.

The best book I have found (from which the above information is taken)
is "Handbook of Computer Communications Standards, Volume 1: The Open
Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model and OSI-related Standards" by
William Stallings, published by Macmillan.
-- 
Nigel Gamble            "Everything should be made as simple as possible,
MODCOMP/AEG              but not simpler."  Albert Einstein.
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