Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!WPAFB-INFO5.AF.MIL!afrlinkv
From: afrlinkv@WPAFB-INFO5.AF.MIL
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: RFC Compliant NetBIOS & ULANA
Message-ID: <8909280051.AA05057@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 27 Sep 89 15:28:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 41

Maybe someone out there in the Internet can provide some insight...    
 
1)  Is there any reason whatsoever (one word?) to use an RFC 1001,1002 
compliant NetBIOS?  Sure, it means you're in tune with the DoD guidance
to use TCP/IP, but you still can't talk on the Internet - that is all 
current implementations of RFC compliant NetBIOS implement the Broadcast 
Nodes method and are delimited by their IP routers (Gateways).  This 
means you're buying more expensive hardware or using lots of host (PC) 
memory and receiving poorer performance because of the protocol overhead.     
 
2)  Why hasn't the ULANA program recognized the above problem?  Back in '85
and '86 I was (in my ignorance) a proponent of NetBIOS over TCP/IP and 
insisted it be part of the ULANA specification.  Much to my chagrin, I 
subsequently realized the error of my ways and have been trying ever since 
to have that requirement dropped.  Unfortunately, Mitre was off in their 
own world (always has been - always will be?) and refused to listen to 
sanity.  Now, we've got two vendors' products on the APL (or about to be) 
that are real dogs in performance (it's my understanding that neither 
the EDS/3COM nor the TRW PC host attachments meet the performance 
requirements) and yet don't even meet the RFCs or the IBM/Sytek NetBIOS 
specifications (contact me directly for specifcs).  All at a higher cost!
 
3)  One of the ULANA CLINs is to provide specification compliance testing
for third party products.  Has this ever been exercised?  How does one get
a compliant product on the APL?  How can we help the government save money
(ours!) on this program?   Am I just ------- in the wind?
 
If anyone can help me out, I'd sure appreciate it!
 
 
Link Verstegen                      afrlinkv@WPAFB-INFO5.AF.MIL
Integration Manager                 (405) 942-8884
Network Solutions, Inc.
4350 Will Rogers Pkwy.               ** These are MY opinions -  **
Suite 100                            ** I don't need to pass the **
Oklahoma City, OK  73108             ** buck on this one...      **
 
 
By the way, I heard a rumor that 10NET had won the Gunter LAN Software
Contract.  Any comments from the Peanut Gallery?