Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!uwvax!uwmacc!uwmcsd1!ig!jade!ucbvax!MONK.PROTEON.COM!jas From: jas@MONK.PROTEON.COM ("John A. Shriver") Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc Subject: server message protocol (SMB) and novells NCP Message-ID: <8712021554.AA28277@monk.proteon.com> Date: Wed, 2-Dec-87 10:54:20 EST Article-I.D.: monk.8712021554.AA28277 Posted: Wed Dec 2 10:54:20 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 6-Dec-87 06:50:45 EST References: <8712021452.AA10318@watale.uucp> Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 18 The SMB (Server Message Block) protocol is described in "IBM Personal Computer Seminar Proceedings", Volume 2, Number 8-1, May 1985, Form G320-9319. This describes the protocol as implemented in the IBM PC Network Program. There have been some extensions made since that time, as part of some of the performance improvements in PC LAN Program V1.2. The Novell NCP protocol has historically been proprietary. It looks a lot like DOS function calls. However, they must be less secretive about it now, since the Network General Sniffer includes a dissasembler for it. Novell has published their underlying IPX Network level protocol, which they continue to claim is XNS IDP, but their documentation says the checksum only covers the header, where the IDP checksum covers the entire packet. (That may be a moot point, since they always stuff FFFF in the checksum anyways!) However, they don't use XNS RIP, they have an unpublished routing protocol. (Some of Novell's proprietary-ness may just be a matter of not being able to justify the time it takes to write a correct document and approve it.)