Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!RELAY.PROTEON.COM!acm
From: acm@RELAY.PROTEON.COM
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: doing IPC on existing novell network
Message-ID: <8805091333.AA17299@monk.proteon.com>
Date: 9 May 88 14:35:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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---------------------------------- Forwarded ----------------------------------
From: acm at proteonwebo
Date: 5/9/88 9:30AM
To: linus!aliant!rosenkra@husc6.harvard.edu at ARPA
Subject: doing IPC on existing novell network
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>does anyone know if it is possible to run two incompatible protocols on
>any novell network?

Some of the hardware drivers use protocol headers that can reject other
packets addressed to Novell stations (such as broadcasts.) ProNET software
all does that.  ProNET-10 can run multiple types to the same machine with
little difficulty.  The same is true of Banyan software.

>i think novel has both token and contention schemes (don't they?)
>which say to me that as long as i have the network, it is mine for that
>packet. the question then is do/will file servers ignore/pass on strange
>messages to the proper handler? i would like to impliment an IPC
>(interprocess communication) mechanism without tcp/ip if possible. it
>must exist in an existing novell/banyan network used for file serving.

They support about 35 or so different pieces of network hardware and that
includes both types (actually 3 types.)

They already have a protocol that DOES go through all the internetwork they
set up.  It is called IPX and is based upon XNS protocol.  All packet
drivers for the cards support this protocol and you can do station to
station communications with this.  You can get details from Novell by
talking with David Hills in Provo.  He is in charge of third party
hardware/software vendors.  He has put out a book on all the programming
interface to talk with the drivers.  It is called "Application Programmer's
Guide to Netware and Function Call Reference."

There is another protocol that is available with 2.1 Netware called SPX
which is guaranteed delivery end-to-end.  This can be used too.


     -Al Marshall, Proteon