IBM Corp’s IBM Networking Systems is working with Uniondale, New York-based Proginet Corp to give Open Systems Interconnection support to the MultiProtocol Transport Networking architecture, as promised earlier. The architecture is designed to make applications independent of the transport layer; currently, only TCP/IP and SNA are supported. Proginet will use the MultiProtocol Transport Networking extension to enable its Host.FTAM Open Systems Interconnection product line to run over SNA without requiring any additional hardware, working with the IBM AnyNet family. The companies claim there is no performance loss. FTAM will be available during the first half of next year. According to IBM, the development will bear fruit in other off-the-shelf, commercially available MultiProtocol Transport Networking products, as well as enabling network applications based on OSI to be run over Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking. Meanwhile, IBM is pushing for acceptance of MultiProtocol Transport Networking by standards bodies. The company submitted it to the XNET workgroup of X/Open Co Ltd back in December 1991, and now says that the standards body has begun work on an architecture guide that is expected to be issued later this year. The guide will be followed by detailed specifications.
