3Com Corp turned out to be more forthcoming than its partner IBM in releasing details of their joint network management specification development effort, intended to enable the user create applications to manage different kinds of networks more efficiently (CI No 1,464). 3Com says the new HLM Heterogenous LAN Management specifications, which are set for the fourth quarter of 1990, will be incorporated in future products by both companies to ensure interoperability of local and remote HLM-based network management systems. HLM specifications will define the properties of a single common management protocol, which will be based on a subset of the emerging open systems interconnection compliant Common Management Information Protocol, while use of the IEEE’s 802.2 Logical Link Control is intended to provide seamless management of devices located anywhere on the network. The combination of these two technologies is also claimed to ease the migration from HLM-based environments to future OSI-based systems, and will enable HLM-based applications to share 640Kb of workstation memory with other applications. 3Com said the initial implementation of HLM will incorporate proposed extensions to the NDIS Network Driver Interface Specification, an interface written by 3Com and Microsoft Corp that defines how network adaptors communicate with network operating systems. NDIS operates in MS-DOS and OS/2 environments, including those based on 3Com’s 3+Open LAN Manager and IBM’s OS/2 Extended Edition: it is claimed that the proposed extensions to NDIS mean that existing network adaptors and cabling will operate with HLM-based applications, while the extensions will enable network managers to monitor local and remote devices from network management workstations located on both Ethernet and Token Ring, with others planned.
Content from our partners
