Micom Systems Inc says its Micom-Interlan local area networking division in Simi Valley, California has been licensed by DEC to produce an Ethernet controller with onboard TCP-IP protocol coprocessor for the VAX 8000 family of minicomputers: the licence allows Micom-Interlan to develop and sell an Ethernet controller that is plug-compatible with the closely-guarded VAXBI backplane interconnect bus protocol architecture, and the NP800 controller will work directly with any VAX 8000 without the need for the Unibus adaptor, which is necessary when using any third-party controllers designed without a VAXBI licence; Micom has not yet set a price for the product, which is due out in the first quarter of 1988.