Westborough, Massachusetts-based Proteon Inc has announced a new strategy for internetworking diverse IBM-mixed vendor corporate environments. Proteon claims that the new programme is intended to simplify the integration of IBM’s SNA Terminal Traffic (SDLC), IBM’s SNA local net traffic (NetBIOS/source routing) and multi-vendor local area network traffic such as NetWare/IPX and DECnet. Proteon explains that phase one, which is available now, reinforces standards compatibility and provides enhanced communications in the IBM environment. Phase two, which will be launched in 1992, addresses integration of SNA and non-SNA networks. And phase three will incorporate support for emerging IBM standards in late 1992. The first stage of the strategy provides direct NetView access through Simple Network Management Protocol, which is supported by Proteon’s bridging routers and OverView network management system. Stage two merges IBM terminal traffic with IBM local area network traffic. IBM traffic is to be encapsulated within TCP/IP packets, says Proteon, eliminating source routing’s disadvantages – these include a distance limitation of seven hops, generation of large amounts of administrative traffic in wide-area networks, and extreme sensitivity to wide area network faults and failures. TCP/IP encapsulation also leverages the manager-definable routing policies of Open Shortest Path First, or OSPF, the de facto TCP/IP standard dynamic routing protocol co-authored by Proteon. OSPF’s policy-based routing options include least-cost routing, multi-path routing/load balancing and Type of Service routing, which enables prioritisation of data by factors such as time-sensitivity and confidentiality, and transmission via the most appropriate route. Stage two also provides a single point of IBM-compatible device management via IBM LAN Manager. In stage three of the programme, support for the IEEE Source Routing Transparent standard will enable bridging between Ethernet, Token Ring and FDDI. Proteon will provide a serial/Token Ring gateway that minimises the physical connections between SDLC relay ports and IBM front-end processors for more cost-effective interconnection and increased performance. By eliminating the need to route SNA traffic directly, Proteon hopes the strategy will protect network managers from the extended downtime that occurs when third-party vendors lag in supporting IBM’s continuously evolving SNA specifications. In this stage, Proteon is also to provide support for the PU2.1 Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking standard, and for OSI routing and CMIP network management.
