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- IBM Extends Support for Microsoft LAN Manager Technology
- in OS/2 Extended Edition 1.20
-
- Redmond, WA -- May 16, 1989 -- IBM's SAA OfficeVision announcement
- today detailed use of Microsoft networking technology in three areas.
- First, IBM announced that IBM(R) Operating System/2(TM) Extended
- Edition Version 1.20 will support 13 categories of LAN application
- programming interfaces (APIs) that are derivations of comparable
- Microsoft(R) LAN Manager API categories. Second, IBM's OfficeVision
- product line makes use of the IBM EE 1.20 LAN Requester, which is
- based on LAN Manager technology. Third, IBM announced EE 1.20 support
- for selected EtherNet(R) adapters written to the Microsoft/3Com(R)
- Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS).
-
- Together, these announcements strengthen Microsoft LAN Manager's
- position in two key areas -- developing network applications and
- providing a standardized LAN adapter card interface to network
- protocol software.
-
- "For third-party software developers, end users, and hardware vendors,
- life just got a lot easier," said Steve Ballmer, senior vice president
- of systems software at Microsoft. "In the same way that NetBIOS
- spurred development of the first networking applications, LAN Manager
- APIs will facilitate building the next generation of true distributed
- applications."
-
- Interoperability
-
- IBM's use of LAN Manager technology in SAA OfficeVision ensures that
- end users will be free to choose their network environment. IBM OS/2
- Extended Edition workstations running SAA OfficeVision software will
- be able to use resources on LAN Manager-based servers, and LAN Manager
- workstations will be able to access IBM LAN Server.
-
- LAN Manager APIs
-
- The LAN API support announced today in IBM's OS/2 EE 1.20, when
- combined with the named pipes support already available in IBM OS/2
- EE, provides a set of 89 APIs in 13 categories of the Microsoft LAN
- Manager APIs. The LAN Manager APIs provide powerful services to the
- applications developer, including the following:
-
- Interprocess communication between programs across the network that
- enables the development of distributed applications
-
- Remote querying of the network for resources such as servers or
- printers
-
- Network administration facilities, such as remote operation and
- alerts to the network administrator on operating conditions of
- interest
-
- More than 100 independent software vendors and corporate developers
- are writing applications that make use of LAN Manager APIs. The
- implementation of a standard set of APIs in EE 1.20 and Microsoft LAN
- Manager means that developers of network applications have to write to
- only one set of interface specifications in order for their software
- to run on both IBM LAN Server and LAN Manager networks.
-
- Announcement Draws Industry Support
-
- The announcement drew a broad range of industry support.
-
- "Ashton-Tate is fully supportive of the IBM and Microsoft agreement to
- adopt a common LAN API interface," said Ed Esber, chairman and CEO of
- Ashton-Tate. "That IBM is announcing its support is very significant
- to our customers."
-
- Jim Acquaviva, president of Revelation Technologies, added: "Since our
- product, Advanced Revelation(R), is widely used to develop multiuser
- applications on LANs, this development is significant, because
- complexity is lessened and compatibility is increased by writing to a
- single API for both environments. More important, our users are
- assured of a safer and more-level playing field, protecting their MIS
- investments."
-
- And Wayne Carpenter, president and CEO of Saros Corporation, said:
- "This step in supporting a common API opens the door for distributed
- applications such as ours to span not only workstations and servers
- but networks as well. We see this as a major step, allowing developers
- to produce both network-independent applications and internetwork
- distributed applications."
-
- Network Driver Interface Specification
-
- More than 35 vendors are writing to the NDIS specification, including
- major computer manufacturers such as IBM, AT&T, NCR, and Hewlett-
- Packard, leading networking companies such as 3Com, Ungermann-Bass,
- Proteon and INTERLAN, major card vendors such as Standard
- Microsystems, Intel, and Western Digital, and key network transport
- protocol vendors such as Retix, FTP Software, Madge Computers Ltd.,
- and Sytek Inc.
-
- IBM's licensing of the Microsoft LAN Manager Network Driver Interface
- Specification (NDIS), jointly developed by Microsoft and 3Com, cements
- industry commitment to NDIS. The OS/2 Extended Edition implementation
- of NDIS announced by IBM today allows SNA, NetBIOs and programs
- written to the IEEE 802.2 programming interface to operate over
- EtherNet LANs, improving support for multivendor connectivity.
-
- Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ "MSFT") develops, markets and supports a
- wide range of software for business and professional use, including
- operating systems, languages and application programs as well as
- books, CD-ROM products and hardware for the microcomputer marketplace.
-
- # # #
-
- Microsoft, MS, and the Microsoft logo are registered trademarks of
- Microsoft Corporation.
-
- 3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation.
-
- Ashton-Tate is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate Corporation.
-
- IBM is a registered trademark and Operating System/2 are trademarks of
- International Business Machines Corporation.
-
- EtherNet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation.