Xerox Network System definition
<networking> (XNS) A proprietary network architecture
developed by the Xerox Office Systems Division of Xerox
corporation at Xerox PARC in the late 1970s/early 1980s to
run on LAN (Ethernet) and WAN networks. The XNS
protocol stack provided routing and packet delivery.
Implementations exist for 4.3BSD derived systems and the
Xerox Star computers. Novell based much of the lower layers
of their protocol suite IPX/SPX on XNS.
The main components are: Internet datagram protocol (IDP),
Routing information protocol (RIP), Packet Exchange protocol
(PEP), and Sequences packet protocol (SPP).
XNS has strong parellels to TCP/IP in that the network
layer, IDP, is roughly equivalent to IP. RIP has the same
functions (and obviously name) as the routing information
protocol, RIP. SPP, a connectionless transport layer
protocol, is similar to UDP. PEP is also in the transport
layer but is connection-oriented and similar to TCP.
XNS specifically is no longer in use due to the all
pervasiveness of IP.
XNS denotes not only the protocol stack, but also an
architecture of standard programming interfaces, conventions,
and service functions for authentication, directory, filing,
e-mail, and remote procedure call. XNS is also the name
of Xerox's implementation.
Many PC networking companies, such as 3Com, Banyan,
Novell, and Ungermann-Bass Networks used or use a
variation of XNS as their primary transport protocol. XNS was
desigined to be used across a variety of communication media,
processors, and office applications. UB, (now a part of
Tandem Computers) adopted XNS in developing its Net/One
XNS routing protocol.
[Or is it "Service(s)"? Date?]
(2003-11-10)
Nearby terms:
Xerox Data Systems Model 530 « Xerox Data Systems Model 940 « XEROX Network Services « Xerox Network System » XEROX PARC » Xerox Star » XFree86 Project, Inc.
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