DECnet Phase V

This document, DECnet Phase V: An OSI Implementation, offers an in-depth examination of Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) network architecture, focusing on the transition and integration of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) standards into the DECnet family of networking products.

Key Topics Covered:

• Network Architecture Foundations: Detailed overview of the OSI reference model, functional layering, and the Digital Network Architecture (DNA) Phase V design principles (such as scalability, robustness, and inter-operability).
• Functional Layers: In-depth technical breakdown of the layers within the DECnet architecture, including the Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, and Session Control layers.
• Network Infrastructure: Exploration of routing algorithms (including the IS-IS protocol), naming services (directory services and namespaces), and network management (using the Enterprise Management Architecture and the Common Management Information Protocol).
• Applications: Discussion of DNA applications such as file transfer, electronic mail, and computer conferencing, as well as the implementation of OSI applications and the OSI upper-layer architecture (OSUL).
• Local Area Network (LAN) Technologies: Detailed analysis of CSMA/CD, Ethernet, and Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) technologies.
• Wide Area Networking (WAN) & X.25: Coverage of wide-area data link protocols (HDLC, DDCMP, LAPB) and the integration of X.25 access.

This book is intended for IT managers, network administrators, and technical staff looking to understand the implementation of OSI-based network architectures within a large-scale, heterogeneous environment.