FTP Software's Software Compatibility Sheet Many vendors offer networking systems for use between IBM PCs, providing remote file service, remote printer access, and electronic mail. The drawback with most proprietary PC network operating systems is that they do not provide access to systems other than PCs. PC/TCP Plus provides that link. Rather than replace the existing PC software, use PC/TCP Plus to supplement it, allowing communication between your PCs and minis, mainframes, workstations and other micros. This document discusses PC/TCP Plus's levels of compatibility with other LAN products. There are four levels of compatibility between PC/TCP Plus and other LAN products (see chart below.) They exist because of varying degrees of contention for hardware and other resources in the PC. Many LAN programs are not designed to share the network interface with other applications. When PC/TCP Plus is used on a machine already running such a LAN program, there will be contention when both programs expect to have sole and complete access to the network interface. LEVELS OF COMPATIBILITY The four levels of compatibility are: Completely compatible. Two products which can run on the same PC at the same time, and can use the services provided by one another while they are running. For example, you can run FTP on a PC to transfer files from a remote mainframe running TCP/IP to a remote file system connected to the PC via a proprietary LAN program. Coexistent. Two products which can run on the same PC at the same time, but cannot use the services provided by one another while running. For instance, if a PC is running one of the LAN programs listed on the next page and a PC/ TCP Plus application is then executed, under normal circumstances the LAN program can stay loaded while the PC is also running PC/TCP Plus, but PC/TCP Plus will be unable to access any network file or printer services provided by the LAN program. Conditionally coexistent. Two products which cannot run simultaneously on the same PC, although a system reboot is not needed to switch programs. PC/TCP Plus version 2.03 can be unloaded from memory, thus relinquishing control to the other LAN program. Incompatible. Two products which cannot be run at the same time on the same PC network interface. There are usually two options here: you can reconfigure, then reboot the system between uses of the different software; or you can elect to use two network interfaces in your PC, one for use with PC/TCP Plus and one for use with your other LAN software. USE OF STANDARD DRIVER INTERFACES The Packet Driver, NDIS and ODI specifications all allow multiple protocols to share a network interface card. As a result, otherwise incompatible network applications can run concurrently. For example, the Packet Driver Specification lets NetWare and PC/TCP Plus run at the same time on the same PC using the same interface card. Not only do both packages run at once, but you can use PC/TCP Plus to transfer a file from a Unix machine to your NetWare server. An added benefit of the Packet Driver, NDIS and ODI specifications is that they provide standards for driver development. As more and more software manufacturers support the Packet Driver, NDIS and ODI, board manufacturers with corresponding drivers will gain instant support for many applications. Packet Driver. The Packet Driver Specification was developed by FTP Software. Packet drivers have been written for more than 20 network interface cards, in many cases to provide compatibility with NetWare. NDIS. NDIS was jointly developed by Microsoft and 3Com, and is intended mostly for use with LAN Manager. ODI. ODI was developed by Novell, and is intended mostly for use with NetWare. As ODI drivers become available, FTP Software will develop an ODI-compatible version of PC/TCP Plus. ASI. The Adapter Support Interface allows network applications which have an ASI driver to operate on any 802.5 Token Ring boards with an ASI driver. Non-IBM Token Ring boards must have Texas Instruments ROM version 2.08 or higher. ASI drivers are available for the IBM Token Ring Adaptor and most compatible Token Ring cards, including 3COM 3C603, Western Digital WD8005/TR, and Proteon P1340, P1344, P1345 and P1840. PC/TCP Plus for the IBM Token Ring Adapter talks to the ASI interface, and is completely compatible with any other LAN program that uses an ASI-compatible driver, such as the IBM PC LAN Program. PC/TCP PLUS COMPATIBILITY WITH NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEMS Banyan VINES. Complete compatibility with VINES versions 2.1 and greater on Ethernet only (using PC/TCP Plus I-215). Banyan also sells a server-based license for PC/ TCP Plus which is completely compatible and runs on any VINES-supported network. This server-based version is only available through Banyan. Please contact Banyan for more information. DECnet DOS and PCSA. Completely compatible with DECnet DOS and PCSA on all interfaces they support. These include VAXmate and the DEPCA network interface card. Note: PC/TCP Plus interfaces to the DECnet drivers, not directly to the interface card. This allows PC/TCP to be independent of the interface. IBM PC LAN Program Version 1.2 and 1.3. Completely compatible with the IBM PC LAN program on all the network interface cards supported by PC/TCP Plus. This compatibility is achieved using NetBIOS and requires the purchase of the NetBIOS add-on package for PC/TCP Plus (Part # PC-439.) LAN Manager. Complete compatibility is provided through use of the NDIS driver. A growing list of companies are reselling LAN Manager with their own brand names, including, 3COM's 3+Open. All these brand-named products will also be completely compatible. D-Link LANSmart. Complete compatibility with any of the network interfaces (on a growing list) which use the Packet Driver. Microsoft MS-Net. Complete compatibility is provided through the use of FTP Software's optional NetBIOS interface to PC/TCP Plus. This allows MS-Net to run over the TCP/IP protocol stack. MS-Net is licensed to a number of companies and resold under a variety of names, including IBM's PCLAN. All these licensed products are also completely compatible on all the network interface cards supported by PC/TCP Plus. For more information on PC/TCP Plus's NetBIOS add-on package, please consult FTP's product document PA-0008. Note that the version of MSNet from BICC Data Networks does not require NetBIOS to run over PC/TCP Plus. Novell NetWare. Completely compatible on cards from the following companies: Acer, D-Link, Gateway Communications, IMC Networks, Longshine, Interlan, Schneider & Koch, Tigan, and Univation. These implementations are fully supported by the respective interface manufacturers. Please contact them for more information. Note: These interface manufacturers have enhanced the NetWare Shell to work with the Packet Driver Specification. This allows NetWare to operate concurrently with PC/TCP Plus on a single network interface card because the Packet Driver directs each packet to the proper protocol stack. Completely compatible on cards from the following companies: BICC Data Networks and Proteon. These implementations are fully supported by the respective interface manufacturers. Please contact them for more information. Note: These interface manufacturers have created proprietary solutions which allow NetWare to operate concurrently with PC/TCP Plus on a single network interface card. Completely compatible on cards from the following companies: 3COM 3C603, Western Digital WD8005/TR, and Proteon P1340, P1344, P1345 and P1840. These implementations are fully supported by respective interface manufacturers. Note: Token ring interfaces which use the IBM standard Adapter Support Interface (ASI) also allow NetWare to operate concurrently with PC/TCP Plus on a single network interface card. Completely compatible with the following: 3COM 3C501, 3C503, 3C505, 3C523; InterLan NI5010, NI5210; Western Digital WD8003; and SLIP. Although these implementations are not supported by FTP Software, BYU, or Clarkson, fixes are released periodically. Note: Brigham Young University has modified the NetWare shell to operate with the packet driver. Clarkson University has written and collected public domain packet drivers for a number of popular interface cards. The BYU and Clarkson software is included at no extra charge with FTP Software's I-210, PC-210, and K-210. 10Net+. Completely compatibility with a version of PC/TCP Plus available from DCA. 3COM 3+ OPEN. Completely compatible through the use of the NDIS driver. The NDIS driver allows multiple protocol stacks to share the same network interface and to run concurrently. 3COM 3+ SHARE. Conditionally co-existent with versions 1.1 and 1.2 of 3+ Share software on the 3C500, 3C501, and 3C503 network interfaces. Interlan sells a driver which supports conditional coexistence of PC/TCP Plus with 3+ Share on the NI5210. PC/TCP Plus is likely to be incompatible with any version of 3+ Share software on the 3C505 network interfaces. 3COM 3+ EtherSeries. Conditionally co-existent with PC/TCP Plus on a workstation with the 3C500, 3C501, or 3C503 network interfaces. WINDOWING SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows PC/TCP Plus is completely compatible with Microsoft Windows. A minor limitation is that Telnet VT220 and 3270 take over the screen display and therefore will not operate inside of a window in Windows or Windows 286 (TNGLASS will operate inside a window.) Multiple Telnet sessions may still be opened inside that window, but you must exit Telnet to return to other Windows applications. You cannot run kernel applications in the backround. Complete compatibility with Microsoft Windows. Complete compatibility with Microsoft Windows 286. Telnet will run inside a window in Windows 386, but you cannot open another Telnet connection in a second Window. All other Windows 386 functions will operate normally. Functions which involve the kernel will not run in other windows. Quarterdeck DesqView Completely compatible with DesqView. Specifications subject to change without notice. All product names are the property of their respective owners. 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