Interconnecting OSI and non-OSI networks using an integrated directory service

Abstract

The emergence of OSI as an International Standard is fostering a desire to interconnect existing networks and network architectures to OSI. In order to achieve this, a global scheme is necessary to provide object identification, and specific solutions are needed to provide internetwork addressability between applications. A structured naming level can be built on top of existing application program interfaces, and the necessary internetwork addressing and directory query capabilities can be provided by an application-level gateway. The address mechanism on the gateway maps local proxies into foreign addresses; the originality of the scheme is that proxies are built dynamically during internetwork directory calls, thus overcoming the typical problems of proxy schemes. The functions at the gateway can be organized into a base and option set structure, and be implemented up to the desired level of sophistication. The design presented is modular, and provides hooks for possible future evolutions of network architectures. © 1988.