NetWare client-server communications are governed by a series
of protocols. These protocols can be divided by functionality:
protocols used for all communications,
such as the medium-access protocols and the
Internetwork Packet Exchange protocol
administrative protocols,
such as the Routing Information Protocol and the
Service Advertising Protocol
protocols concerned with connection control,
such as the NetWare Core Protocol and Watchdog
protocols that define the coding of service requests,
such as the NetWare Core Protocol
The protocols that make up the SCO IPX/SPX stack may be
installed as a co-resident with other SCO networking protocols:
SCO TCP/IP
SCO GOSIP
Microsoft® LAN Manager
Please
refer to
``Protocol stacks'' in Configuring Network Connections
for more information on LAN card and protocol stack coexistence.
The following table describes which protocols
are used and supported by SCO IPX/SPX:
Table 4-1 Protocols supported by SCO IPX/SPX
--------------------------------------------------------------
Protocol Supported API provided
--------------------------------------------------------------
Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) yes yes
Sequenced Packet Exchange (SPX) yes yes
Service Advertising Protocol (SAP) yes yes
Routing Information Protocol (RIP) yes no
NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) yes no
Novell Virtual Terminal (NVT) yes yes
NCP is supported by SCO IPX/SPX but
is only used by SCO Gateway for NetWare.
The information presented in the following sections is technical in nature
and is most valuable to those individuals designing, implementing, or
administering NetWare networks. It is also useful to individuals and
organizations developing applications specifically for NetWare.
The sections provide:
These sections explain the packet structures defined by each protocol,
and the algorithms followed by workstations,
routers, and file servers when transmitting or receiving packets.
For detailed information on Novell networks,
see the Novell documentation.
NOTE:
Some of the information in the following sections
does not apply directly to SCO IPX/SPX.
It does, however, describe the environment in which IPX/SPX
operates.
You should be familiar with this environment
to make effective use of IPX/SPX.