foot@tc.fluke.COM (Andrew Proudfoot) (04/27/89)
I've seen passing references to a "Remote Database Access Protocol"
several times now. Can anyone tell me what it is or refer me to some
literature describing it? Thanks.
Andy Proudfoot || phone: (206) 356-5446
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. ||
M/S 223B || domain: foot@tc.fluke.COM
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Everett, WA 98206 || uucp: {uw-beaver,microsof,sun}!fluke!footandy@garnet.berkeley.edu (Andy Lieberman) (04/27/89)
In article <7928@fluke.COM> foot@tc.fluke.COM (Andrew Proudfoot) writes: >I've seen passing references to a "Remote Database Access Protocol" >several times now. Can anyone tell me what it is or refer me to some >literature describing it? Thanks. This is probably something different than what you're looking for, but may be of interest anyway: Z39.50 has been recently dveloped by the National Info. Standards Organization. It bills itself as a "Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol Specification for Library Applications". The abstract reads: This standard species an OSI application layer service definition and protocol specification for Information Retrieval. The protocol allows an application on one computer to query the database of another computer. The protocol specifies the procedures and structures for the intersystem submission of a search request (including the syntax of the query), request for the transmission of a database records located by the search, the responses to the requests, access control, and resourc control. The standard is available from: National Bureau of Standards Administration 101 Library E-106 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 My understanding is that the standard is now complete, but has not actually been implemented by anybody yet. I think (and hope) that in the near future it will become common for library applications (which are of course only a subset of all database applications). There is plenty of room within the standard for expansions, so will probably be better than following no standard at all.
jmatrow@ncrwic.Wichita.NCR.COM (John Matrow) (04/27/89)
In article <23651@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> andy@garnet.berkeley.edu (Andy Lieberman) writes: >In article <7928@fluke.COM> foot@tc.fluke.COM (Andrew Proudfoot) writes: >>I've seen passing references to a "Remote Database Access Protocol" >>several times now. Can anyone tell me what it is or refer me to some >>literature describing it? Thanks. > >Z39.50 has been recently dveloped by the National Info. Standards Organization. Is NISO new? >It bills itself as a "Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol >Specification for Library Applications". >The standard is available from: >National Bureau of Standards Hasn't this been renamed? The Spring, 1989 issue of CONNECT: The Journal of Computer Networking, published by 3COM, has an article "The Paths of Communication" by Rick Villers. In it, he says "No company or group has yet completely addressed all the complexities involved in ensuring [distributed database] security, compatibility and concurrence. The most promising approach to solving these issues, a group of proposed ISO standards concerning remote database access (RDA) and transaction processing (TP), seeks to establish standard distributed database services. ... The most optimistic projections for their completion call for initial standards no earlier than 1993". -- John Matrow Information Systems & Services, NCR E&M Wichita NCR:654-8851 <J.Matrow@Wichita.NCR.COM> (316)636-8851 <uunet!ncrlnk!ncrwic!j.matrow> "Call 303/499-7111 for a good time!"
stein@oscsuna.osc.edu (Rick 'Transputer' Stein) (04/27/89)
In article <23651@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> andy@garnet.berkeley.edu (Andy Lieberman) writes: >In article <7928@fluke.COM> foot@tc.fluke.COM (Andrew Proudfoot) writes: >>I've seen passing references to a "Remote Database Access Protocol" >>several times now. Can anyone tell me what it is or refer me to some >>literature describing it? Thanks. > >Z39.50 has been recently dveloped by the National Info. Standards Organization. >It bills itself as a "Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol >Specification for Library Applications". > >The standard is available from: >National Bureau of Standards >Administration 101 >Library E-106 >Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 Actually, I phoned the NITS (National Institutes of Technology and Standards), formerly the NBS, and they referred me to the following outfit: Transaction Publishing Inc. Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ 08903 201-931-2280 Z39.50 is available and costs $35. It seems that the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) writes the standards for this stuff, but relies on another organization to publish it. I guess the government printing office is too slow :-)? -- Richard M. Stein (aka Rick 'Transputer' Stein) Office of Research Computing @ The Ohio Supercomputer Center Ghettoblaster vacuum cleaner architect and Trollius semi-guru Internet: stein@pixelpump.osc.edu