<s>
Banyan	B-Operating_System
VINES	I-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
discontinued	O
network	B-Protocol
operating	I-Protocol
system	I-Protocol
developed	O
by	O
Banyan	O
Systems	O
for	O
computers	O
running	O
T	O
's	O
UNIX	B-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
V	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
VINES	B-Operating_System
is	O
an	O
acronym	O
for	O
Virtual	O
Integrated	O
NEtwork	O
Service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Novell	B-Operating_System
NetWare	I-Operating_System
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
's	O
network	O
services	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Xerox	B-Protocol
XNS	I-Protocol
stack	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
James	O
Allchin	O
,	O
who	O
later	O
worked	O
as	O
Group	O
Vice	O
President	O
for	O
Platforms	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
until	O
his	O
retirement	O
on	O
January	O
30	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
chief	O
architect	O
of	O
Banyan	B-Operating_System
VINES	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
VINES	B-Operating_System
runs	O
on	O
a	O
low-level	O
protocol	O
known	O
as	O
VIP	O
—	O
the	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
Internetwork	B-Architecture
Protocol	O
—	O
that	O
is	O
essentially	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
lower	O
layers	O
of	O
the	O
Xerox	B-Protocol
Network	I-Protocol
Systems	I-Protocol
(	O
XNS	B-Protocol
)	O
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Addresses	O
consist	O
of	O
a	O
32-bit	O
address	O
and	O
a	O
16-bit	O
subnet	B-Protocol
that	O
map	O
to	O
the	O
48-bit	O
Ethernet	O
address	O
to	O
route	O
to	O
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
that	O
,	O
like	O
other	O
XNS-based	O
systems	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
can	O
only	O
support	O
a	O
two-level	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
set	O
of	O
routing	B-Protocol
algorithms	I-Protocol
,	O
however	O
,	O
sets	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
apart	O
from	O
other	O
XNS	B-Protocol
systems	O
at	O
this	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
key	O
differentiator	O
,	O
ARP	O
(	O
Address	O
Resolution	O
Protocol	O
)	O
,	O
allows	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
clients	O
to	O
automatically	O
set	O
up	O
their	O
own	O
network	O
addresses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
client	O
first	O
boots	O
up	O
,	O
it	O
broadcasts	O
a	O
request	O
on	O
the	O
subnet	B-Protocol
asking	O
for	O
servers	O
,	O
which	O
respond	O
with	O
suggested	O
addresses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
client	O
uses	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
respond	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
servers	O
can	O
hand	O
off	O
"	O
better	O
"	O
routing	B-Protocol
instructions	O
to	O
the	O
client	O
if	O
the	O
network	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
overall	O
concept	O
resembles	O
AppleTalk	B-Application
's	O
AARP	O
system	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
that	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
requires	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
server	O
,	O
whereas	O
AARP	O
functions	O
peer-to-peer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
AARP	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
requires	O
an	O
inherently	O
"	O
chatty	O
"	O
network	O
,	O
sending	O
updates	O
about	O
the	O
status	O
of	O
clients	O
to	O
other	O
servers	O
on	O
the	O
internetwork	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rounding	O
out	O
its	O
lower-level	O
system	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
uses	O
RTP	O
(	O
the	O
Routing	B-Protocol
Table	O
Protocol	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
low-overhead	O
message	O
system	O
for	O
passing	O
around	O
information	O
about	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
routing	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
ARP	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
address	O
of	O
other	O
nodes	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
closely	O
resemble	O
the	O
similar	O
systems	O
used	O
in	O
other	O
XNS-based	O
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VINES	B-Operating_System
also	O
includes	O
ICP	O
(	O
the	O
Internet	O
Control	O
Protocol	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
it	O
uses	O
to	O
pass	O
error-messages	O
and	O
metrics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
middle	O
layer	O
level	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
uses	O
fairly	O
standard	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unreliable	O
datagram	O
service	O
and	O
data-stream	O
service	O
operate	O
essentially	O
identically	O
to	O
UDP	B-Protocol
and	O
TCP	B-Protocol
on	O
top	O
of	O
IP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
VINES	B-Operating_System
adds	O
a	O
reliable	O
message	O
service	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
a	O
hybrid	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
that	O
offers	O
guaranteed	O
delivery	O
of	O
single	O
packets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Banyan	O
offered	O
customers	O
TCP/IP	O
as	O
an	O
extra	O
cost	O
option	O
for	O
owners	O
of	O
standard	O
Vines	B-Operating_System
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
extra	O
charge	O
for	O
TCP/IP	O
on	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
servers	O
continued	O
long	O
after	O
TCP/IP	O
server	O
availability	O
had	O
become	O
commoditized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
topmost	O
layer	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
provides	O
the	O
standard	O
file	O
and	O
print	O
services	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
unique	O
StreetTalk	B-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
globally	O
consistent	O
name	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
a	O
globally	O
distributed	O
,	O
partially	O
replicated	O
database	O
,	O
StreetTalk	B-Operating_System
can	O
meld	O
multiple	O
widely	O
separated	O
networks	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
network	O
that	O
allows	O
seamless	O
resource-sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
accomplishes	O
this	O
through	O
its	O
rigidly	O
hierarchical	O
naming-scheme	O
;	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
directory	O
take	O
the	O
form	O
item	O
@group	O
@organization	O
(	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
naming	O
format	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
XNS	B-Protocol
Clearinghouse	O
directory	O
service	O
:	O
item:group:organization	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
applies	O
to	O
user	O
accounts	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
to	O
resources	O
like	O
printers	O
and	O
file	B-Application
servers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
VINES	B-Operating_System
client	O
software	O
runs	O
on	O
most	O
PC-based	O
operating	O
systems	O
,	O
including	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
and	O
earlier	O
versions	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
lightweight	O
on	O
the	O
client	O
,	O
and	O
hence	O
remained	O
in	O
use	O
during	O
the	O
latter	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
on	O
many	O
older	O
machines	O
that	O
could	O
not	O
run	O
other	O
networking	B-Protocol
stacks	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
occurred	O
on	O
the	O
server	O
side	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
as	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
generally	O
offers	O
good	O
performance	O
,	O
even	O
from	O
mediocre	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
StreetTalk	B-Operating_System
's	O
inherent	O
low	O
bandwidth	O
requirements	O
,	O
global	O
companies	O
and	O
governments	O
that	O
grasped	O
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
worldwide	O
directory	O
services	O
seamlessly	O
spanning	O
multiple	O
time	O
zones	O
recognized	O
VINE	O
's	O
technological	O
edge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
U.S.	O
State	O
Department	O
was	O
an	O
early	O
adopter	O
of	O
the	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Able	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
then	O
high-speed	O
56k	O
modems	O
for	O
telephonic	O
connectivity	O
of	O
the	O
developed	O
world	O
to	O
the	O
limited	O
telephone	O
modem	O
speeds	O
of	O
300	O
baud	O
over	O
bad	O
analog	O
telephone	O
systems	O
in	O
developing	O
countries	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
linked	O
embassies	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VINES	B-Operating_System
also	O
features	O
built-in	O
point-to-point	O
and	O
group	O
chat	O
capability	O
that	O
was	O
useful	O
for	O
basic	O
communication	O
over	O
secure	O
lines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1988	O
,	O
the	O
Marine	O
Corps	O
had	O
standardized	O
on	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
as	O
both	O
its	O
garrison	O
(	O
base	O
)	O
and	O
forward-deployed	O
ground-based	O
battlefield	O
email-centric	O
network	B-Protocol
operating	I-Protocol
system	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
both	O
ground-based	O
secure	O
radio	O
channels	O
and	O
satellite	O
and	O
military	O
tactical	O
phone	O
switches	O
,	O
the	O
Marine	O
Corps	O
was	O
ready	O
for	O
its	O
first	O
big	O
test	O
of	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
:	O
the	O
1990-1991	O
Gulf	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ground	O
fire	O
support	O
coordination	O
agencies	O
used	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
up	O
and	O
down	O
command	O
channels	O
—	O
from	O
Battalion-to-Regiment	O
through	O
Division-to-Corps	O
and	O
Squadron-to-Group	O
to	O
Aircraft	O
Wing-to-Corps	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
in	O
peer-to-peer	O
unit	O
communication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
dominated	O
what	O
came	O
to	O
be	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
directory	O
services	O
"	O
space	O
from	O
1985	O
to	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
seeming	O
to	O
ignore	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
,	O
Novell	O
and	O
eventually	O
Microsoft	O
—	O
companies	O
with	O
a	O
flat	O
server	O
or	O
domain-based	O
network	O
model	O
—	O
came	O
to	O
realize	O
the	O
strategic	O
value	O
of	O
directory	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
little	O
warning	O
,	O
Novell	O
went	O
from	O
playing	O
down	O
the	O
value	O
of	O
directory	O
services	O
to	O
announcing	O
its	O
own	O
:	O
NetWare	B-Application
Directory	I-Application
Services	I-Application
(	O
NDS	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
Novell	O
changed	O
NDS	B-Application
to	O
mean	O
Novell	B-Application
Directory	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
and	O
then	O
renamed	O
that	O
to	O
eDirectory	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
however	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
included	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
,	O
an	O
LDAP	B-Protocol
directory	O
service	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
directory	O
from	O
its	O
Exchange	O
mail	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
is	O
limited	O
to	O
a	O
three-part	O
name	O
,	O
user.company.org,	O
like	O
Novell	O
's	O
NDS	B-Application
structure	O
,	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
is	O
not	O
bound	O
by	O
such	O
a	O
naming	O
convention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
features	O
an	O
additional	O
capability	O
that	O
both	O
NDS	B-Application
and	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
lack	O
,	O
its	O
"	O
forest	O
and	O
trees	O
"	O
organizational	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
combination	O
of	O
better	O
architecture	O
and	O
with	O
marketing	O
from	O
a	O
company	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
doomed	O
StreetTalk	B-Operating_System
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
as	O
an	O
OS	O
,	O
and	O
finally	O
Banyan	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
's	O
once-touted	O
StreetTalk	B-Operating_System
Services	O
's	O
non-flat	O
,	O
non-domain	O
model	O
had	O
lost	O
ground	O
to	O
newer	O
technology	O
,	O
despite	O
its	O
built-in	O
messaging	O
,	O
efficiency	O
and	O
onetime	O
performance	O
edge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
lost	O
ground	O
in	O
the	O
networking	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
sales	O
dropped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Banyan	O
increasingly	O
turned	O
to	O
StreetTalk	B-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
differentiator	O
,	O
eventually	O
porting	O
it	O
to	O
NT	O
as	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
product	O
and	O
offering	O
it	O
as	O
an	O
interface	O
to	O
LDAP	B-Protocol
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
more	O
open	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
with	O
published	O
APIs	O
began	O
to	O
appear	O
,	O
Banyan	O
did	O
not	O
alter	O
their	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
competitors	O
began	O
to	O
adopt	O
some	O
of	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
's	O
outstanding	O
wide	O
area	O
networking	O
protocols	O
and	O
services	O
,	O
manufacturers	O
were	O
less	O
inclined	O
to	O
send	O
a	O
unit	O
to	O
Banyan	O
for	O
VINES	B-Operating_System
specific	O
drivers	O
when	O
competitors	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
write	O
their	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
