--mysteryboxofun
Content-Type: text/plain
Rohit Khare writes:
> A quick analysis from our Java guru....
why your java guru?
> Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 12:53:52 +0500
> From: abaird@w3.org (Anselm Baird-Smith)
> To: w3t@w3.org
> Subject: about WebNFS
>
> I just went through the WebNFS white paper:
> http://www.sun.com/sunsoft/Whats-new/webnfs.ps
> [don't print it reuse my own copy]
>
> My understanding is that they just made some improvement in the
> protocols (MOUNT and NFS per-se) to make it run smoothly on WAN
> (it mainly eliminates some round-trips).
exactly. they have been moving this direction for a few years. with
the release of v3, we saw a decent reduction in the number of
round-trips, but there was still this notion in the market that nfs
would perform poorly across long links due to its udp implementation.
this was true in the old days, but is not necessarily true today.
this reminds me of the old/new debates over c++, and now java, in
terms of performance.
> However, the expected drawbacks are there too: NFS is just a file
> transfer protocol, while it's my understanding that most of HTTP
> cleverness lies in its extensible set of methods. Nothing is said
> about how CGI scripts (eg POST) or content negotiation, etc. would be
> handled for example. Meta-information is of course out of the picture
> (e.g. to get content type, parse the file suffix).
exactly. sun is using their typical spin to position itself with
respect to the users' perceptions (and likely many developers who do
not understand intimacies of http and nfs). the following article can
be read in at least two different ways; one positioning sun to use nfs
to transfer any data object that requires none of the frills that http
provides, and the second as web nfs as the solution to all our http
performance problems.
> I hope that we will get HTTP-NG (or at least MUX) out fast enough to
> avoid these kinds of things, whose main argument is that HTTP as
> currently specified is just not fast enough.
>
> Anselm.
my sentiments exactly.
jrk
--mysteryboxofun
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; name="webnfs_article.txt"
Content-Description: ~/tmp/webnfs_article.txt
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
stty: TCGETS: Operation not supported on socket
> SunSoft positions Web NFS as new Internet file transfer standard
> By Cara Cunningham
> InfoWorld Electric
> Posted at 2:38 PM PT, May 24, 1996
> =
> SunSoft Inc. is cooking up a strategy to put the ubiquitous HTTP Intern=
et =
> protocol in its place.
> =
> During the week of May 27, the company will announce Web NFS, an
> enhancement to its Network File System that bypasses firewalls and prox=
y
> servers to provide a single file transfer protocol across the Internet,=
> company officials said.
> =
> The result, company officials claim, is the transfer of Web documents a=
s
> much as 10 times faster than existing transfer rates.
> =
> SunSoft is positioning NFS and Web NFS both as alternatives and
> complements to HTTP because they:
> =
> * Use the SunSoft protocols to transfer files.
> =
> * Use HTTP to design dynamic Web pages and Common Gateway Interface
> (CGI) scripts.
> =
> "Right now, because of the absence of other protocols, HTTP has become =
a
> Jack of all trades," said Sanjay Sinha, SunSoft's marketing manager for=
> Solaris Server in Menlo Park, Calif. "NFS is designed to do one thing:
> file access."
> =
> Because NFS has 10 years of fine-tuning behind it and is licensed by
> major Unix operating system vendors, including Novell Inc., for use in
> NetWare, SunSoft believes that it is a prime candidate to become the
> standard file transfer protocol that speeds up the World Wide Web.
> =
> "If this provides the performance that Sun expects, people are going to=
> want it," said Jim McLaughlin, a senior analyst with Giga Information
> Group Inc., in Santa Clara, Calif.
> =
> In addition, only minor changes will have to be made before users can
> start typing nfs:// instead of http:// into their browser Uniform
> Resource Locator (URL) boxes, Sinha said. Browsers will have to be
> tweaked to adhere to NFS naming, and Web NFS will have to be installed
> on Internet servers.
> =
> Oracle Corp. officials confirmed that the company will add the necessar=
y
> technology to its PowerBrowser for NFS recognition.
> =
> "We have an extremely close relationship with Sun. It is clearly one of=
> our top three partners going forward with our Internet and intranet
> initiatives," said Douglas Laird, senior director of marketing for
> programs and communications with Oracle's Web/Workgroup systems in,
> Redwood Shores, Calif.
> =
> Market leader Netscape Communications Corp. would not comment on its
> plans, although an official said the company may be prepared to make a
> statement on Tuesday.
> =
> SunSoft next month will make Web NFS available to its existing NFS
> licensees to include in their server offerings. During the third
> quarter, the company will propose NFS and Web NFS to the Internet
> Engineering Task Force as an Internet standard. If that happens, vendor=
s
> will be able to obtain the specification from the organization and
> implement it without paying licensing fees.
> =
> Intranets with NFS-based servers and clients can use the protocol today=
> because usually there are no firewalls or proxy servers involved, Sinha=
> said.
> =
> While NFS software is available from third-party vendors for Windows NT=
,
> Microsoft Corp. itself has not embraced the technology. If SunSoft
> succeeds in making NFS an Internet standard, the Redmond, Wash.-based
> giant may be forced to succumb to this traditionally Unix protocol.
> =
> "If Microsoft wants NT to be accepted as a Web server, it will put
> pressure on them" to offer NFS with the operating system, said
> McLaughlin.
> =
> Microsoft is still investigating the possibility of using NFS, a compan=
y
> spokeswoman said Friday, and will add it to both NT and to its Internet=
> Explorer browser if the protocol becomes a standard.
> =
> Sun is at _http://www.sun.com/_.
> =
> Additional reporting by Kristi Essick of the IDG News Service, an InfoW=
orld =
> affiliate.
--mysteryboxofun
Content-Type: text/plain
SunSoft positions Web NFS as new Internet file transfer standard
By Cara Cunningham
InfoWorld Electric
Posted at 2:38 PM PT, May 24, 1996
SunSoft Inc. is cooking up a strategy to put the ubiquitous HTTP Internet
protocol in its place.
During the week of May 27, the company will announce Web NFS, an
enhancement to its Network File System that bypasses firewalls and proxy
servers to provide a single file transfer protocol across the Internet,
company officials said.
The result, company officials claim, is the transfer of Web documents as
much as 10 times faster than existing transfer rates.
SunSoft is positioning NFS and Web NFS both as alternatives and
complements to HTTP because they:
* Use the SunSoft protocols to transfer files.
* Use HTTP to design dynamic Web pages and Common Gateway Interface
(CGI) scripts.
"Right now, because of the absence of other protocols, HTTP has become a
Jack of all trades," said Sanjay Sinha, SunSoft's marketing manager for
Solaris Server in Menlo Park, Calif. "NFS is designed to do one thing:
file access."
Because NFS has 10 years of fine-tuning behind it and is licensed by
major Unix operating system vendors, including Novell Inc., for use in
NetWare, SunSoft believes that it is a prime candidate to become the
standard file transfer protocol that speeds up the World Wide Web.
"If this provides the performance that Sun expects, people are going to
want it," said Jim McLaughlin, a senior analyst with Giga Information
Group Inc., in Santa Clara, Calif.
In addition, only minor changes will have to be made before users can
start typing nfs:// instead of http:// into their browser Uniform
Resource Locator (URL) boxes, Sinha said. Browsers will have to be
tweaked to adhere to NFS naming, and Web NFS will have to be installed
on Internet servers.
Oracle Corp. officials confirmed that the company will add the necessary
technology to its PowerBrowser for NFS recognition.
"We have an extremely close relationship with Sun. It is clearly one of
our top three partners going forward with our Internet and intranet
initiatives," said Douglas Laird, senior director of marketing for
programs and communications with Oracle's Web/Workgroup systems in,
Redwood Shores, Calif.
Market leader Netscape Communications Corp. would not comment on its
plans, although an official said the company may be prepared to make a
statement on Tuesday.
SunSoft next month will make Web NFS available to its existing NFS
licensees to include in their server offerings. During the third
quarter, the company will propose NFS and Web NFS to the Internet
Engineering Task Force as an Internet standard. If that happens, vendors
will be able to obtain the specification from the organization and
implement it without paying licensing fees.
Intranets with NFS-based servers and clients can use the protocol today
because usually there are no firewalls or proxy servers involved, Sinha
said.
While NFS software is available from third-party vendors for Windows NT,
Microsoft Corp. itself has not embraced the technology. If SunSoft
succeeds in making NFS an Internet standard, the Redmond, Wash.-based
giant may be forced to succumb to this traditionally Unix protocol.
"If Microsoft wants NT to be accepted as a Web server, it will put
pressure on them" to offer NFS with the operating system, said
McLaughlin.
Microsoft is still investigating the possibility of using NFS, a company
spokeswoman said Friday, and will add it to both NT and to its Internet
Explorer browser if the protocol becomes a standard.
Sun is at _http://www.sun.com/_.
Additional reporting by Kristi Essick of the IDG News Service, an InfoWorld
affiliate.
--mysteryboxofun--