Service Location
Volume Number: 15
Issue Number: 10
Column Tag: Network Management
Service Location Protocol
by Alan B. Oppenheimer, Open Door Networks, Inc.
Making IP as easy to use as AppleTalk
Due to the tremendous popularity of the Internet, Internet Protocol (IP) is rapidly
becoming the standard for communications over organizations' internal networks
(intranets) as well as over the Internet itself. As Macintosh administrators migrate
their traditionally AppleTalk networks to IP, they are discovering that much of the
ease of use which their customers have previously taken for granted is being lost.
Unlike AppleTalk, IP was simply not designed with a focus on the end user. Luckily an
effort started nearly ten years ago by Apple Computer is finally starting to pay off, and
easy-to-use IP may be just around the corner.
The Service Location Protocol (SLP) is an emerging Internet standard for automatic
resource discovery on IP networks. Work on SLP, which brings AppleTalk's
point-and-click service location features to IP networks, was initiated by Apple in the
late 1980's. As usual, Apple was a bit ahead of its time, and the work progressed
slowly for years. The recent explosion of interest in the Internet, coupled with the
migration of internal networks to IP, has rekindled interest in the protocol.
Apple's recent inclusion of SLP as part of the new Network Services Location (NSL)
Manager in Mac OS 8.5 continues the momentum that is building behind the protocol.
As with any new protocol, however, limitations and issues exist which will need to be
addressed as the protocol, its implementations, and products that use it mature.