Most TCP/IP users either use programs that comply with the Windows Sockets standard, such as the TCP/IP utilities ftp or telnet, or third-party programs. TCP/IP-aware programs from vendors that comply with the Windows Sockets standard can run on virtually any TCP/IP implementation.
Other typical third-party programs include graphic connectivity utilities (for example, those that connect to the Internet), terminal emulation software, Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) and electronic mail clients, network printing utilities, SQL client programs, and corporate client-server programs.
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For information about Microsoft partners and solution providers who provide Windows Sockets-compliant software, contact Microsoft Sales and Services at 1-800-426-9400 and request the catalog "Microsoft InfoSource," part number #098-62986. This catalog provides information about Microsoft partners and solution providers who provide a wide range of third-party hardware, software, and services.
Third-party software can also be used to implement a seamless network environment between Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation computers and UNIX networks. To do this, additional third-party software is required for:
Third-party programs provide Windows NT-based support for NFS. These third-party programs allow Windows NT-based computers and programs to connect to UNIX-based file directories and to access data, while the UNIX systems in the network can access the Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation file directories and file data.
The Windows Sockets standard ensures compatibility with third-party programs for X Window. Currently available third-party programs include X Window manager programs and client libraries. These programs and libraries allow development of X Window client programs for Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation computers.
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Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation documentation uses the standard terminology for the client and server relationship, where the client is the workstation and the server is the computer that provides shared resources to network users. There is a portion of the UNIX world in which this relationship is reversed. The client is the server, and the server is the client. In UNIX X window terminology, the client software resides on the computer that performs the processing, and the server software resides on the computer that displays the output.