CONSIDERATIONS ON THE DESIGN OF AN INTERFACE FOR COMPUTER NETWORKS.

This paper presents some technical problems encountered in the design of a computer-to-computer interface. The hardware and software interface necessary to connect a computer to a node of a communication network is presented. The description is computer-independent, that is, without regard to any specific computer system. The interface is mainly divided into two parts: one part is standard (the same for any type of computer), the other part depends on the particular computer which is to be connected to the communication network. The paper describes the functions performed by the interface and how the main problems (coordination of asynchronous processes in the two computers, difference in word length, speed, etc. ) are solved.