NetWare 4.1/9000 Concepts

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NetWare Glossary
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Figure 1-39 ODI model
The major components of the ODI architecture are described in the
following sections.
Multiple Link Interface Driver (MLID)
The MLID is a device driver written to the ODI specification that handles
the sending and receiving of packets to and from a physical or logical LAN
medium.
Each driver is unique due to the adapter hardware and media, but the ODI
eliminates the need to write separate drivers for each protocol stack.
ODI allows LAN drivers to function with protocol stacks independently of
the media frame type and protocol stack details.
MLIDs interface with a network board and handle media frame header
appending and stripping.
They also help demultiplex the incoming packets by determining their frame
format.
A set of support modules provide all tools necessary to interface a LAN
driver to the LSL. These are the Media Support Module (MSM), which
contains general functions common to all drivers, and the Topology Specific
Modules (TSMs), which provide support for the standardized media types of
Ethernet, Token-Ring, RX-Net, and FDDI.
These modules and the Hardware Specific Module (HSM) are described
later in this section.
Client applications
IPX TCP/IP AppleTalk
Link Support Layer (LSL)
RX-Net Ethernet Token-Ring FDDI
Multiple Link Interface Drivers (MLIDs)
Protocol stacks
Network boards