ABSTRACT
Simple products such as file transfer protocols, virtual terminal protocols, message handling systems, transaction processing, job transfer and manipulation, remote databases access, and remote procedure call mechanisms are coming into being—as well as, more advanced products that are built on top of these services. The applications layer and the user applications applied to it provide the framework to build onto truly integrated environments. Users writing applications on top of the basic applications layer services can build a wide range of software. User applications can be categorized into six major areas: resource sharing, model/simulate/forecast, develop/maintain/execute, information, design and control. A more interesting server would be a combined server that provides three classes of service to users: storing and retrieving files from a random access device (disks), storage and retrieval from archival devices (tape servers), and printing of files (print server). Modeling is an important feature of most large business applications for management as well as for research.
