Xerox Network Systems

Xerox Network Services (XNS) is a protocol suite developed by Xerox Network Systems Architecture. It provided a general-purpose communication network, Internetwork Packet routing and delivery, including higher functions such as reliable power and RPC. XNS preceded and influenced the development of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) networking model. XNS was developed at Xerox PARC in the early 1980s, which had heavily on the older (and very influential) PARC Universal Packet (PUP) protocol suite for the end of 1970, some of the protocols in the XNS suite on a slightly modified version of the PUP in the apartment.

XNS a commercial descendant of research / development oriented PUP. Specification of the protocol suite was made available to the public. When in public, was canonical local XNS network protocol in 1980, copied to varying degrees, virtually all network operating systems in the 1990th It had little impact on TCP / IP, however. In the year 1980 was used 3Com XNS as adaptations to many other trading systems, which are more than XNS itself, including the Ungermann-Bass Net / One, Novell NetWare and Banyan VINES common.


Look here http://handitness.blogspot.com/2010/01/beginning-of-history-of-xerox-company.html for xerox company history.