Network Computing System

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The Network Computing System (NCS) was an implementation of the Network Computing Architecture (NCA). It was created at Apollo Computer in the 1980s. It comprised a set of tools for implementing distributed software applications, or distributed computing.{{sfn|Kong|1987|p=1}} The three principal components of NCS were a runtime environment for remote procedure calls, a network interface definition language (NIDL) compiler, and a location broker service.{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/HP-Professional_Vol._03_No._10_Oct_1989/page/54/mode/1up | title=Cooperative Computing | magazine=HP Professional | last1=Carl | first1=Mike | date=October 1989 | access-date=15 April 2024 | pages=54,56–59 }} The location broker differentiated NCS from similar offerings, such as the rival Open Network Computing technology from Sun Microsystems, by permitting services to be distributed in a dynamic fashion and offering the possibility of "location independence".{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/networkworld646unse/mode/1up | title=RPC tools pave way for cooperative processing | magazine=Network World | last1=Kobielus | first1=James | date=20 November 1989 | access-date=15 April 2024 | pages=1,40-41,44,46 }}{{rp|pages=46|quote=What chiefly distinguishes Apollo’s architecture from the Netwise/Sun RPC architectures is the broker concept — Apollo’s technique for coordinating and managing dispersed client and server procedures.}}

The design and implementation of DCE/RPC, the remote procedure call mechanism in the Distributed Computing Environment, is based on NCA/NCS.{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/ConneXions.07.03/page/18/mode/2up | title=The OSF Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) | magazine=ConneXions | last1=Chappell | first1=David | date=March 1993 | access-date=14 April 2024 | volume=7 | issue=3 | pages=18–27 }} In response to a request for proposals from the Open Software Foundation for distributed computing environments,{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/networkworld624unse/page/81/mode/1up | title=OSF asks users, vendors for distributed computing specs | magazine=Network World | last1=Brown | first1=Jim | date=19 June 1989 | access-date=14 April 2024 | pages=69 }} NCS featured in the DEcorum proposal submitted by Apollo, by then incorporated as a division within Hewlett-Packard, along with IBM, Locus Computing, Transarc, Digital Equipment Corporation and Microsoft.{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/HP-Professional_Vol._04_No._05_May_1990/page/66/mode/1up | title=A modicum of DEcorum | magazine=HP Professional | last1=Sharp | first1=Bill | date=May 1990 | access-date=14 April 2024 | pages=66,68–69 }} It also was the first implementation of universally unique identifiers,{{ citation needed | date=April 2024 }} these being employed by the location broker to identify objects in the distributed system.{{ cite journal | url=https://archive.org/details/1987-proceedings-4th-comp-graphics-cambridge/page/24/mode/2up | title=Distributed Computation for Computer Animation | journal=Proceedings of the Fourth Computer Graphics Workshop | publisher=USENIX Association | last1=Peterson | first1=John W. | date=October 1987 | access-date=15 April 2024 | pages=24–36 }}