🚀 go-pugleaf

I am looking for any products that assist in the planning and
integration of computer networks.  We are looking for, in
particular, an environment that provides for the presenting,
review, selection, and evaluation of different kinds of networks
based on a set of supplied requirements.

For example, if the requirement is to interconnect 10 PCs and
provide file transfer and E-Mail, the environment should propose
a number of conceptual frameworks that I could explore.  These
may be:

   o     Peer to Peer
   o     Client-Server
   o     SubLan
   o     Others as deemed appropriate

I should then be allowed to explore each presented framework to
see what basic services each supplies, and how they represent
different things such as mail, files, a connection, ...  The
environment should also provide a means of intersecting different
frameworks to identify differences between frameworks.

The specifying of additional requirements should result in the
narrowing of conceptual frameworks presented.  

As frameworks are explored, additional information should be made
available to assist me in selecting an appropriate configuration. 
Also, assistance shoud be provided if I have to migrate from one
framework (say TCP-IP) to OSI.  

Does anyone know of any such product/environment ?  Is anyone
working in this area ?  Also, what common denominator does one
use in evaluating different networks ?  For example, SNA, TCP-
IP, and OSI all have a different definition of the object 'file'. 
How can one reconcile these differences ?

I will post any received information back to the net.  Thanx in
advance.

Ron Schultz
schultz@grebyn.com