The Federal Information Processing Standard has already adopted the Government
Open Systems Interconnection Profile (GOSIP).
GOSIP defines a common set of data communication protocols that let systems
developed by different vendors interoperate and lets the users of different
applications on these systems exchange information. These Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) protocols were developed by international standards
organizations, primarily the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) and the Consulative Committee on International Telephone and Telegraph
(CCITT). GOSIP is based on agreements reached by vendors and users of computer
networks participating in the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) Workshop for
Implementors of Open Systems Interconnection.
GOSIP shall be used by Federal Government agencies when acquiring computer
network products and services and communications systems or services that
provide equivalent functionality to the protocols defined in the GOSIP
documents. Currently, GOSIP supports the Message Handling Systems and File
Transfer, Access, and Management applications. GOSIP also supports
interconnection of these network technologies: CCITT Recommendation X.25,
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (IEEE 802.3), Token Bus
(IEEE 802.4), and Token Ring (IEEE 802.5). Additional applications and network
technologies will be added to later versions of the GOSIP document.
This standard became effective February 15, 1989. For a period of 18 months
after the effective date, agencies are permitted to acquire alternative
protocols that provide equivalent functionality of the GOSIP protocols.