Ressources
Home
General
Point to point
Indirect xchange
...VAN services
Technical definitions
...OFTP commands

Information
ENX, the network
...

Other ressources
Web sites

Version française
...

odette file transfer protocol

This web site provides general information about Odette's communications work.

EDI requires :

• message standards (ODETTE messages, ODETTE subsets of EDIFACT),
• syntax standards
• and communication standards.

This web site gives an overview of the methods involved in the physical sending of EDI data.

Just as message syntax requires some form of standardisation, so do the lower levels of communication carried out between the computer systems and network facilities used by different trading partners. The reason is that many companies communicating across a network have widely differing machines and software.

A single dedicated connection between one system and another is acceptable while there are only two systems trying to communicate. When there are interconnections between several companies, things become more complex and more expensive.

A company which connects with several trading partners will need to set up appropriate conversion facilities for each of them if they all have different computer systems.

This problem can be reduced if the companies involved use a communication method which adheres to a common standard. Nevertheless, there are several possible communication methods, all of them having their own advantages and disadvantages, as described in the following pages.

The OFTP and Industry
OFTP is now used by most major European Motor Manufacturers and their suppliers. It is also used by the chemical industry, white goods manufacturers and is currently being adopted by other sectors such as banking.

OFTP and networks
After its use on X25 network, OFTP is now available in TCP/IP through the European automobile extranet ENX, and its American counterpart ANX, interconnection of the local area networks of the companies subscribed through private virtual networks (VPN).