Technical Office Protocol (TOP) was an OSI-based communications architecture developed for office communications and office automation. It was associated with Boeing and served as the office-oriented counterpart to Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP), which addressed factory automation.
What does Technical Office Protocol mean?
Technical Office Protocol, abbreviated TOP, is the name of an office-oriented communications protocol architecture based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Cisco’s internetworking glossary defines it as an “OSI-based architecture developed for office communications.”
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The term refers to a networking architecture, not to a general office procedure or administrative protocol.
Who developed TOP, and what was it for?
TOP was developed under Boeing’s guidance. A Canadian government newsletter from October 1986 describes the TOP protocol suite as created under the guidance of Boeing Computer Services. A NIST-hosted publication likewise identifies Boeing Computer Services as the organization that originally developed TOP for back-office automation.
TOP was conceived for office communications and automation. Its counterpart, MAP, was developed for manufacturing-floor and factory automation; the NIST-hosted reference associates MAP’s development with General Motors.
How did TOP differ from MAP?
| Aspect | TOP | MAP |
|---|---|---|
| Setting described | Office communications and office automation | Factory or manufacturing automation |
| Organization associated with development | Boeing / Boeing Computer Services | General Motors, according to the NIST-hosted reference |
| Lowest-layer network reference in the dictionary comparison | Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) | Token bus (IEEE 802.4) |
The Ethernet-versus-token-bus distinction comes from the National Academy of Education Research’s Information and Communication Terminology Dictionary, dated June 2003. It describes the lowest layer in its comparison; it is not a complete layer-by-layer specification of either architecture.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is TOP used today?
The available references establish TOP’s historical definition and intended role, but they do not verify whether any networks still use it. The June 2003 dictionary entry and the historical accounts should therefore be read as descriptions of the architecture, not evidence of present-day deployment.
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