OPEN NETWORK SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR I/O OPERATIONS WITH NON-STANDARD I/O DEVICES USING AN EXTENDED OPEN NETWORK PROTOCOL

An open network system supports input/output (I/O) operations for non-standard I/O devices coupled to an open network. The system includes a server coupled to a plurality of I/O devices through an open network, at least some of the I/O devices being non-standard I/O devices. The non-standard I/O devices communicate with a client program that processes extended open network protocol statements. The extended open network protocol statements communicated between the server and the non-standard I/O devices are processed by the server and the client program to support I/O operations between the non-standard I/O devices and the server or application programs coupled to the server.