<
standard> Systems or components, possibly from different
origins, working together to perform some task. Interworking
depends crucially on
standards to define the
interfaces
between the components. The term implies that there is some
difference between the components which, in the absence of
common standards, would make it unlikely that they could be
used together. For example,
software from different
companies, running on different
hardware and {operating
systems} can
interwork via standard network
protocols.
(1998-11-22)