Connectionless-mode Network Service (CLNS) or simply Connectionless Network Service is an OSI Network Layer
datagram service that does not require a circuit to be established before data is transmitted, and routes messages to their
destinations independently of any other messages. As such it is a "
best-effort" rather than a "
reliable" delivery service. CLNS is not an
Internet service, but provides capabilities in an OSI network environment similar to those provided by the
Internet Protocol (IP) and the
User Datagram Protocol (UDP).