1. A computer network system comprising: (a) a pre-configured network having a plurality of alternate communication links, each of the alternate communication links using a different network protocol; (b) at least one client node having an application program executing therein; (c) a directory service in the client node having a plurality of service objects stored therein, each of the plurality of service objects including a network address and a configuration object containing a configuration command needed to access a particular service on the network; (d) means in the client node and controlled by the application program for generating a service request to request a network service with a first predetermined network protocol; (e) a dynamically configurable protocol stack in the client node, for connecting the service request generating means to one of the plurality of communication links, the protocol stack having means responsive to a configuration command for translating the first predetermined network protocol into another network protocol and being comprised of a plurality of layer objects, each of the plurality of layer objects being derived from a base layer object and having data representing state information and member functions for identifying adjacent layer objects and wherein each of the plurality of layer objects are vertically linked to a second different one of the plurality of layer objects and wherein the protocol stack includes shim objects inserted between two layer objects and having member functions for providing functionality between the two layer objects; (f) means responsive to the service request for accessing the directory service to obtain a service object necessary to access the requested service; (g) means for extracting the configuration object from the obtained service object; (h) means for establishing a data path from the application program to the protocol stack; and (i) means for sending the configuration object over the data path to the first protocol stack to configure the first protocol stack using the configuration command in the configuration object.