Exhibit 5.1

                     [JENKENS & GILCHRIST PARKER CHAPIN LLP]







                                                               January 10, 2002



Ion Networks, Inc.
1551 South Washington Avenue
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854


                             RE: ION NETWORKS, INC.


Gentlemen:

          We have acted as counsel to Ion Networks, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the "Company"),  in connection with its Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the
"Registration   Statement")   being  filed  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") relating to the offering of up to 3,000,000 shares of the
Company's  common  stock,  par value $.001 per share (the  "Common  Stock"),  to
employees  and directors  of, and  consultants  to, the Company or any parent or
subsidiary  of the Company upon the  exercise of options  granted by the Company
under the  Company's  2000 Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"),  and such  additional
indeterminate  number  of shares  of  Common  Stock as may be  issued  under the
anti-dilution provisions of the Plan.

          In rendering the opinions  expressed below, we have examined originals
or  copies,   satisfactory   to  us,  of  (i)  the  Company's   Certificate   of
Incorporation,  (ii) the Company's By-laws, (iii) the Plan, and (iv) resolutions
of the  Company's  board of directors  adopting the Plan.  We have also reviewed
minutes of the Company's  annual  meeting,  at which the Company's  stockholders
approved the Plan.  We have also reviewed such other matters of law and examined
and relied upon all such corporate records and all such agreements, certificates
and other  document as we have deemed  relevant and necessary as a basis for the
opinion  hereinafter  expressed.  We have not examined  each option  contract in
respect of options granted under the Plan. We have,  however,  examined the form
of  option  contract  which the  Company  has  advised  us is the form of option
contract  used by it under the Plan.  We have also been  informed by the Company
that each option contract  between the Company and option holders under the Plan
is substantially in the form of the option contract we have examined.  In all of
our examinations,  we have assumed the accuracy of all information  furnished to
us, the  authenticity  of all  documents  submitted to us as  originals  and the
conformity with the original  documents of documents  submitted to us as copies,
as well as the genuineness of all signatures on all such documents.




          Our  opinion is limited to the date  hereof and we do not in any event
undertake to advise you of any facts or circumstances occurring or coming to our
attention subsequent to the date hereof.

          Finally,  we are counsel admitted to practice only in the State of New
York, and we express no opinions as to the applicable  laws of any  jurisdiction
other  than those of the State of New York,  the  General  Corporate  Law of the
State of Delaware and the United States of America.

          Based upon and subject to the  foregoing,  we are of the opinion  that
the shares of the Company's  Common Stock to be issued  pursuant to the exercise
of the  options  granted  under the Plan will be,  when  issued  pursuant to the
provisions of the Plan, validly issued, fully-paid and non-assessable.

          We  hereby  consent  to the  filing  of a copy of this  opinion  as an
exhibit to the Company's Registration  Statement.  In giving this consent, we do
not thereby  admit that we are within the category of persons  whose  consent is
required under Section 7 of the  Securities  Act of 1933 (the "Act"),  the rules
and regulations of the SEC promulgated  thereunder or Item 509 of Regulation S-K
promulgated under the Act.


                                Very truly yours,


                                /s/ Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP
                                JENKENS & GILCHRIST PARKER CHAPIN LLP