RS/6000 Communications

[Russell A. Heise]

 eddjp at althea.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes:

 > My company is buying RS/6000s. We have an SNA network that serves a number
 > of sites, tied to a 3090 at the Corporate Headquarters.
 >
 > We would like RS/6000s at different locations to communicate over the
 > SNA backbone. This communication would be preferably TCP/IP. Is there
 > a product available or in development that would allow this?

 Yes, you may wish to consider one of the following options:
 a) o Install VM-TCP/IP (or MVS-TCP/IP) on the 3090 nearest to each RISC
      System/6000.  I am assuming that you have more than one 3090!
    o Connect each RS/6000 to the local 3090 via Token-Ring or Ethernet.
      VM-TCP/IP can talk directly to both types of networks.
    o Activate the SNA Network Link feature of VM-TCP/IP to gateway TCP/IP
      packets between the two local area networks *over* the SNA network.
 b) o Install the X.25 SNA Interconnection program product on the 37XX
      communications controllers nearest your RS/6000s.
    o Connect each RS/6000 to the chosen 37XX with a serial line.
    o Install and configure the TCP/IP support within AIX Version 3 to use
      X.25 protocols over the serial link to the 37XX controller.   SNA
      Interconnection (XI) makes the 37XX controller appear to be a connect
      into an X.25 network.

 > We have been told to use LU6.2 for the communications. Are there any
 > telnet/ftp-like programs that exist and use LU6.2? We are not really geared
 > to writing these sorts of things.
 I don't know of any that would interrelate with the TCP/IP support in AIX V3.

 > Another alternative that has been offered is X.25. Is my understanding correc
 t
 > that TCP/IP could use X.25 ? What would be required of the SNA network and
 > of the RS/6000s to use X.25? Is this available now?
 Yes; see b) above; yes.

 > The machines are being purchased with Token-Ring installed, rather
 > than Ethernet, if this has any bearing on the above.
 No; actually this makes the interconnection simpler.

Russ Heise, AIX Technical Support, IBM