RS/6000 Communications

[Christian Motz]

In article <2008 at althea.UUCP> 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?

TCP/IP is available for the RS/6000 and either is or will be available
for all architectures that are part of IBM's SAA as far as I know.  It
looks like the best bet, since it provides a  consistent  protocol  on
all architectures; e.g. it allows you to  connect  to  an  MVS  or  VM
system using telnet, and promises oodles of  cheap  storage  once  NFS
becomes available on  the  host  side ( as  IBM  has  indicated  in  a
"statement of intent").



>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.

LU 6.2 is basically fine if you have  the  time  to  write  the  stuff
yourself, but there is no software available  as  of  this  time  that
provides the same services as TCP/ IP.  My  advice  is  to  keep  your
fingers off it except if you are prepared to write a VTAM  application
on the host side. The advantage is of course that you do not  need  an
additional (expensive) IBM licensed product  on  the  host  side,  and
programming APPC (i.e. LU 6.2) on the RS/6000 promises  to  be * VERY*
easy if it is implemented the same way as on the RT PC.  Incidentally,
could someone at IBM's AWD in Austin confirm this?


>Another alternative that has been offered is X.25. Is my understanding correct
>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?

I am wondering that  myself.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  IBM  Financial
Services in Germany is wondering the same, as far as I know. Is  there
a way to make the RS/6000 run TCP/IP via X.25 without  the  use  of  a
gateway system (e.g. one from Cisco Systems) especially installed  for
this purpose? Inquiring minds would like to know ...

--
Christian Motz                                root at dialog.stgt.sub.org