UTS System Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)

Enhanced Multi-platform Interoperability

Amdahl's UTS system/OSI seven-layer networking products meet key government system procurement requirements.

Amdahl's UTS(R) System Open Enterprise Interconnection (UTS/OSI) products enable enterprises to integrate applications on their UTS system with those on other heterogeneous computer systems, both local and remote. Utilizing industry-standard communication protocols and services, these products significantly expand the user's connectivity and inter-operability capabilities. UTS system/OSI networking products will perform an increasingly vital function as more and more enterprise-wide business is conducted over multi-vendor networks.

Amdahl provides the full seven-layer Open Systems Interconnect protocol stacks compliant with U.S. GOSIP version 2.0 and U.K. GOSIP version 3.1. The UTS system/OSI transports provide support for both IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Local Area Networks (LANs) and X.25 Wide Area Networks (WANs). These transports can coexist with the UTS system TCP/IP transport as well as the UTS system SNA Interconnect transport, thus increasing the enterprise's flexibility in integrating a variety of different networked systems.

UTS system/OSI products are members in Amdahl's growing family of A+Performance Engineered (TM) products.

UTS system/OSI products

UTS system/OSI LAN Transport

The UTS system/OSI local area network transport is bundled with the UTS system and includes the protocols for the lower four layers of the OSI reference model in support of IEEE 802.3 Ethernet connectivity.

UTS system/OSI LAN transport incorporates the following protocols and services:

With OSI X.400 MHS technology, users can send cross-platform electronic mail with confidence.

UTS system/OSI WAN transport

The UTS system/OSI wide area network transports are also provided with the UTS system. Two versions are available: one to support the requirements of the U.S. GOSIP specification and another to support the U.K. GOSIP requirements.

The UTS system/OSI transport, compliant with the U.S. GOSIP, includes the following OSI protocols and services:

The UTS system/OSI transport, compliant with the U.K. GOSIP, is the same as that for the U.S. except that it provides transport (class-0 and class-2) with direct interfaces to the X.25 PLP at layer 3.

UTS system/OSI X.400 MHS

UTS system/OSI X.400 Message Handling System 1984 (MHS) store-and-forward messaging system enables UTS system users to exchange messages across interconnected multi-vendor OSI X.400 networks. It extends the range of electronic communications by linking users to public mail services and heterogeneous computer systems worldwide.

UTS system/OSI X.400 MHS is based on the CCITT 1984 X.400 recommendations for OSI networks, the in- dustry's most accepted mail interchange convention. It operates with the UTS system/OSI LAN protocol transport for Ethernet LAN connectivity and with the UTS system/OSI WAN transport for X.25 connectivity.

The standards-compliant UTS system/OSI X.400 MHS is available as a separately- priced option with the UTS system.

UTS system/OSI X.400 MHS components

The UTS system/OSI X.400 MHS product includes enhanced, standards-compliant X.400 User Agent, Message Transfer Agent, Reliable Transmission service components as well as powerful gateway components.

UTS system/OSI X.400 User Agent provides convenient facilities for composing, editing, filing, sending, and receiving interpersonal electronic mail. It offers two types of user interfaces for different classes of terminals: Menux400 provides an interactive menu interface for asynchronous terminal, X-terminal, and workstation users while Mailx400 supports a command-line interface for 3270-type, asynchronous, and X-terminal users.

UTS system/OSI X.400 Message Server provides a mechanism for processing local mail and forwarding non-local mail to other systems. It includes the 1984 X.400 Message Transfer Agent (MTA), the Reliable Transfer Server (RTS), and Session services.

UTS system/OSI X.400 Smail gateway enables communications between UNIXreg. system mail systems and the X.400 Message Server. The Smail gateway provides transparent translation services between X.400 services and UTS Smail services. It extends the use of existing TCP/IP networks using the UNIX(R) mail system based on RFC 822 and SMTP delivery agents, allowing them to access the services of X.400 networks. The Smail gateway complies with RFC 987 specifications for mapping between X.400 and RFC 822 mail formats.

UTS system/OSI X.400 Gateway Application Program Interface (API) library works with a user-written client application that interfaces the X.400 Message Server to a proprietary mail system resident on the local system. The proprietary mail system X.400 gateway provides the bridge between users of that proprietary mail system and users of the X.400 network. The X.400 gateway API services are compliant with the X.400 API Association's (XAPIA) specifications.

UTS system/OSI FTAM

File Transfer, Access and Management (FTAM), the OSI standard for file transfer, enables users to transfer files or parts of files (records) to access files, and to create, remove, or modify remote files between systems running like or disparate operating systems. For example, customers using FTAM can transfer files between UTS system and MVS systems over an OSI network.

UTS system/OSI FTAM includes both client (initiator) and server (responder) services. The FTAM client supplies user commands and initiates all file transfers and file accesses to an FTAM server. The FTAM server provides the FTAM filestore, a facility that stores files in a manner that is independent of the conventions used by a specific file system. The FTAM server also enhances security by validating and responding to all user requests sent by one or more FTAM clients.

UTS system/OSI FTAM uses the Transport Layer Interface (TLI) to connect with the UTS system/OSI LAN, or the UTS system/OSI WAN transport to transfer data between the two systems. UTS system/OSI FTAM offers the following benefits:

Ease of use. Local directory of filestores and addresses makes it easy to name and access files. Remote system files are automatically translated to UNIX file system format.

Security. Filestore access control is based on initiator identity, filestore password, and (optionally) location of the user (network address). File attributes are maintained in a
separate database.

This full-function FTAM product is a separately-priced, optional feature available with the UTS system. It implements the ISO FTAM application, the Association Control Service Element (ACSE), and the Presentation and Session layer protocols.

UTS system/OSI FTAM features

Manufacturing Automation Protocol/Technical Office Protocol (MAP/TOP) 3.0-compliant API library provides a complete set of functions to perform all FTAM client operations. With this facility, the application programmer can implement sophisticated FTAM applications to manipulate files at the record level.

FTAM utilities include user commands to list, copy, move, and remove files.

FTAM-standard document types define the format and characteristics of the files in the filestore. The four document types are FTAM-1(unstructured text), FTAM-2 (binary text), FTAM-3 (sequential text), and NBS-9 (directory filenames).

Standards Compliance

CCITT/ISO standards Other de facto industry standards