Networking White Paper 3270 Investment Protection Draft 1 10/16/92 Welcome to the first draft of our 3270 Investment Protection White Paper. This paper summarizes the results of the first phase of our third party investigation into solution offerings for this critical issue. This paper does not propose a long-term solution to this issue, but instead serves as a cursory review of the 3rd party offerings on the market today. We are in the process of evaluating these potential 3rd party partners and technologies and will be making a recommendation shortly as to HP's strategic long-term direction to solve this problem. Please forward your comments and concerns to Erika Eastman, IND Product Marketing. She will be the clearing house for opinions, suggestions, and comments. This paper consists of the following sections: * MIS Manager's Challenge * Terminal I/O Issues and Segmentation * 3270 Investment Protection Issue * Market Requirements * Requirements Summary * Technical Considerations * PCs in an IBM Mainframe Environment * Potential 3rd Party Solutions * Market Requirements/Solution Matrix * Additional 3270 3rd Party Vendors MIS MANAGER'S CHALLENGE Clearly, the objective of MIS executives is to rebalance application software between mainframe and minicomputers, to provide access to data produced by individuals and autonomous departments, and to integrate that data with appropriate mainframe applications. With this trend of either replacing an existing mainframe or integrating mini- computers into a mainframe environment, users are faced with a totally new challenge: how to take advantage of the best of legacy communications and and terminal equipment, which have been designed to address a specific requirement and do a specific task, while integrating new systems and peripheral devices. Companies cannot afford to simply throw away the time and money invested in mainframe equipment just because they are installing LANs or replacing or offloading mainframes. The computer networking challenge of the 1990s is to make it all work together, old and new, providing universal information access from a single terminal, while containing costs. The challenge: to successfully integrate local area networks and midrange systems with IBM mainframe and midrange environments, which are entirely different, while maximizing returns on current equipment investments, and providing universal information access to enhance user productivity. TERMINAL I/O ISSUES When replacing a mainframe system (either intermediate-scale or large- scale), the primary terminal I/O issue is to be able to provide "mainframe-class" features, i.e. a set of features demonstrating the ability of the HP systems to handle hundreds and more end-users without any trade-off in terms of downtime, usability, etc... In some specific cases--when the application is being ported to a new system without any change, e.g. CICS--customers expect to be able to reuse the existing IBM devices. If the application has not changed, why should the terminal? When offloading a mainframe system, the issues are multiple: a) reuse the existing 3270 communication equipment and terminal/printer devices for the new system; thus giving the end user univeral information access. We are calling this issue "3270 Investment Protection." b) provide new terminal/printer devices--purchased with the new system and connected to new communication equipment--with access to the existing mainframe. c) provide network/device management for these new devices that can interoperate with the existing IBM network/device management. d) provide some "IBM-like" features; IBM is famous for their mainframe-class set of features. e) last, provide interoperability with recently-installed IBM mini- computers, AS/400s, that have been IBM's first answer to the "downsizing" trend. SEGMENTATION Although this paper specifically focuses on the 3270 Investment Protection Issue, we will look at overall segmentation from a terminal I/O perspective. We can segment "HP's Mainframe Alternative" business from a terminal I/O standpoint into 3 main groups: 1) Replacement This group of users move directly from a mainframe installation to a LAN-based mini-computer installation or PC-LAN environment. -Primary reason of move is co$t -The move is almost always being driven by the application 2) Offload/Interconnected Centralized Computing This group of users are willing to start the process of migrating mainframe applications to mini-computers and Open Systems, or who stop using the mainframe as host for new applications. These users will just interconnect their mainframe(s) and other systems to increase end user access to information, but will not quickly change their system architecture. -Systems could be on same site or on 2 different sites -In some cases, there are existing HP systems, until today isolated 3) Offload/Decentralized Computing This group of users who, as in 2), want to turn their strategy to Open Systems, but also at the same time want to update their system architecture so that the power resource is located the close as possible to the end users. -Systems are being installed on remote offices/sites -Often the mainframe is being locally "surrounded" by new small systems and stays as a database server THE 3270 INVESTMENT PROTECTION ISSUE Problem statement: How to reuse existing communication equipment including terminals & printers when either replacing or offloading an existing IBM system. Why this issue?: The reasons why a customer is willing to keep existing equipment are the following for offload, both Interconnect Centralized and Decentralized segments, are: a) Cost of purchase reason: The reuse of existing hardware avoids new investments, and decreases the cost of purchasing the new HP solution. Also, it is common in IBM shops to have equipment either leased or rented from IBM or 3rd party companies. If the hardware equipment is still not fully paid for by the customer, the company may want to keep it. Note that in all cases, the companies will no longer invest in IBM devices. b) Change reason: Many customers with already existing geographically dispersed multipoint networks are not willing to rebuild the existing infrastructure to accommodate point-to- point or networked asychronous devices. Such change would imply, in addition to the added cost, a longer migration time and would introduce more risks for the user. c) Technological reason: Many IBM customers have been moving to token-ring and PCs since 1990. They already invested a lot of money in such solutions and these solutions are today satisfactory ...why change them ?. d) Last the "cultural" reason: An IBM device doesn't look and feel like an ANSI/ASCII or HP2392 device. All end users are used to using their 3270 terminals. Moving users to another type of device requires the MIS department to: - Retrain all the end users - Define new procedures, manuals, help screens, etc.. - Last end users must get used to a different handling of applications and the way screens are managed : from a full screen-mode to either a character-mode or HP3000 block-mode. MARKET REQUIREMENTS Note : The following list covers ONLY the 3270 Investment protection issue, and no others. It is important to note that customers who face this issue most often also have other requirements such as global HP to IBM communications. We can split the requirements into a pyramid with 3 Tiers, knowing that Tier #1 addresses more than 50-60% of the population, Tier #2 less than 30%, and last Tier #3 something like 10%. Of course addressing requirements of Tier #n implies that requirements from Tier #n-1 have been addressed. Tier #1 Requirements : -User wants to stay in IBM's mainstream -End-users want to run V+, character-mode, block-mode applications (HP3000) including 4GL as Cognos, Focus, Speedware, etc.. -Keep using SNA as backbone protocol -Use solution for local and remote environments -Use solution on Token-ring, SDLC & X.25 networks -Use solution to access from 3278, Coax-attached PCs, and Lan-PCs -Use solution for a range of [60..250] concurrent sessions -The network response time being in the range [1..2] seconds -As little as possible mainframe overhead -Customer is ready to pay [$300..$500] per concurrent session (not per 3270 seat) -Access to HP systems must be IBM-like for access/switching menus & security -Network alerts must be directed to Netview if existing -There must be a capability to measure Response-time (RT Monitoring) -Last, any solution must be scalable, allowing user to easily add more concurrent sessions. Tier #2 Requirements : -User's backbone could be SNA or TCP/IP -User is willing to get 802.3, BSC, and Channel-attach interfaces -Any solution must also provide additional services (other than T I/O: peer-to-peer, e-mail, etc..) -Number of sessions to be supported either <60 or >250 -In WAN configurations, solution must minimize line costs Tier #3 Requirements : -User's backbone is TCP/IP ONLY -User is willing to get FDDI/Escon? interfaces -Customer may be routing SNA in IP to keep existing equipment -Netview information has to be addressed to HP OpenView or other LAN- based management station -Users don't care if they are out of IBM's mainstream -User is willing to support more than 500, 600 concurrent sessions. REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY In our search for 3rd party solutions, these are the primary solution characteristics that we were evaluating: 1) Support for SNA backbone, SNA and TCP/IP backbone, migration path from SNA backbone to TCP/IP backbone 2) Support for 3270 devices across both LAN and WAN environments 3) Support for devices connected to both 3274 and 3174 controllers 4) Support for large number of concurrent sessions, possibly thousands 5) Solutions that would work with SNA on the mainframe or TCP/IP on the mainframe 6) Solution that requires no additional host software 7) Solution that supports a mix of devices (3270 devices, ASCII devices, PCs, and workstations) 8) Provide response time acceptable to users (although this is an objective, we were unable to evaluate performance of the solutions described in this document with the level of investigation done to date) 9) Solution supports existing HP applications, ported applications, 3rd party applications, and newly written customer applications 10) Provide support for block mode, character mode, and CICS-like applications 11) All this provided for no more than $250.00 per seat TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS There are two types of technical considerations: connectivity alternatives and application support requirements. Connectivity Alternatives There are a variety of ways to provide IBM 3270 users access to non-IBM networks and computer systems. Replace the 3270 terminal. This approach is very expensive, as terminal costs as well as training costs must be considered. Provide a terminal gateway. This involves inserting a protocol converter between the 3270 device and the controller. This approach is very hardware intensive. Every IBM 3270 terminal that needs outbound network access must have such a device. These devices can be very expensive and are not centrally managed or maintained. Provide a controller gateway. A number of vendors offer models of IBM controllers that can support a fixed number of outbound asychronous ports. These ports attach directly to a non-IBM computer or to a variety of networking equipment. The 3270 devices connected to such a controller contend for access to these outbound ports. This solution is functionaly equivalent to the terminal gateway solution, but is more cost effective. The problem with this solution is that it generally requires replacing or upgrading the existing controllers. Provide a network/host gateway. Instead of implementing the gateway functionality at the terminal or controller level, implement it at the network level. By implementing a gateway accessible to all users within the SNA network, an installation can dramatically save costs. This solution requires no hardware dedicated exclusively to any single IBM 3270 device, no equipment inserted in the coaxial cable connection between the devices and the controller, and no controller replacements or upgrades. Some network gateway solutions require software on the IBM host, while others emulate an SNA PU5 node and therefore require no mainframe intervention. A network gateway solution is also beneficial as it can be maintained and managed from a central site and fits well into the data center environment. The gateway is also used more effectively as not all users need to access the non-IBM system at the same time. Application Support Requirements Consider the following requirements when evaluating a solution. Terminal requirements for applications will vary depending upon the design of the application. Some applications are written for VT100 or VT220 terminal support and are well suited for some of the solutions we have investigated. Other applications are written for block mode terminals and do not fare as well in the UNIX character mode environment of most of these solutions. Some HP 3000 applications are written in block mode specifically for VPLUS. VPLUS takes advantage of block mode character I/O and also special attributes of HP terminals. HP terminals and IBM terminals can both display extended attributes and special characters; however they do it differently. HP terminals also act differently than other ASCII terminals. In addition, screen mapping and keyboard mapping issues must be addressed to provide easy to use solutions. Does the application need to be accessed by both HP devices and IBM 3270 devices? Will the application need to be modified or rewritten? PERSONAL COMPUTERS IN AN IMB MAINFRAME ENVIRONMENT We all know that in a Mainframe Alternative Environment the customer is very concerned about protecting the investment they have made in 3270 devices. In some installations there can be hundreds if not thousands of these devices. While we are looking for ways to support the 3270 family of devices this will be a very long process. So, with that as a given fact we need to focus on what we can do today. IDC has surveyed users of IBM mainframes to determine what they have installed on their desktops and what they plan to purchase in the future. What IDC found was that depending on the installed host up to 43% of the desktops are occupied by a personal computer. Now that's not to say we can do something with the device right away but at least we have a platform we can use to provide a connection back to HP 3000 and HP 9000 systems. Many PCs may be attached directly to token rings. As a rule when you find a personal computer in a mainframe account of course it is used for all the standard PC applications: spreadsheets, word processing, etc. However, when it comes to connecting to the mainframe this is where things get a little bit different and often overlooked by the folks running the mainframe. Remember, IBM 3270 terminals connect to a cluster controller using coax cable. This is different from the way we would attach a terminal to one of our minicomputers. Again, as a rule of thumb, when a mainframe customer wnats to attach a PC to the mainframe they will install a card into the PC that provides the required coax connection to the cluster controller. Along with this card will be some terminal emulation software that either runs as a DOS application or under Windows. From the mainframe point of view this connection method to the mainframe is great. As far as the mainframe is concerned the PC is just another 3270 device. However, the simplicity also creates problems when we try to sell into a mainframe account. The problems occur because when we start talking about adding one of our systems we get side-tracked with the 3270 issue. When we ask about what devices are available on the users' desktops the answer is -- a 3270. Many of the people in MIS may not be aware that some of these "3270s" are actually PCs in disguise. If we can identify these hidden PCs and explore the customers desire to move to more PCs and LAN technology, then we can lay the ground work for more open connectivity options for our systems. Wires! Not to long ago when HP came calling on an account our only LAN wiring solution was 802.3 or Ethernet. Today we have 802.5 (Token Ring) which seems to be the predestined choice the in true blue IBM shop. When we are talking PCs it really should not matter very much to use what kind of wire the customer wants to use. Our only concern is that with Token Ring much of the equipment to build the LAN won't be coming from HP. With 802.3/Ethernet we can supply hubs routers, test equipment, and consulting. After all, we have been building 802.3/Ethernet LANs for quite a long time. Networking for Terminal Based Applications Once you get past the wiring issue you fall into the whole world of networking. At this point we are just going to focus on support for terminal based applications. Of course you will need to consider the customer's direction for PC networking and the strengths of the HP host you are proposing. What we are talking about here are virtual terminal protocols. Depending on the host you are trying to connect with you will have three choices. For each choice there are several suppliers of the technology you need to make the connection to a HP or IBM host. Connecting to IBM hosts If the customer is interested in offloading some applications from the mainframe you are likely to have the requirement that the user still needs to be able to connect to the mainframe. Once again there are three choices of technology. First, you could just keep the coax card that was already installed in the PC. This might be something like a IRMA card and software. The problem here is that you will end up with two connections on the PC, a coax connection and the new LAN connection for the HP host. Second, you could use the TCP/IP stack that we will need to connect to the HP host and use the protocol TN3270. This is basically a 3270 datastream in a Telnet session. Reflections 8 from Walker, Richer & Quinn (WR&Q) is an IBM terminal emulator that supports TN3270. The problem you will run into here is that this solution requires the installation of TCP/IP on the host. Networking on an IBM can be difficult and the IBM MIS system will probably fight to avoid making the change to TCP/IP. If their management thinks TCP/IP is the way of the future then you may have a friend in the battle. Finally, your third choice is to install a gateway on the LAN that will make the host think it is talking to a cluster controller with a group of 3270s. For the HP 9000 the SNA Plus product provides this gateway function when combined with the Microsoft/DCA 3270 client. Eicon Technology in Montreal also provides a PC-based gateway that works in wide area networks as well as LANs. The beauty for both of these products is that no changes are required on the host. Connecting to HP hosts Connecting to a HP host is actually fairly simple. When the host is a HP 9000 Telnet is really your only choice. Now the supplier of Telnet on the PC can be any number of vendors. Again WR&Q has a product called Telnet Manager that works with their HP terminal emulator series called Reflections. Of course the ARPA world is fairly thank-less and there are a number of other suppliers such as FTP Software, Novell, and various public domain packages. If your proposed host is a HP 3000 you can use TELNET or NS VT. To support Telnet on the HP 3000 you will have to add DTCs to your configuration. However, for NS/VT all you will need is the LAN Link product on the HP 3000. WR&Q's 3000 Connection or NS Connection provides NS VT for PCs and Macintosh clients. The difference between the two products is that the 3000 Connection also includes Telnet, and DEC's LAT protocol. So if the customer has already installed other hosts you may be able to connect to all the hosts with one product from WR&Q. While WR&Q has been mentioned several times here there are other vendors that can supply most of the PC products you will require. For the Mainframe Alternative Program we have been looking for someone that can help you with the configuration on the PC client. WR&Q supplies HP, DEC and IBM terminal emulators, various networking protocols and supports a variety of LAN cards. WR&Q also has excellent technical support and System Engineers that are very familiar with the PC world. For large deals that involve many WR&Q products, the SE time is a pre-sales service and FREE. Products Available Today Walker, Richer & Quinn 2815 Eastlake Avenue East Seattle, Washington 98102 206-324-0350 Products: Reflections 1 for Windows Reflections 1, 3, 7, 8 for DOS Reflections 1 for the Macintosh 3000 Connection NS Connection Telnet Manager Eicon Technology 2196 32nd Avenue (Lachine) Montreal, Quebec H8T 3H7 (514) 631-2592 Products: 3270 Emulation 5250 Emulation Variety of Protocols on PC Card Novell, Inc. Netware Systems Group and Product Demonstration Facility Sunnyvale, CA (800) NETWARE or (408) 747-4000 Products: AM:PM Netware 3270 LAN Workstation for DOS Netware 3270 LAN Workstation for Windows Netware for SAA Netware HostPrint Netware SNALinks POTENTIAL 3RD PARTY SOLUTIONS The following sections cover existing offerings on the market which may be of help to you and your team in solving the 3270 investment protection issues. These products will provide a variety of solutions which may be tailored to your environment or specific needs. Please note that this is a cursory overview to aid in your general planning. You should make contact with the appropriate company representatives to verify the details of their solutions, list of requirements, and prerequisites. A general warning should be noted. The SNA network and its associated devices were built on the premise that the data flowing through the network is generally a full screen of information, i.e. block mode. When connecting character oriented devices or trying to install an emulation of a character mode device, certain limitations will apply and network performance could be impacted. Please be aware of this in designing any solutions for your particular accounts. Bottom line: you cannot force a 3270 device to act like a standard ASCII terminal. There will be limitations. Please note that most of the solutions described have not been tested by HP. Those which have been tested are so noted. Most functionality descriptions of the solutions have been gathered through demonstrations by the third parties involved, through experiences the HP field has relayed back to us, or through product literature. In providing or proposing one of these solutions for your customer, you should verify functionality with the third party and through demonstrations specific to your required topology. The following solutions will be covered in detail: A) IBM 3174 RPQ B) NCR SNA/Open Gateway C) Unisys CAP Product D) HP DHCF/XL Product E) IBM Asynchronous Emulation Adapter F) Integris UniKix Product G) OpenConnect Systems H) McData 7100 & 6100 Connectivity Products I) Apertus Datastar Products J) Cray Communications (a.k.a. ScaNet and Dowty) We believe these solutions to be the most promising on the market today to help solve HP's customer requirements. MARKET REQUIREMENTS/SOLUTION MATRIX This relational matrix attempts to match the market requirements summary characteristics to the solutions that were investigated. These solutions are described in the following section. Note: None of the solutions we have investigated to date, with the exception of SNA DHCF, will work as they exist today for the HP 3000 unless the HP 3000 applications was written for VT100- or VT200-type terminals. Many 3rd party applications we have looked at are written for VTxxx terminals. Besides SNA DHCF and Preview software, none of the other solutions was designed to work with VPLUS applications. The following solutions are characterized in the matrix. _____________________________________________________________________________ | | | | Solutions | | | | | Characteristics | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Works with 3000 | x | x | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | (will be issues)| | | | | | | | | | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Works with 9000 | x | x | x | | x | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Network gateway | | x | x | | | x | | | | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Host gateway | | | | x | | | x | | x | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Controller | | | | | | | | | | | gateway | x | | | | x | | | x | | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Support for |802.5| |SDLC | | |SDLC | |yes | | | SNA backbone |only | x |only | x | x |only | x |with | | | | | | | | | | |6100 | | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Support for |802.5|802.3|802.3|802.3| no |802.3|802.3|802.3|802.3| TCP | TCP/IP backbone| | | |802.5| | | | | |& OSI| ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| 3270 Support | |thru |thru |SNA |thru |thru |via | | |with | across LAN | x |gtwy |gtwy |TRN |DTC |servr|servr| x | x |MPTS | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| 3270 Support | | | | | | | | | | | across WAN | no | x | x | x | no | x | x | x | no | no | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Support for | | | | | | | | | | | 3274 | no | x | x | x | no | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Support for | | | | | | | | | | | 3174 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Number of |128 | 300 |up to|up to|up to|up to|64 to| 128/| 224/| 32 | Sessions |per | to | 600 |254/ | 24/ | 200 | 254 | 7100| DS |phys.| Supported |3174 |1500 | |link | 3174| | | |servr| | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _____________________________________________________________________________ | | | | Solutions | | | | | Characteristics | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| |3174 |85K |71K |6K |3000/|up to|24K |33K |Call |7.5K | Price |upgrd| to | to | to | 8 |172K | to | to | for | to | |cost | 122K| 95K | 32K|ports| | 113K| 69K+|quote|19.5K| ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Protocol on | | | | | | | | SNA | | | MF (SNA vs. | SNA | SNA | SNA | SNA | SNA | SNA | SNA | and | SNA | SNA | TCP/IP) | | | | | | | | TCP | | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Additional | | | | | | | | | | | host software | no | no | no | HCF | no | no | OCS | TCP | no | no | required on MF | | | | | | | TCP | | | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports 3270 | | | | | | | | | | | terminals | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports 3287- | | | | | | | | | | | type printers | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports PCs | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports wkstns | no | x | x | x | no | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports X-terms| no | no | no | no | no | no | no | x | no | no | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Response Time | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports | in | | | | | | | | | | CICS-like |char.| x | x | no | no | x | x | x | x | x | applications |mode | | | | | | | | | | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports | | | | | | | | | | | block-mode | no | x | x | x | no | x | no | no | no | no | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| Supports | | | | | | | | | | | line mode | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| A) IBM1 3174 RPQ: Solution Overview: IBM has released an RPQ (similar to our specials) for their 3174 cluster controllers. This special software allows the 3174 attached to a token ring LAN to emulate a character oriented terminal such as an IBM3101, VT100, VT220, or Data General D210 and connect to ASCII oriented systems on the token ring. The token ring must be running TCP/IP Telnet protocols along with the IBM protocols in order for this solution to exist. The 3174 is the only controller on which this RPQ can work. 3274 cluster controllers do not nor will not have this capability. Many 3174s will have to be upgraded to allow this capability. They must be brought up to support configuration level C and have 4 MBytes of memory. Costs to upgrade could range in the neighborhood of $12,000 depending on the current configuration. If a new controller is required, cost would be approximately $28,000 or more depending on the needs. The RPQ is free. This solution will provide emulation capabilities for 3270 users of one of the previously mentioned terminals from their display stations into a host supporting Telnet protocols. Full screen mode for applications like vi are not supported. Topology: The following figure gives an overview of the topology: Figure 1: 3270 Connectivity via IBM 3174 with Telnet RPQ The above figure illustrates how 3270 users could access HP systems. To access the IBM systems from HP terminals, you could utilize the standard HP SNAplus product with a token ring connection (scheduled for release in February 1993) for HP-UX and the HP3000 SNA Link/XL with a token ring connection (scheduled for release on 4.7 or 5.0). Therefore, no additional links would be necessary other than the link already required for the 3270 access. Benefits: This solution is most beneficial when the customer has an existing 3174 on a token ring. The solution is supported entirely by IBM and, hopefully, allows for a software upgrade to their current 3174 without extensive hardware (i.e. memory, etc.) upgrades. The emulation offered by IBM is good and has been well tested since it is the same as was offered on the AEA card option still available from IBM. Limitations: There are several limitations to this offering. They are: 1) The access to any system is character mode only. Block mode applications on the 3K are not fully supported. You may be interested in getting a copy of PREVIEW from TymLabs. This application can run on your 3K and converts block mode applications to character mode for both input and output. On HP- UX, full screen types of applications are not really usable in this environment. So if you use vi, you would need to use a non-full screen editor such as ed or other similar editors. 2) This solution does not work for 3274 or other plug compatible controllers. It is only valid on 3174 controllers and only for given configuration and support levels. 3) A major limitation which applies to the 3K environment is that you must make your telnet access through a DTC. The 3K does not support host based telnet server; this capability is being considered (no commitment yet). Also, the DTC must be placed on an 802.3 LAN since the DTC cannot be connected directly to the token ring. 4) You may need (it is somewhat unclear from our current information) an IBM mainframe somewhere in the topology to activate the network and the cluster controller. This should not be a significant limitation in most situations since most replacements begin as offloads to allow time to port applications from an IBM system to the HP systems. Ordering Information and Contact: To order the RPQ contact your customer's IBM sales representative. Request information on RPQ 8Q0935. This RPQ is available at no charge. Your 3174 must have the required configuration support. So there may be some costs involved. To order the PREVIEW product for the 3K, contact Chuck Stern at TymLabs: (512) 478-0611. The price range for the MPE/iX version is $4,000 to $12,000. This product supports VPLUS applications only. Other block mode applications are not supported. B) NCR SNA/Open Gateway: Solution Overview: COMTEN division of NCR is in the final stages of releasing a new, pre-configured front-end processor that will allow 3270 devices to access non-IBM systems and 3270-like applications. The solution consists of a front-end processor known as the gateway and a UNIX2 system V release 4 box know as the gateway server. This gateway server runs a set of software modulesd that provides an API library for applications to be accessed by the 3270 devices. The gateway server could be any UNIX system supporting system V release 4 which has had the server software (deamon) ported to it. Today the gateway server is an NCR UNIX system. But it could be an HP system if a future port is made. The solution as it is offered today does not provide a general terminal access mode. That means that 3270 terminals cannot just "login into" a UNIX shell and execute general UNIX commands. Instead, the 3270 terminals "login into" specific applications which have been linked to the gateway servers library. Applications such as TopEnd, Tophat, or UniKix are examples of the types of applications that are being ported to be accessed by 3270 devices. Other applications which are modified or developed to interface with the API on the server would also be accessible by the 3270 devices. The API available for the applications allows the input and output of the application to conform to the requirements of the 3270 devices and the SNA network. Character mode applications such as vi could not realistically be interfaced with the API to work with 3270 devices. Applications expecting line mode or block mode input and output could work well with the 3270 devices. A key benefit of the use of the API is the preservation of a 3270 data stream which allows maximum functionality, flexibility, and network performance from a 3270 display station when accessing the modified application. NCR is planning a second release of this product for mid-1993. A key enhancement to the functionality in that release is the addition of telnet capabilities. In this configuration, the SNA/Open gateway would have the functionality to server as a telnet server and/or a TN3270 server. This could give the capability to access the target HP systems from a 3270 display station through the telnet facilities. This would be most useful when working with applications or commands which are line mode in nature. The new capability would also allow a user on the HP systems to run TN3270 and gain access into the IBM system and associated applications. The SNA/Open gateway comes pre-configured and, therefore, presents a "black box" type of solution with minimal involvement from the end user. It has a PC based configuration capability. This configuration is based on a menu driven system via windows on the PC which appears to be relatively easy to use and configure. A spare PC capable of running windows with a serial port would serve just fine in this role. The solution does require an IBM host somewhere in the network to activate the SNA network. No upgrades of controllers are required as the SNA/Open Gateway appears as a standard PU type 4 node to the PU type 2 devices. The gateway will be available in configurations supporting 300 or 900 or 1500 3270 devices attaching through it to a non-IBM system. The NCR product is currently in a controlled release phase. The API libraries have not yet been ported to any HP systems. But HP is working with NCR for potential portation of the libraries and underlying connectivity components. HP believes that the NCR SNA/Open Gateway may provide the best potential solution. This is based on the current breadth of installations of COMTEN equipment already existing at IBM mainframe sites, the strong name recognition in the IBM environment, the willingness of the COMTEN division to work with HP on an HP solution, and the future functionality which the gateway may support. There are some obvious concerns with the products current functionality, availability and the need for an NCR system as the gateway server. Topology: The following figure outlines the topology of the network and how the connectivity might be made. Figure 2: 3270 Connectivity via NCR SNA/Open Gateway The next diagram illustrates how connectivity would be made from the HP systems to the IBM mainframe applications. Today, this connectivity would require that the HP IBM products be installed on the HP systems. Thereby, requiring an extra link into the IBM network. The following diagram looks at the future way that connectivity would be made since NCR is planning to enhance their functionality to allow for users on the HP systems to connect into IBM without the need for additional links. This release is tentatively planned for mid-1993. Figure 3: HP user access to IBM applications with NCR SNA/Open Gateway Benefits: The key benefits of this solution are: 1) The offering allows for the customized access to specific applications. Thereby, optimizing the interface to the application and the network efficiency. 2) The COMTEN/NCR boxes are probably the most widely used terminal controllers for IBM 3270 devices. Current boxes may be upgraded to give the connectivity capability required. Also, name recognition and reputation are a plus with this solution. 3) Easy configuration and management plus the concept of a black box approach give a more simple plug and play capability. Limitations: The key limitations associated with this solution are: 1) A big one: it is not currently available on HP-UX or MPE/iX today. 2) Generic terminal connectivity is not available. The various applications would have to be modified to interface to the API for the 3270 device connectivity support. 3) To access the IBM systems requires addition links/lines for the connectivity plus the purchase of the standard HP to IBM communication products for the HP systems. Order Information and Contact: Since this product is currently under a controlled release, no specific ordering information was available. Contact NCR sales representatives to investigate the ability to become a controlled release site. We will keep you informed about any progress on the potential of having this product native in an HP environment. Prices are estimated to be between $85,000 for 300 users, $105,000 for 900 users, and $122,000 for 1500 users. These prices are preliminary and may be different upon the general release of the product. Assuming these prices, the corresponding price per seat of this solution would be $283.00 for 300 users, $116.67 for 900 users, and $81.33 for 1500 users. You should note that these prices are for the SNA/Open Gateway only. They do not include the additional costs of the UNIX system used as the gateway server. C) UNISYS3 CAP Product: Solution Overview: Unisys Corporation announced at the end of July a new product designed to aid in the connectivity of SNA 3270 terminal devices into their system V based UNIX systems. The product, called CAP for Communications Access Processor, consists of a front end processor and a set of software that runs on a Unisys U6000 low end UNIX system. This product is very similar to the NCR SNA/Open Gateway product discussed above. The CAP product follows the same basic design as the NCR SNA/Open Gateway. The front end processor provides connectivity into the SNA network. It appears to the SNA network as a PU type 4/5 device and houses the required SNA components along with the needed SSCP elements. The processor also has software to communicate across a TCP/IP LAN to the U6000 UNIX system. Whereas, the processor provides your basic connection and interface to the SNA world, the CAP/is software that runs on the U6000 UNIX processor facilitates- 3270 access to UNIX applications. This access is accomplished through several different modes. Probably the most widely used mode is what the CAP product terms General Access Mode. This is basically a line mode interface that allows your 3270 devices to access generic UNIX applications that are compatible with a line mode output and input. For more sophisticated 3270 access to UNIX applications, additional interfaces are provided. They are Forms Mode that allows for full screen mapping capabilities and Transparent Mode that allows for 3270-like applications developed on UNIX to be accessed by 3270 terminals. These two modes are provided for via API's. So your applications would have to be modified to interface into these API's to be accessed properly from a 3270 device. These API's are very similar to those previously discussed with respect to the NCR offering. The key difference today between the NCR and Unisys offerings is the availability of the General Access Mode in the Unisys product allowing for 3270 access into a UNIX shell environment for line mode command/application execution. Please note this access mode will not work properly with applications that are expecting character input to generate output. But UNIX commands such as "ps -ef" or "ls" and equivalent applications should run correctly. For the HP3000 environment, the use of the Preview product may aid in the character mode vs. block mode issues. See section A for more information on Preview. The solution as it exists today does require a Unisys UNIX system (U6000) in the topology to run the CAP/is software. Your applications may be running on any other processor in your LAN environment that has connections to the U6000 system via some form of remote access such as RPC's or BSD sockets, etc. If Hewlett-Packard Company determines this solution is the most optimal to pursue for our needs in the mainframe alternatives market for 3270 access, we would investigate the portation of the CAP/is software to an HP-UX system and eliminate the need for the Unisys U6000. Another capability that our customers would require is the ability to access the IBM system from their HP-UX environment. The CAP product allows this through a VTXXX terminal to 3270 device mapping capability in the CAP/is software. Again, care should be taken in this area as the current mappings are only for VTXXX terminal types. So the end user would need to be using a terminal compatible with VT terminals. Our knowledge of this product is limited at this time, so it is not clear if this restriction can be overcome via some modifications to the terminfo files or through some other mechanism. Overall, this solution offers the greatest flexibility today. But is has major drawbacks due to the requirement of a Unisys processor, the somewhat negative name recognition in some segments of Unisys, and the limited terminal type support. Topology: The following figures represent the topology of a possible network with the CAP product and how 3270 terminal connectivity might be accomplished. The first figure demonstrates how from a 3270 terminal you can gain generic terminal access/login to HP systems for limited use with line mode types of commands or applications. Figure 4: 3270 General Terminal Access via Unisys CAP Product This second figure demonstrates the path for 3270 access to applications other than line mode running on the HP systems. Note that applications would have to be modified to interface with the CAP/is software API's previously mentioned. Also, an IPC mechanism would need to be utilized between the U6000 system and the HP system to connect the specific HP application into the CAP environment. Figure 5a: 3270 Connectivity to HP Applications via CAP The final figure shows the path for HP users to access the IBM system and the associated applications. Note that the CAP product today assumes a VTXXX terminal on HP end user (i.e. U6000 end user) side. So functionality may be limited depending on the end user's terminal type and its ability to function like or near a VTXXX terminal. Figure 5b: HP Users Accessing IBM with Unisys CAP Product Benefits: The key benefits of the CAP product are: 1) The product is available today. 2) The product allows for both 3270 to HP general access for line mode applications as well as HP to IBM application access. 3) The product has the ability to allow for application development or modification to take advantage of the 3270 device features and limitations. 4) The product will fit into an existing IBM network and allows for both 3270 BSC terminals and 3270 SNA terminals to gain access to the HP systems. 5) The cost per seat appears to be under $250.00 to implement this solution. 6) The CAP processor supports the full Netview capabilities and can be managed from the IBM Netview console. Limitations: The key limitations of the CAP product are: 1) The product requires the use of a Unisys system as the gateway/server. 2) Product is very new on the market so we have no firm feedback on the functionality or the completeness of the VTXXX emulation in either direction. 3) Unisys name recognition is not necessarily a positive element in some environments. 4) No clear statement received on longer term direction for this product and how it will be evolved as the needs of the network changes. Ordering Information and Contact: The product may be ordered through the normal Unisys sales channel. Contact Pat Lester, National Sales Manager for CAP at (617) 938-2552, or Russ Dobbins, Technical Support for CAP at (215) 986-4465. Prices range from $71,000 to $95,000, supporting up to 600 sessions. D) Reverse Pass Through - DHCF Reverse pass through is the ability through IBM and HP software to allow a 3270 user logged on to an IBM mainframe to initiate an interactive session with an HP MPE/iX system running the HP product know as DHCF/XL. DHCF stand for Distributed Host Command Facility. It runs in conjunction with IBM software residing on the mainframe called Host Command Facility. It is through the capabilities in these two software packages that an IBM user can access a login on the MPE/iX system and then have access to HP3000 applications. DHCF emulates many features of a remotely attached HP terminal; thus, it appears as if the IBM 3270 display station has a direct connect to the HP3000 system. The 3270 user, thereby, can gain access to most HP3000 applications including simple TTY-mode applications, VPLUS applications that only require screens up to 24 lines less any lines required for a window line or softkeys, HP MM II applications, and a full screen, ISPF-like editor for use by HP DeskManager. Not all HP3000 applications can be accessed through DHCF. Those using special screen modes or block mode features that are specific to HP terminals will probably not function correctly. Please reference the SNA DHCF/XL Application Programmer's Guide to determine the full extent of the product's usage and limitations. To summarize, this product offers reasonable connectivity from an SNA environment into an HP3000 system. Limitations do exist where accessing HP3000 applications that assume specific terminal features associated with HP terminals. The product does allow for up to 254 sessions (i.e. 3270 users logged in) per card with up to 8 cards supported on certain models of the 3000. Performance issues along with number of required concurrent sessions need to be considered when evaluating use of this product. Topology: The following figure illustrates how the 3270 user would gain access to the HP3000 through the SNA DHCF/XL product. Figure 6: 3270 Access to HP3000 via HP DHCF/XL Product The following figure shows the path of access that an HP3000 user would utilize to access IBM applications. This product has the advantage that the standard HP SNA Link product already required for DHCF access by IBM users is also utilized by 3000 users to access the IBM system through the appropriate HP SNA service such as IMF, NRJE, etc. Figure 7: HP 3000 User Access to IBM Benefits: The following benefits are seen in this solution: 1) This is a total HP solution using, on the HP side, existing, proven software. 2) Since it is an HP solution, it has standard HP quality and support. 3) No new hardware is required over your current environment. The software fits into your current topology and connectivity is immediately available. See the DHCF product data sheet for specifics on supported HP3000 and IBM systems and release level restrictions. 4) Many applications on the HP side do not have to be modified. Whereas, in other solutions mentioned, applications normally have to be modified to interface with a new API. 5) If your current environment is MPE/V and the customer is interested in offloading their IBM mainframe, this product and its capabilities offer you a great opportunity to move an MPE/iX system in and offer the connectivity the customer will most surely request. 6) VPLUS applications with some restrictions are accessible from the 3270 display stations. 7) IBI Focus can be accessed from a 3270 display stations using the DHCF product. Limitations: 1) The applications accessible on the HP 3000 side cannot utilize special HP terminal features. If they do, they will not display correctly on the 3270 display station. 2) There may be a performance limitation when attempting to support a large number of simultaneous sessions. SNA DHCF was designed for casual access. 3) Some HP3000 applications cannot be accessed via DHCF nor can some be properly displayed. Reference the DHCF product data sheet for more specifics. Ordering Information: To order the DHCF product, reference the following information: Product Number: 36935A SNA DHCF/XL License to Use The following documentation is also available: 1) HP SNA DHCF/XL User Support Guide (36935-61001) 2) HP SNA DHCF/XL Node Manager's Guide (36935-61002) 3) HP SNA DHCF/XL Application Programmer's Guide (36935-61003) 4) HP SNA DHCF/XL Diagnostic Message Manual (36935-61004) Pricing Information: The price range is from $6,000 to $32,000. E) IBM Asynchronous Emulation Adapter Overview: This product is an extension to the IBM 3174 Establishment Control Unit. The product consists of both hardware and microcode additions to an existing IBM 3174 control unit. The AEA products allows you to attach up to 8 ASCII connections into an ASCII host(s) per adaptor card installed in the 3174. Limits exist on the number of AEA cards you may install depending on the model of the 3174. With models 1L, 1R, 2R, and 3R you may install as many as 3 AEA cards allowing up to 24 ASCII connections. With models 51R and 52R, you are limited to one AEA card, thereby, giving you up to 8 connections. In addition to the AEA hardware and firmware, there may be additional memory and configuration upgrades required. You will need to consult the IBM documentation on this product and the associated control unit to determine if this is the case and the particulars involved. Part of the AEA firmware capability is the emulation of certain ASCII terminals. This emulation allows the 3270 display station user to appear as either a VT100 or an IBM 3101 to the attached ASCII host. The ASCII host is connected through standard RS-232C cabling into the AEA adaptor. The cabling between the AEA and the ASCII host can attach to any standard/supported RS-232C connection scheme on the ASCII host side. So for HP, the cable could attach to a MUX or DTC or standard serial port. Not all 3270 display stations may be able to access the HP system through the AEA adaptor. The supported IBM display stations are 3178, 3278, 3180, 3179 (model 1 only), 3279 (operating in four color mode only), and the 3270 PC operating in control unit mode (CUT mode) only. Since the terminal emulation available is limited to the VT100 and IBM 3101, applications utilizing specific terminal features (such as special HP escape sequences, etc.) cannot be correctly accessed. There will also be some limitations for character mode and full screen mode applications such as vi. For the HP3000 environment, the use of the Preview product may aid in the character mode vs. block mode issues. See section A for more information on Preview. Topology: The following figure shows the paths associated with a 3270 display station user accessing an HP system. Figure 8: Access to an HP System via the IBM AEA Product This second figure shows how the HP user would access an IBM mainframe in an environment where the IBM AEA product was utilized to access HP systems from 3270 displays. Note that you will need the standard HP products resident on the HP systems that are normally utilized to access an IBM system. Figure 9: Accessing an IBM from HP Benefits: The key benefits of this solution are: 1) Use of existing customer hardware for access to HP. 2) Supported product from IBM so no special RPQs involved. 3) Lab has tested the VT100 emulation and found it to be fairly complete. Limitations: The key limitations or concerns with this solution are: 1) Is not applicable unless customer has the appropriate control unit. 2) Cost is rather high. Approximately, $3,000.00 per AEA card for 8 connects. 3) HP system must be co-located with the control unit. 3270 display station users on other remotely located control units may not be able to gain access to the HP system via this solution. If HP system is a 3000, look at DHCF as another alternative to gain access for remote 3270 display stations. 4) Limited to a maximum of 24 3270 display stations accessing the HP system simultaneously. 5) IBM warns that performance may be an issue depending on the control unit's volume of usage. 6) Applications utilizing specific HP terminal features will not work properly with this solution. Ordering Information and Contact: To get more information on this product, please contact the IBM sales representative. If you wish further documentation on this product you may order the IBM documentation GA23-0318-0 that gives a simple overview. Other information is: Price: $3,000.00 per AEA card. This does not account for potential 3174 upgrades that may be necessary. With this pricing, assuming no additional upgrades needed, the cost per seat would be $375.00. Product #: 3020 - Not sure of this number. This may be the option number off the standard 3174 Establishment Controller part number. Check this out with the IBM representative F) Integris/UniKix Overview: UniKix is a product that is gaining more visibility in the mainframe downsizing and offloading marketplace. This product, offered by Integris, provides a software development and OLTP environment on UNIX based processors. This environment is designed to allow for COBOL-based applications developed to operate under CICS on an IBM mainframe to be ported to the UNIX system. Also, the development environment of UniKix allows for the development of new CICS-like applications to be solely developed on the UNIX system. UniKix provides the required environment by emulation of CICS functions, API's, file control, commands, terminal control, and basic mapping support. Within the file control area, UniKix emulates the VSAM file operations including KSDS, RRDS, and ESDS files. UniKix has been ported to HP-UX systems and is currently available from Integris. Since the environment is meant to provide a solution to offload the IBM mainframe, 3270 terminal access is a critical element. UniKix allows for 3270 display station access through their XPU4/XPU5 server. This server software currently must be run on SBus SPARC-based system. Yes - it is a SUN box. But Integris will be OEMing and putting their own label on it. The 3270 connectivity is limited to access to the UniKix environment. You cannot access general HP-UX commands from the 3270 display station. The only supported link type is SDLC up to speeds of 64Kbps. Maximum number of active sessions, i.e. 3270 users accessing UniKix, is limited to 200. The private-labeled version of their XPU4/XPU5 box will be available in early December. The XPU4/XPU5 SBus card supports up to 8 SDLC lines per card. You may have a maximum of 3 SBus boards in the processor depending on the particular server platform chosen. Although you could have up to 24 SDLC lines into the XPU4/XPU5 server, you are limited to the 200 active sessions at any one time. So although it is feasible that a very large number of 3270 users might have the ability to access the UniKix environment, only a moderate subset of them may do so simultaneously. Topology: The following diagrams give examples of the various types of topologies associated with the connectivity noted. This first diagram illustrates how the IBM users would gain access to the UniKix environment running on an HP- UX system. Figure 10: 3270 Access to Intregis' UniKix on HP-UX This next diagram illustrates what the network topology would be like if the IBM were to be eliminated from the network. Again, caution should be taken when recommending the elimination of the IBM since all network functionality (startup, shutdown, monitoring) would then need to be performed by the XPU4/XPU5 gateway. Figure 11: 3270 Access to UniKix if No IBM in Network This last illustration shows how HP users could gain access to applications running on the IBM systems. Note the need for HP SNAplus products on the HP-UX systems. Figure 12: HP-UX Access to IBM with a UniKix Topology Benefits: The UniKix offers the following benefits: 1) Offers your customer a UNIX environment to offload the host from its CICS applications. This should be a possible advantage in convincing customers to switch to open systems. HP just announced plans to support CICS native on HP-UX and MPE/iX. No further details at this time. But you should search out the current status when analyzing mainframe downsizing issues. 2) The use of the XPU4/XPU5 server allows for the complete elimination of the IBM from the topology picture. It should be carefully considered prior to elimination of the IBM and should only be considered for relatively small to medium networks. 3) UniKix is widely accepted and utilized by the marketplace. So this functionality should be a sales enhancer. Limitations: The following are viewed as limitations with this solution: 1) The product does require a competitors box as the server for the SNA network. Although the box carries the Integris label, it is still a SUN SPARC system. 2) Access to the IBM network from an HP system must be done through the standard HP SNAplus product line. So two links are required into SNA driving up the expense for the customer. 3) The 3270 display station access is strictly limited to accessing UniKix and the associated applications. No general terminal access is provided. Ordering Information and Contact: Contact Integris (a division of Bull North America) for details and availability. Phone: (800) 765-2826 or in Europe (44) 223-2222. You may contact Bill Silverthorn from Integris directly for more product and pricing information; (602) 862-7042 Pricing Information: The price for UniKix ranges from $8,000 to $172,000. The XPU4/XPU5 price is additional to the UniKix price and ranges as high as $64,000. Please contact Integris for exact pricing. G) OpenConnect4 Systems Solution Overview: Open Connect Systems (OCS) out of Dallas, TX offers a range of connectivity products designed to aid in the integration of open systems with IBM. Their product line comes in two basic flavors called OCS I and OCS II. OCS I is based on their own hardware box being the gateway into IBM environments. OCS II is the same basic solution but the software has been ported native to a non-OCS platform. Currently OCS II runs native on SUN and IBM RS6000. HP is currently evaluating with OCS the need and potential for a native OCS II solution on HP-UX. But no firm plans are in place at this time. This overview will concentrate on the OCS I product called OpenConnect/Telnet Client for MVS, VM, and AS400 and the corresponding OCS server plus software called the OpenConnect/Telnet Server. In particular, this product offers what OCS calls a full screen mode emulation such that the 3270 or 5250 display station acts like a VT100 or VT220 terminal with full screen capabilities. As of the writing of this document, HP has not officially tested nor verified the functionality of this product. So the information contained within is strictly that which was made available to HP from OCS. In other words, if you are interested in this product, make sure OCS demonstrates its full capabilities. It is important to note as has been done previously, that the IBM networks and display stations are built on the assumption of a block mode environment. So even with the full screen emulation, applications that are character mode full screen such as vi still cannot work as they would in a pure character mode environment. But the full screen capability of the OCS product should ease the differences to some degree. For the HP3000 environment, the use of the Preview product may aid in the character mode vs. block mode issues. See section A for more information on Preview. The OCS server is a hardware box that could accommodate up to 4 link cards to access the IBM network. Each card can support up to 64 sessions giving a maximum per server box of 256 sessions. The server box runs the software known as the OCS Telnet Server. This software provides you two way communications between the IBM host environment, running the OCS software, and the HP environment. Since two way communications is possible, this solution eliminates the need for additional links into the IBM systems to allow for HP users to access native IBM applications. This is an improvement over some of the previous solutions in this particular area. On the IBM mainframe you must have installed the OpenConnect/Telnet Client for either MVS or VM depending on you mainframes OS. As an example we will discuss the MVS version only. This version runs as a VTAM application. So the network between the mainframe and the OCS I server can be an existing SNA network. You do not have to modify your existing network to run this software. OCS claims that their Telnet Client can out perform IBM's product. We have no information to confirm or deny that claim. OCS has a fairly broad distribution of their products throughout the world. So there should be no problem in distribution/access to this solution. It is not clear at the writing of this document as to the extent of any localized versions that may exist. You will need to research such availability with OCS. Topology: The following diagram gives an overview of how the 3270 (or 5250) users could access HP systems via the OCS product. Figure 13: 3270 Users Accessing HP via the OCS I Product The following diagram shows how users on an HP system could access the IBM system and applications running on the IBM. The illustration in the diagram shows an IBM mainframe. But with the modification noted, it could easily be an AS400 to which the HP users are gaining access. Figure 14: HP Users Accessing IBM via the OCS I Product. Benefits: The following are the significant benefits of this solution: 1) The OCS products have a proven track record in numerous HP accounts. 2) The OCS products are available worldwide. 3) Full screen functionality of this product should lessen the problems during emulation. But keep in mind that a 3270 device cannot act exactly like a character mode/ASCII terminal. 4) Full screen capability runs as a VTAM application so do not need to modify underlying SNA connections and may see performance increase over IBM's Telnet Client running on the host. 5) Product provides for 5250 users and AS400 access. 6) Does not require additional links into IBM to access IBM applications from HP systems. Limitations: The following are seen as potential significant limitations: 1) The OCS product is only available today by utilizing an OCS hardware box as the server. This will drive up the overall cost of the solution. 2) The server only supports up to 254 sessions into the HP systems. So multiple servers may be necessary depending upon the size of the SNA network and the number of 3270/5250 users needing simultaneous access. Also, the number of physical connections into the IBM environment may be costly. 3) HP3000 applications utilizing specific terminal features or requiring block mode will or may not run successfully in this environment. 4) Solution does not run over QLLC/X.25 networks. This is according to the information provided. Given OCS' presence in Europe, this may be incorrect. Recommend you contact OCS if this capability is required. Ordering Information and Contact: For more information on the OCS product line, contact your local OCS salesperson. Or you may contact OCS directly by phoning their main offices in Dallas, TX. Phone number is: (214) 888-0678. For international distribution information, call (214) 888-0433. The prices for the configuration discussed depend on the number of links and the amount of expandability required. The range of the price for the OCS I server should be between approx. $14,000 upwards to approx. $33,000. The range of the price for the MVS Full Screen Telnet Client ranges from $18,000 to $80,000. This same product from VM ranges from $10,000 to $80,000. The cost per seat for attaching to MVS would range from $500 to $445 assuming a range of 64 to 254 connections. For VM the range of cost per seat would be from $375 to $445. H) McData Solution Overview: McData Corporation offers a series of hardware boxes allowing for the integration of 3270 devices directly into a TCP/IP network. The focus of the McData products are on this type of integration rather than that of allowing 3270 users in an SNA network to access via the SNA network TCP/IP based systems. However, with the right combination of their boxes, this later integration can be achieved. There are two key products of interest from McData. They are the 7100 and 6100. Together they allow the 3270 display station user to access the TCP/IP based hosts and, also, maintain their access to the IBM mainframe, albeit, in a some what unique mode. The 7100 specifically allows for the replacement of an existing 3X74 cluster controller and for the connection into a TCP/IP network. So by this box alone, you could have 3270 display stations directly connected into a TCP/IP network. If that is all that is required, then your solution is complete. However, this box does not allow for the 3270 users to access both the TCP/IP network and the SNA network. Nor does it provide a solution to allow remote 3270 displays in the network the ability to access the HP systems via the SNA network. To provide the complete solution you must add in a McData 6100. This box allows for connectivity between a TCP/IP based network and an SNA network. The 6100 is basically an IBM 3172 compatible gateway. The overall solution is probably best illustrated in the following diagrams as it is somewhat complex to describe. Also, only a small segment of the capabilities of these McData products are described here. You should contact McData for complete details and information. Topology: The following diagrams offer the various topologies for the given connectivity. The first diagram illustrates the basic connectivity of simply connecting 3270 devices directly into a TCP/IP network. Figure 15: McData 7100 Connectivity of 3270 Devices This second diagram illustrates how the addition of the 6100 allows for broader connectivity. You should note that the connectivity is achieved through the use of TCP/IP services and Telnet services. So you are limited on the functionality available. Again your HP3000 applications expecting to utilize HP terminal specifics or block mode will have problems in this environment. The use of the Preview product may aid in the character mode vs. block mode issues. See section A for more information on Preview. Also, HP-UX applications utilizing a full screen mode capability will also encounter problems. The applications that should work relatively well in this environment are limited to line mode applications. Figure 16: McData 7100 & 6100 in Conjunction to Give 3270 Broad Access This final diagram illustrates how connectivity back into the IBM environment from an HP system is achieved. Not that with the McData products you are basically utilizing the TCP/IP/Telnet connectivity of the IBM and McData products to achieve this connectivity. Figure 17: Access IBM Applications with the McData 7100 & 6100 Benefits: The following are considered the primary benefits of this solution: 1) Allows for direct connectivity of 3270 devices onto a TCP/IP LAN and network. 2) If you can eliminate the SNA backbone, this solution gives you a way to integrate the 3270 devices without the need for the SNA backbone. 3) McData does distribute worldwide. Limitations: The following are the key limitations with this solution: 1) Does not have any terminal emulation above telnet capabilities. 2) Cost could be quite high if both the 7100 & 6100 are involved. 3) Access back into the IBM system is limited to the telnet capabilities. You could add in the HP SNA products for this connectivity. But that would require extra links and drive the solution costs up higher. Ordering Information and Contact: For further information on the McData line of products, you may contact McData Corporation at one of the following locations. McData Corporation McData Europa GmbH Broomfield, Colorado Munich, Germany (303) 460-4437 (49) 89 65 103 100 McData UK Ltd. McData Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. Binfield Singapore (44) 344 869 292 (65) 321 8956 Mike Calderon is the Product Manager for the 7100 and 6100. You may wish to contact him directly in Broomfield for more product and pricing information. The pricing information is as follows: 6100 price ranges from $25,000 to $45,000. 7100 price ranges from $8,000 to $24,000. Please contact McData for details of the pricing associated with your proposed solutions. I) Apertus Apertus, formally known as Lee Data, offers a set of products similar to that offered by McData that will allow for the connectivity of 3270 display stations into a TCP/IP environment. This product is called Datastar TCP/IP LAN Server. It consists of a hardware box that attaches to an ethernet LAN on one side and to 3270 display stations (coax) on the other. The TCP/IP LAN server will support between 8 and 224 display stations terminals attached to the Datastar depending on the size of the server purchased. The logical connection from the attached 3270 terminal and the target HP system is achieved through establishment of a telnet session. The literature is somewhat vague, but it appears that the datastar emulates a VT100, VT220 or VT320 for the attaching 3270 display station. So the HP system believes it is communicating with one of these terminals. As has been the case throughout, the emulation should work well with line mode applications. Those applications trying to utilize full screen or special terminal characteristics will have difficulties. For the HP3000 block mode applications, the Preview product may aid in easing this issue. Please reference section A above for more details on this product. Like the McData configuration, another Datastar box is required for HP users to access the IBM applications. This product is the Datastar Telnet Server Gateway. This gateway serves as a TN3270 server to allow access to IBM applications. The TN3270 client must be running on the HP system wishing to connect into the IBM applications. Since TN3270 is not available on the HP3000, one solution would be to telnet to an HP-UX box (or other UNIX box in the network) that has TN3270, run TN3270 on the UNIX system, and connect into the IBM environment in this fashion. The literature is very unclear on the ability for a remote 3270 user to gain access to an HP system via one of the Datastar controllers. Therefore, it is assumed that this connectivity is not available (at least not easily made) with this product line. So the focus of this solution should be on local, smaller installations where there is not a need for remote 3270 access into HP systems. Please note that we have gathered this data through some inputs from the field and the Apertus literature. Care should be taken when considering this solution on the information put forth here. We will update this data as more information is received and clarification of some of the issues is obtained. Topology: The following figure illustrates how you may attach 3270 devices into a TCP/IP network and gain access to HP systems. Figure 18: Datastar Connectivity of 3270 Terminals into an HP Environment The next figure illustrates how, with the addition of another Datastar controller you can gain access to IBM system resources from your HP systems. Figure 19: HP User Connectivity to IBM via a Datastar Controller Benefits: The following outline the benefits of this solution: 1) The product is very modular so you can tailor the particular controller required to the customers environment. You also have substantial expandability capabilities with certain models of the controllers. 2) The solution would work well in smaller environments whose primary need is to attach local 3270 terminals into an HP system. 3) This product supports both ethernet and token ring based lans. Limitations: The following outline the limitations of this solution: 1) No access for remote 3270 terminals appears to be provided in this solution. 2) You must have multiple Datastar controllers to attach 3270 devices to you local LAN as well as maintain access from the HP environment into IBM applications. 3) The large number of controllers and their options is somewhat confusing and may cause some difficulty in understanding/determining the actual configuration needed for your solution. Ordering Information and Contact: For product availability, literature, and ordering information, you can contact Apertus Technologies Incorporated at (800) 328-3998. At the writing of this document, pricing information was not available to us. Plus the large number of options available on these controllers would make pricing this solution somewhat difficult. Please contact Apertus with details of your topology needs to get accurate pricing for the solution. J) Cray Communications Overview: Cray Communications, formerly Dowty Systems, offers a series of server/gateway products that allow connectivity of 3270 display stations to a LAN environment and to IBM hosts from a LAN environment. The connectivity is achieved through a set of servers/gateway that are known under the product name of ScaNet5. The topology of the solution is very similar to that of the McData solution. The primary differences come in the areas of the LAN protocols supported. ScaNet has a heavier focus on OSI than the previously mentioned solutions. They do support TCP/IP networks for some connectivity; but OSI networking is their primary LAN protocol. To connect 3270 display stations into you HP system you will need the ScaNet Multi-Protocol Terminal Server (MPTS) product. This product allows attachment of 3270 display stations to your LAN environment. In this instance, the LAN protocol used can be either OSI or TCP/IP. The server provides VT200 emulation for the display stations when communicating with an asynchronous host, in this case the HP system. This environment will function well for line mode commands and applications. For HP3000 block mode applications, the use of the Preview product may aid in easing the issues between the HP3000 application and the terminal emulation. The Preview product was discussed in section A above. Please reference this section for more details. The ScaNet product has the enhanced feature of allowing up to 5 different 3270 display station sessions to any of the connected host systems. Each ScaNet MPTN can support up to 128 logical sessions and up to 32 3270 display stations. To connect from your HP environment or from the 3270 display stations attached to the ScaNet Multi-Protocol Terminal Server, you will need an additional ScaNet gateway. This product is called the ScaNet/SNA Gateway. The ScaNet/SNA Gateway requires the OSI protocol to be running on the LAN (this data may have changed to allow TCP/IP - but this was the information available at the time of publication). OSI and TCP/IP can run simultaneously on the same LAN. So this is a feasible scenario. The ScaNet/SNA Gateway appears as a 3174 to the IBM system. It may be attached into the IBM SNA network via token ring, QLLC/X.25, or SDLC. 3270 display stations attached to the ScaNet MPTS and connecting to an IBM application through the ScaNet/SNA Gateway appear to the IBM host as if they were standard 3270 display stations attached to a standard 3174. Asynchronous terminals accessing the IBM host through the ScaNet/SNA Gateway also appear as 3270 display stations since the ScaNet/SNA Gateway provides an emulation package for these terminal types. The information given to us by Cray Communications indicates that these terminals must be attached to one of the supported terminal servers. It is not clear what this means, so get clarification Cray Communications on this limitation if you are interested in pursuing this solution. The ScaNet/SNA Gateway does have the limitation of only supporting up to 64 sessions to the IBM system. The ScaNet products do not present a solution that allows for remote 3270 display stations attached to the IBM host system to access the HP environment. So propose this solution when only local 3270 display station access is required. Topology: The following figure illustrates 3270 display stations connected to a LAN environment containing HP systems. Figure 20: Attaching 3270 Display Stations via ScaNet MPTS This next figure illustrates the addition of the ScaNet/SNA Gateway to gain access to IBM host applications from the LAN environment. Figure 21: Accessing IBM with the ScaNet/SNA Gateway Benefits: The following outlines the key benefits of this solution: 1) Allows for direct connection of 3270 display stations into a TCP/IP or OSI environment without the need of an IBM host present. 2) Has strong OSI support. So if you are dealing in an OSI environment, this solution may offer some advantages. 3) Cray Communications distributes worldwide. 4) Has SNMP support and Netview support for the appropriate ScaNet servers. Limitations: The following outlines the key limitations of this solution: 1) Limited number of sessions supported to the IBM system. 2) ASCII terminal access to IBM via ScaNet/SNA Gateway may require the use of specific terminal servers. Check this out with Cray Communications for details. 3) Remote 3270 display stations may not be able to access the HP systems. 4) Requires both the ScaNet MPTS and ScaNet/SNA Gateway (plus terminal servers) to obtain access to both HP and IBM systems. 5) There may be an extra connection to the LAN necessary on the ScaNet MPTS; one for TCP/IP and one for OSI. This is due to the fact that the communications between the ScaNet MPTS and ScaNet/SNA Gateway is based on OSI. Whereas, the ScaNet MPTS communications to the HP systems for 3270 connectivity would be based on TCP/IP. This will need to be verified with Cray Communications. Ordering Information and Contact: To get further information on these solutions, please contact Cray Communications at (415) 508-2500 or in Europe at (45) 44 53 01 00. The ScaNet/SNA Gateway ranges in price form $3,900 to $9,900 for 8 to 64 sessions. The ScaNet MPTS ranges from $3,600 to $9,600 for 8 to 32 3270 display station ports. This would give a price per seat range for the total solution of $938 to $610. When we met with Cray Communications, they quoted a price of $450-$500 per seat. So please contact Cray Communications for the required pricing information. 1IBM is a registered trade mark of IBM Corporation. 2UNIX is a registered trade mark of UNIX Systems Laboratories. 3Unisys is a registered trade mark of Unisys Corporation. 4OpenConnect is a registered trade mark of Open Connect Systems 5ScaNet is a registered trade mark of Cray Communications Additional 3270 3rd Party Vendors The following 3270 3rd party vendors provide solutions that do not meet the requirements outlined in our "Marketing Requirements" section. They may offer complementary products for your solution or may be a source of useful products in the future. This list has been included for your reference. The vendors discussed include: AA) Harris-Adacom BB) Andrew Corporation CC) Legent DD) Sync Research EE) Interlink FF) Forest Computer GG) Teubner and Associates AA) Harris-Adacom (CP 101 and CP 401) Harris-Adacom provides a pair of products -- ACE Adacom 3270 Communications/ CP101 and CP 401. The Adacom CP 101 product is a coax-to RS-232C adapter. It is a standalone unit that allows IBM 3270 type "A" terminals and IBM PCs with a coax adapter card to communicate with both ASCII and IBM hosts. The CP 101 has four ports; two ports are available to attach to an IBM 327x controller and an IBM type "A" terminal. Two DB25 RS-232C ports are provided; one is used for attachment of an ASCII host or for remote communication to an IBM controller via Adacom's controller-side adaptor and the other for the attachment of an ASCII serial or parallel printer. Using guided screen menus, an IBM 3270 terminal user can switch between an IBM and an ASCII host. Printouts can be transmitted through the RS-232/parallel port to a connected ASCII printer by pressing the PRINT KEY on the terminal keyboard, or following print commands sent from the host. Connections can be made from remote 3270 terminals from the controller through async/sync dial-up modems and lease lines. The product provides the following features: file transfer capabilities compatible to software written for IRMA, extended attributes (EAB). When attaching to ASCII hosts, the CP101 emulates VT-100/102 or HP2392A terminals. The CP 401 is a four port version of the CP 101, but does not have HP 2392 terminal emulation. Ordering Information and Contact: To order these products, contact Harris-Adacom. The CP 101 costs $800 per 3270 terminal. Add $200 for HP2392A emulation. The CP 401 costs $1800. BB) Andrew Corporation (VersaLynx/3278) The Andrew Corporation has a wide range of 3270 Display Station Family adaptor products. The VersaLynx/3278, a standalone 3270 coax terminal adaptor for asychronous ASCII networks, allows a 3x78 coax terminal to emulate several popular ASCII terminals. The 3270 terminal could be used to communicate with a LAN, asychronous host, or other resource. VersaLynx passthrough mode allows host access without recabling. VT100/02, VT52, VT925, IBM 3101, and TTY modes are supported. The deluxe model permits keyboard remapping and ASCII strings to be assigned to function keys. Ordering Information and Contact: This product, like the Adacom product, is very costly per seat. To order this product or learn more about Andrew Corporation's line of products, contact the Andrew Corporation at: Andrew Corporation Customer Support Center 1050 E. Business Center Dr. Mount Prospect, IL 60056-9724 (800) 328-2696 (708) 349-5673 (Fax) CC) Legent Corporation (STX Product) Legent Corporation provides a product called STX, a VTAM application that expands the scope of the SNA network to allow 3270 terminal users to transparently access non-SNA resources. STX provides reverse-pass through capabilities over an X.25 network. STX does not support SDLC or LAN. With STX, users log onto non-SNA data sources just as they would any other network application. Users are presented with a menu that lists the applications and networks available to them. STX establishes a connection through the non-SNA network to the application, and provides data stream conversions, so that data entered at the 3270 terminal is presented in a format suitable for the application. STX can make a 3270 terminal appear as a line-by-line TTY device, or an ASCII full screen terminal (such as VT100). Ordering Information and Contact: Contact Pat Roddy at Legent for more information: (412) 323-2600 Legent Corporation Two Allegheny Center Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5494 DD) Sync Research Sync Research offers the interNode Family of SNA Network Access Controllers -- internetworking products that concentrate SNA onto token ring and ethernet LAN networks, and connect SNA across Frame Relay and X.25 backbones. The purpose of these products is to extend the life and functionality of existing SNA equipment, reduce the scope and cost of the network infrastructure, and simplify network operation. Their products can connect 3274 controllers to token ring environments. Sync Research does not offer 3270 investment protection solutions for us today, but they are a leading vendor of SNA networking products. Ordering Information and Contact: Sync Research (800) ASK-SYNC 7 Studebaker (714) 588-2080 Irvine, CA 92718 EE) Interlink Computer Sciences Interlink's primary focus has been on providing DECNet and TCP/IP for IBM mainframe environments. Their version of TCP/IP has historically performed much better than IBM's version. IBM has been improving their TCP/IP performance over the past year. Christopher Hopper, Director of Marketing from Interlink told me that their version of TCP/IP had a 10X performance advantage over VTAM for HP systems talking to CICS applications on an IBM host. Interlink also has a variety of other products and utilities that provide capabilities such as: enterprise printing, and a CICS-API that allows CICS to talk to TCP/IP. Ordering Information and Contact: Christopher Hopper Interlink Computer Sciences (510) 657-9800 47370 Fremont Boulevard (510) 659-6381 (Fax) Fremont, CA 94538 FF) Forest Computer Forest Computer has a set of products called the "Connection System" that allow terminals, workstations, and systems operating in a TCP/IP network to connect to IBM midrange and mainframe systems in an SNA network and DEC VAX systems in a DECnet network. Specifically, one of the functions "Connection System" claims to provide is IBM midrange, mainframe, and DEC VAX terminal access to UNIX host systems. Interoperability is provided between: IBM AS/400; S/36; S/38; mainframes running MVS, VSE, or VM; DEC VAX running VMS or ULTRIX; IBM RS/6000; HP 9000; SUN; IBM PCs; PS/2s; and Apple Macintosh. The "Connection System" accepts sessions from any Telnet client that can emulate one of the DEC VT100/200 family of terminals, or any Telnet client that implements the TN3270 standard for IBM 3270 emulation. Either type of emulation may be used to access IBM midrange, mainframe, or DEC VAX system. IBM mainframe terminals access the "Connection System" using the IBM Host Command Facility (HCF) or Network Routing Facility (NRF). These utilities pass the IBM 3270 sessions through the SNA network to the "Connection System." Once a terminal has accessed the "Connection System" via the SNA or DECnet networks, it can access any UNIX-based host in the TCP/IP network. "Connection System" initiates sessions on UNIX-based systems using the LAT protocol. This requires a LAT driver to exist on the UNIX-based system. Support for Telnet sessions into UNIX-based systems is forthcoming. Ordering Information and Contact: Theresa Cooper Forest Computer Inc. (517) 349-4700 Forest Computer Building 1749 Hamilton Road Okemos, Michigan 48864 GG) Teubner and Associates (A-Net) Teubner and Associates provides a software product called "A-Net." A-Net requires the use of a network/host gateway. A-Net was designed for users who primarily access the IBM mainframe, but have the occasional need to access a non-IBM network or computer system. A-Net allows IBM 3270 terminals to "pass through" the IBM SNA network into one or more non-IBM networks or computer systems. The A-Net solution involves two basic components: the A-Net software package on the IBM mainframe and at least one supported gateway between the IBM host and non-IBM environments. The A-Net software runs on any IBM-compatible computer system that supports MVS, MVS/XA, MVS/ESA, VM/GCS, or DOS/VSE operating system, and VTAM. A-Net's direct VTAM interface allows you to logon to A-Net from a 3270 terminal without using any additional teleprocessing monitor or time-sharing subsystem such as CICS, IMS, or TSO. A-Net supports industry-standard and special purpose terminal emulations as well as full-screen VT200 emulation. A-Net uses the Security Access Facility (SAF) to support security packages such as RACF, ACF2, and Top Secret under the MVS, MVS/XA, and MVS/ESA operating systems. A-Net supports IBM TCP/IP software as a gateway to TCP/IP networks and IBM's NCP Packet Switching Interface (NPSI) as a gateway to X.25 networks. In the TCP/IP environment, A-Net functions as a telnet client. Ordering Information and Contact: Brian Phillips, Product Marketing Teubner and Associates (405) 624-2254 P.O. Box 1994 Stillwater, OK 74076