WHITE PAPER HEWLETT-PACKARD'S SOLUTION FOR HP TO IBM COMMUNICATIONS Introducing HP SNAplus Hewlett-Packard first introduced IBM connectivity products in the late 1970's. As IBM networking standards evolve, HP continues to add new capabilities to provide co-existence of HP systems in IBM environments. The SNAplus project allows HP to continue offering one of the most comprehensive IBM connectivity offering in the industry. Customers today, are evaluating alternatives to mainframes which provide significantly better price/performance, lower support costs and scalable growth. This trend has meant a shift in the networking solutions. In many cases new system must be tightly integrated with the mainframe environment, since users still need access to applications remaining on the host system. SNAplus offers a range of new capabilities and products to meet the growing needs of this rightsizing trend. Features HP SNAplus provides the following key components: o Client/Server Architecture - The client/server architecture connects distributed users with applications that are on multiple systems on a LAN. Multiple servers provide the additional benefit of redundancy, as well as load balancing. o Applications and APIs - Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are provided for developing distributed applications, programs to interact with existing host applications and general services for application programs. o Interactive and Batch - Interactive and batch communications are provided for terminal and printer emulation and batch data transfers providing a key IBM operating environment for mission critical applications. o Network Management, Support and Consulting Services - Centralized network management capabilities provide for configuring, managing and troubleshooting the network. In addition to OpenView connectivity, communication with NetView is provided through data-link alerts, response time alerts, and user application alerts. HP also provides worldwide support and consulting services for designing, implementing, and maintaining the network. Benefits HP SNAplus provides the following customer benefits: o Increased performance - Client/server architecture improves performance of clients by offloading the communications protocols from the client to the server machines. In addition, load balancing across multiple servers can provide increased performance in environments where host access traffic is heavy. o Investment protection - The HP SNAplus product line provides for future growth and allows more efficient development of new capabilities and functionality. SNAplus offers a smooth migration path providing existing HP to IBM users a clean way to update to the new generation of products. o Improved service and decision making - Standards- based products, such as HLLAPI and Motif, provide for efficient development of customized software to fit the business requirement. o Seamless integration of HP systems into an IBM environment. o Ease of use - Improved ease-of-use results in improved productivity and reduced operations. - For operations - The Browse facility, NetView alerts, dynamic tracing, and menu driven configuration are network administration and management tools which will help improve customer service and support tasks. - For application developers - HLLAPI, APPC, and LUA API's combined with a Motif interface allow customers quickly and efficiently to develop and maintain software products. - For business administrators - HLLAPI, Graphical User Interface (GUI) and Token Ring will improve productivity through network speed and easy to use interface. Release 1, has been available since April 1992 for the HP 9000 Series 300, 400, 700, and 800. This release included three products: HP-UX SNAplusLink, HP-UX SNAplus3270, HP-UX SNAplusAPI. Release 2, available March 1 1993, will include SNA over Token Ring, SNA over X.25 (or QLLC) support, NetView API, LUA API, RJE, Motif Graphical User Interface for color 3270 and 3179G Graphics support. Release 3 of the HP SNAplus product family will include support for CPI-C, 16 bit character support for Asian languages and HP server support for PC clients. Watch for availability in late 1993. Remaining phases of SNAplus being investigated include APPN End Node support and the integration of the HP 3000 Series 900 Business Systems which offer extensive SNA capabilities today. HP-UX SNAplusLink for HP 9000 Series 700 and 800 Release 1 of SNAplusLink provides the data link control layer for SNA secondary communications across SDLC communication links to host or peer systems. SNAplusLink bundles the link and client/server in one product. The link and client/server are available on the HP 9000 Series 700 workstations in addition to the Series 800 multi-user system. The Series 300 and Series 400 workstations can act as clients by using the Series 700 or Series 800 as servers. The maximum number of LUs for the gateway and link has been increased to 254 per system for both the stand alone and client/server configurations. SNAplus Release 2 adds SNA over Token Ring capability to the SNAplusLink product. Now you can run both SNA and TCP/IP traffic over a single Token Ring link concurrently. Since Token Ring is a LAN technology, this also increases performance compared to running SNA over SDLC lines. The SDLC technology could run at a maximum of 64Kbps. Token Ring can run at both 4 and 16Mbps. SNAplusLink has also been enhanced with SNA over X.25. This allows SNA traffic to be sent over an X.25 network via a native solution. Both SNA and TCP/IP traffic can be sent over the X.25 network concurrently. QLLC technology is used to accomplish the SNA over X.25. This solution is excellent for customers wishing to move toward standards based networking and off their proprietary SNA backbones. HP-UX SNAplus3270 for HP 9000 Series 300, 400, 700, and 800 HP-UX SNAplus3270 Release 1 offers a high function 3270 emulator with the following features: o Support for multiple concurrent sessions o IBM 3278/3279 display emulation supports screen models 2, 3, 4 and 5, color remapping, keyboard remapping, multiple sessions, status line messages and local copy capabilities o IBM 3287 printer emulation to printer or file (LU1 and LU3) o IND$FILE provides file transfer to MVS/TSO, VM/CMS and CICS o HLLAPI, a programming tool to automate tasks that require a series of actions o Response Time Monitor to evaluate host responsiveness o NetView 3270 User Alerts to provide a communications path between the 3270 user and the NetView operator who can provide assistance from the host end SNAplus Release 2 adds support for 7 colors and a Motif interface to SNAplus3270. HP-UX SNAplusAPI for HP 9000 Series 300, 400, 700, and 800 HP-UX SNAplusAPI Release 1 is a high function SNA PU Type 2.0 or PU Type 2.1 node, allowing multiple concurrent access to SNA host systems and SNA peer systems. HP-UX SNAplusAPI allows application programs distributed across a network to work together to accomplish a single processing task such a querying a remote data base, copying a remote file, and sending or receiving electronic mail. HP-UX SNAplusAPI supports LU6.2 for basic and mapped conversations. SNAplus Release 2 enhances SNAplusAPI with additional APIs. NetView API has been added which consists of programming calls to help customers integrate their applications with NetView. NetView calls, and alerts can be initiated from within applications for built in network management. SNAplusAPI also includes LUA API. This is a collection of APIs made up of Logical Units 0, 1, 2, and 3. LUA API makes it possible for customers to gain access to printer and terminal data streams. LU 0 calls offer customers the ability to "roll your own" protocol, allowing lower level, more intricate programming access for specialized applications. HP-UX SNAplusRJE for HP 9000 Series 300, 400, 700 and 800 Release 2 of SNAplus offers a new product, SNAplusRJE. This product offers batch communications to an IBM host mainframe. SNAplusRJE emulates an IBM 3770 terminal. HP-UX SNAplus3179G for HP 9000 Series 300, 400, 700 and 800 SNAplus3179G is another new product offered at Release 2 under the SNAplus umbrella. This product emulates an IBM 3179G/3192G color graphics display station. Like SNAplus3270, it offers support for 7 colors and the Motif Graphical User Interface. Configuration and Management HP-UX SNAplus provides the following features for configuring and managing the network to facilitate decision support: o Common User Access (a major element of SAA) compliant Configuration, Manage and Browse programs o Help screens for each menu option o One integrated configuration program for all services of HP-UX SNAplus o Load balancing and fault-tolerant configurations among multiple servers o Browse program lets you view or print information from log or trace files o Communications with IBM's NetView through data-link alerts, response-time alerts, 3270 user alerts, and user application alerts o NetView monitoring system gathers data for administrative tasks such as operations management, problem determination and performance management Migration HP customers who have purchased existing HP-UX SNA products and have support contracts with HP, will receive an upgrade to the comparable HP-UX SNAplus products at no cost. HP- UX SNAplus3270 users will have the same look and feel of the existing products but with additional functionality. HP-UX SNAplusAPI users will have the same functionality, a slightly different implementation, but additional flexibility for communicating with other applications. *UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., in the USA and other countries.