🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Sep30.105015.19039@netcom.com> jcasey@netcom.com (John Casey) writes:
> Hello,
> 
> This is my first posting on the internet.  I am an applications
> programmer working for a mainframe applications software company. 
> I have varied experience in the mainframe and unix environments; 
> but am no way considered an expert on either.  Our company is
> starting to look at the unix environment to enhance it's mainframe
> products.  I am on a fact finding mission to deal with the
> connectivity issues between a unix machine and a mainframe (VM/CMS,
> MVS/CICS,...).  I've read some of IBM's brochures on the RS6000 and
> their TCP/IP for the mainframe.  Well, I trust sales brochures just
> about as much as I trust any of the Presidential candidates.  I
> would like to get the scoop from you people, the experts, who have
> actually connected the two machines and are working in a mixed
> environment. 
> 
> I am not necessarily concerned about using an RS6000 or any
> particular vendor's hardware.  I don't want to be locked into a
> proprietary solution.  I would like to know however, real hardware
> configurations (mainframe and unix), network hardware (tokenring,
> eithernet, sneakerNet) and software (TCP, NFS, SNA, APPC, ?)
> configurations,  and any other special software configurations.  
> 
> I am also interested in connectivity concepts; ways of sharing
> data.   The way I see it, distributing data across a multi-machine
> network can be categorized in three groups,  application packet
> passing, full file transfer, & network packet passing.  Do you
> argee with this or have I been smoking to much nuclear waste?
> 
> Application Packet Passing (client/server technology) -
>      The application bundles its data and sends it to another
>      application.  These two application use a specific protocol,
>      i.e. APPC, NFS/RPC, TCP-SOCKETS.  
> 
> Full file transfer -
>      FTP, TAPE, ?  Transferring the data files from one machine two
> another.  
> 
> Network Packet Passing -
>      NFS, ?  This is effectively like having a disk on another
>      machine mounted to your local machine.  Your operating system
>      thinks that this is a local disk.  This means that a program
>      on one machine can perform data access to a file that is on
>      another machine.  
> 
> 
> I know this is a big subject.  If you can help out in any one or
> all of these areas, I would greatly appreciate it.  
> 
> Thank you in advance,
> 
> John Casey

I am by no means an expert, but I think a discussion of distributing applications between the mainframe and distributed  
unix machines has to start with a discussion of OSF's DCE offering. 

Some of the advantages of DCE are: Standardized RPC's - time services - and Kerberos security management to name a few  
that I am aware of.

The one thing to watch for with DCE, is the time frames it will be available on the different hardware platforms.

Assuming that all or most of the hardware vendors support DCE (which they say they are) and that the time frames make  
sense, OSF DCE seems to be the right direction for distributing application in a unix/mainframe environment.

I would be interested in any comments.

Jim Moorhouse
Motorola Inc.
1299 E. Algonquin Rd.
Schaumburg, Ill. 60196
jmoorhouse@mot.com 

jcasey@netcom.com (John Casey) writes:

>Hello,

>This is my first posting on the internet.  I am an applications
>programmer working for a mainframe applications software company. 
>I have varied experience in the mainframe and unix environments; 
>but am no way considered an expert on either.  Our company is
>starting to look at the unix environment to enhance it's mainframe
>products.  I am on a fact finding mission to deal with the
>connectivity issues between a unix machine and a mainframe (VM/CMS,
>MVS/CICS,...).  I've read some of IBM's brochures on the RS6000 and
>their TCP/IP for the mainframe.  Well, I trust sales brochures just
>about as much as I trust any of the Presidential candidates.  I
>would like to get the scoop from you people, the experts, who have
>actually connected the two machines and are working in a mixed
>environment. 

May be I can help you in describing our environment!
We have a large mixed network based on ethernet !
We are using:
  - As400
  - IBM Mainframe (MVS)
  - different kinds of Unix workstations (Rs600, Sparc, Sgi,..)
  - PC's with OS2 and MS-DOS
  - Apple 
  The communication between all these computers is based on TCPIP
  We installed a TCP/IP Module on our AS400
  The MS-Dos PCD's are using NCSA'Telnet ore PCNFS's
  Our OS2 PC's are using IBM's TCP/IP
  The IBM Mainframe is equipped with a fibronics box for the
  TCP/IP communication.
  Now it is possible to do file transfer in the whole net (using
  TCP/IP)
  We also can do a remote login in nearly every system (excluded
  the MS-DOS' PC's)
  NFS is possible between all systems excluded MVS and AS400.
  We use a second protocol stack on our ethernet for communication
  with the AS400, because needed the functionality of TN5250.
  Therefore we use Communications Manager (OS2) and PC-Support
  (MS-DOS) .
  In my opinion all is working well!


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In article <1992Oct1.163415.26104@schbbs.mot.com> jmoorhouse@mot.com  (Jim Moorhouse) writes:
> In article <1992Sep30.105015.19039@netcom.com> jcasey@netcom.com (John Casey) writes:
> > I am not necessarily concerned about using an RS6000 or any
> > particular vendor's hardware.  I don't want to be locked into a
> > proprietary solution.
>
>   I am by no means an expert, but I think a discussion of distributing applications between the mainframe and distributed  
>   unix machines has to start with a discussion of OSF's DCE offering. 
...
>   The one thing to watch for with DCE, is the time frames it will be available on the different hardware platforms.

Since I work on DCE on S/6000, my opinion will be biased; even so, I'd
second most of what Jim Moorhouse said.  We recently announced DCE for
AIX/6000 with an availability of 18 Dec 92; the annouce said in part 

         In December 1992, IBM will deliver the core set of DCE
  services based on OSF DCE Version 1.0.1 technology, intended for
  development, prototyping and initial implementation of applications
  using DCE.  These core DCE products can be used to develop
  applications for a diverse range of customer environments,
  configurations  and stress levels.

You'd have to check with IBM marketing on when mainframe DCE will be
available.  Choosing DCE will force you into TCP/IP networking, at
least for the short term.  I think that's a good thing.

If you don't want to be "locked into a proprietary solution", I'd
steer clear from APPN.  Recently, I've heard it called an "open"
networking solution.  That claim is, well, far-fetched.

Of course, these personal, biased opinions of mine do not reflect
those of IBM.
--
Dave Skeen                     IBM Internal: dls@achilleus.austin.ibm.com
D55/B905  Zip 9541             IBM VNET:     SKEEN at AUSTIN
Austin, TX 78758               Internet:     dls@dce.austin.ibm.com

Keywords: 

I need some information on connecting to an IBM mainframe using the X.400
protocol over a t-1 line for connection. I would like to use a RS/6000 to connect, but I would also like to be running Unix (AIX). Does anyone have 
any experience doing this? Advice/comments are appreciated.