TCP/IP Over SNA

[Russell A. Heise]

 eddjp at althea.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes:

 > In article <2812 at awdprime.UUCP> linas at linas.austin.ibm.com writes:
 > -
 > -Let me try to answer this one...
 > -If you have a SNA network, there is no way in the world that
 > -you can hook up a Sun to it.  If you did, every airline reservation
 > -system in New Jersey would probably burp.
 >
 > Don't tell this to my SUNs doing 3274 emulation...
 Here, here...
 >
 > -If you have Ethernet, well, just hook the /6000 to it. It'll work.
 > -Use sockets.  They'll work.  IBM TCP/IP is NOT implemented on top
 > -of SNA.  If you have to use SNA, call your IBM Mainframe service rep.
 > -The /6000 supports SNA, but you'll probably have to buy special
 > -hardware to hook up to your s/370 or 3090.
 >
 > This seems to conflict with what I've heard elsewhere. I've been told that
 > the RS/6000 doesn't support SNA, but that SNA does support TCP/IP, with
 > the proper Hardware/Software/Mainframe configuration. If this actually
 > is the case, then the RS/6000 TCP/IP should be just as easily transported
 > across the SNA as the TCP/IP from a SUN or a Xenix/386, for that matter.

 My turn.  AIX V3 on the RISC System/6000 provides support for TCP/IP
 over Token-Ring networks, Ethernet networks, and Serial lines (RS-232D).
 This support comes in the base OS offering.  In addition, you can
 purchase and install a separate product, AIX SNA Services/6000, which
 provides a programming level interface to an SNA network.  It does not
 provide a user-interface or any form of emulation, but it does allow you
 to build your own interface on top.

 TCP/IP and SNA are apples and oranges, with some exceptions.  The
 biggest exception arises from the fact that an SNA network can include
 a Token-Ring network.  Therefore, (with the right software configured)
 an RS/6000 can "talk" TCP/IP over a Token-Ring, or "talk" SNA over a
 Token-Ring, or both.  The two protocol suites can coexist on the same
 Token-Ring without influence or interference.  When your SUNs are doing
 327x emulation, their emulation software is talking to the controller
 using SNA protocols.  This has nothing to do with TCP/IP.

Russ Heise, AIX TEchnical Support, IBM