http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/boes/bo/sna/technote/reviewer/revguide.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
| Updated: March 15,1996 |  Go To TechNet Home Page |
Introduction
The Benefits of SNA Gateways
SNA Server Versions
What's New in SNA Server 2.11
SNA Server 2.11 Benefit / Feature Overview
SNA Server Integrates with NetWare Environments
SNA Server 2.11: Detailed Features and Benefits
Appendix A - Microsoft BackOffice
Appendix B - Competitive Comparisons
Appendix C: Licensing Programs
Appendix D - Support Programs and Related Resources
Appendix E - Reviews of SNA Server 2.1
The purpose of this reviewer's guide is to help you understand the features and benefits of Microsoft® SNA Server version 2.11 and how they make SNA Server the best SNA gateway available. This introductory section explains the need for SNA Server, tells why it is necessary in today's networked, client-server enterprises, and provides an overview of SNA Server's benefits as well as what is new in version 2.11. The second section describes the features and benefits of SNA Server version 2.11 in detail. The appendices provide further information about SNA Server including its role in Microsoft BackOffice and a detailed feature comparison of competing SNA gateway products. A separate Test Drive document that walks you through the process of installing, configuring, and establishing a connection between SNA Server (running on a PC) and an IBM® mainframe or AS/400®.
Microsoft SNA Server is an SNA gateway that connects LAN-based PCs and workstations with IBM host systems running SNA (Systems Network Architecture) protocols. SNA Server accomplishes this with excellent ease of use, economy, performance, reliability, security, and flexibility, as well as with broad ISV/IHV industry support.
SNA Server delivers these broad benefits through an equally broad set of features that include:
SNA Server is a server process that runs on the Microsoft Windows NT™ Server operating system. SNA Server utilizes both the native Windows NT communications protocol (such as TCP/IP or IPX) and IBM SNA protocols, acting as a high-speed gateway between the PC and IBM networks. SNA Server's bi-directional communication provides terminal emulation, printer emulation, file transfer, and program-to-program communications. SNA Server supports client functions on all the popular PC operating systems including Windows NT, Windows®, MS-DOS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, and Macintosh®.
By supporting software such as 3270 or 5250 emulators, SNA Server makes data and applications residing on IBM hosts available to PCs for use with desktop productivity software such as Microsoft Excel. For LAN-based PCs, SNA Server acts as a server node to the IBM host, allowing 3270 or 5250 screens to be displayed on the PC for seamless two-way communication. In addition, 3270 and 5250 printer emulation and file transfer is supported. Because SNA Server runs on the Windows NT Server, IBM NetView console operators can monitor and control activity on the server and also maintain secure access to corporate data. SNA Server also provides remote access over a RAS connection. This enables remote system monitoring and management for the administrator, and seamless dial-up support for remote users to access the IBM host for normal sessions over phone-line connections (modem, ISDN, or X.25).
By using advanced client-server architecture to distribute the communications processing, SNA Server maximizes the power of your host computers and desktop PCs. Each PC uses standard LAN protocols to connect to one or more SNA servers. The servers then provide shared links to host computers using SNA protocols. SNA Server carries the bulk of the communications workload, thus reducing the storage and processing requirements on desktop PCs.
SNA Server Network Overview
It is estimated that more than 80% of all information on computers is available only through an IBM SNA network. Enterprise efficiency and competitiveness demands that people using desktop PCs be able to access this information for use with their productivity desktop software. SNA Server gives PC users reliable, fast, and inexpensive access to host data and applications, preserves the security and control of host systems, and frees up host and PC resources for what each does best.
IBM SNA connectivity has gone through four phases. Initially, terminals were connected through terminal controllers (for example, 3274s) to mainframes. In the second phase, terminals were replaced by PCs, each of which had a coax card (for example, an IRMA card) to connect directly to the controller. In the third phase, PCs began being connected to each other on LANs. In most cases, the LANs were just used for file sharing-the PCs still kept their coax-card connections to the mainframe. In the fourth phase, PC-based servers (SNA gateways) made it possible to use LANs for host connectivity and to more easily link the IBM and PC worlds. With the fourth phase comes a change in the role of mainframes from stand-alone systems to application servers and data repositories for LAN-connected PCs.
As the value of LAN-connected PCs and client-server architecture have grown, they have come to play an important role in running organizations, a role so important that integrating PC LANs with host computers is critical to the effective operation of enterprises with legacy systems.
While PCs offer many benefits over mainframes (for example, productivity software, GUIs, rapid development and implementation tools, and low cost), and many organizations are in the process of migrating to LAN-connected PCs, the majority of organizations will continue to run their mission-critical applications on IBM hosts, not LAN-connected PCs, for a long time to come. These organizations will go through a long period during which they have multiple systems in use simultaneously. Employees will require information from a variety of different sources. For example, a human resources analyst may access payroll information residing on the host, and integrate that information with Peoplesoft's client-server HR package to determine pay scales for the upcoming year. Other workers, while in the process of migrating from PROFS® mail on the host to a LAN-based mail program such as Microsoft Mail, may require access to PROFS, either from their desktops or through a gateway integrated with their LAN mail package.
So the issue becomes how to make legacy data and applications accessible to heterogeneous collections of PCs and networks without sacrificing the capabilities of IBM hosts or PCs during the migration process. Several conditions must be met if organizations with legacy and PC systems are to implement new technologies in a way that is meaningful to the operation of their businesses. One is the MIS challenge of managing this integrated host/PC environment. MIS wants to make sure that access to sensitive information like payroll data is strictly monitored. So while many MIS managers want to put the information as close to the users as possible with distributed client-server applications, they want to manage access to that information in a secure and highly centralized fashion. Another condition is the desire of the LAN administrator to manage and control the PC desktops across the entire enterprise.
That's where Microsoft SNA Server for Windows NT Server comes in. SNA Server is a high-end enterprise SNA gateway that combines advanced client-server architecture with the power and productivity of Windows NT Server to deliver advanced connectivity between LANs and SNA networks. Microsoft SNA Server makes enterprise-wide connectivity easy and economical. SNA Server offers PC users reliable and secure access to IBM host computing with the familiar user interface of desktop PCs and the flexibility of modern LAN systems. By employing advanced client-server architecture to distribute the communications processing, SNA Server maximizes the power of your host computers and desktop PCs. Each PC uses standard LAN protocols to connect to one or more SNA servers. The servers then provide shared links to host computers using SNA protocols; the servers carry the bulk of the communications workload, thus reducing the storage and processing requirements on desktop PCs. SNA Server offers advanced tools for easy system setup and centralized graphical administration, regardless of the desktop PC operating system, LAN operating system, SNA connection type, or host type.
SNA Server's extensive capabilities, client-server architecture, robust security, integration with existing information systems, capabilities for maximizing uptime and minimizing response time, and wide availability of emulators enable any organization to seamlessly deliver line-of-business applications on corporate networks.
With SNA Server, MIS gets the tools to centrally manage and control the host environment, LAN administrators get the tools they want to manage PCs throughout the enterprise, and PC users get easy access to the host data and applications they need.
A direct connect network is one in which each PC (client) communicates directly with the host computer rather than through a gateway. Client PCs therefore must run the DLC protocol to communicate with the host, whether the host is an IBM mainframe or AS/400. Connecting directly to the host requires the DLC protocol to connect to the host, plus a LAN protocol, such as TCP/IP or IPX/SPX to connect to file/database/mail servers.
As noted earlier, many large companies are still in various phases of transition from IBM SNA hosts to LAN based PCs using client-server architecture; they have LANs but not SNA gateways. Yet direct connection of PCs and mainframes is expensive, wastes resources on both ends, and is difficult to administer.
As noted earlier, many large companies are still in various phases of transition from IBM SNA hosts to LAN based PCs using client-server architecture; they have LANs but not SNA gateways. Yet direct connection of PCs and mainframes is expensive, wastes resources on both ends, and is difficult to administer. The drawbacks to direct connection can be solved by use of an SNA gateway. However, SNA gateways are not always perceived as a viable solution because of problems found with older implementations of SNA gateways.
The objections to using gateways have typically been: unreliability due to single point of failure, poor performance due to the slow gateway platform, difficulty in setup and administration, additional cost. SNA Server solves these problems found in older SNA gateways. Several SNA Servers can be configured together to deliver hot backup and load balancing thus eliminating a single point of failure (unlike a 3745 FEP). SNA Server has proved very reliable thanks to being a Windows NT application. With SNA Server gateway performance is no longer an issue. It can run on the fastest CPUs (e.g., Alpha AXP, PowerPC) and take advantage of scalable SMP architecture, thereby offloading communications processing from the host and improving host performance. SNA Server's familiar GUI makes setup and administration a snap: it can be installed from scratch in less than four minutes. Finally, SNA Server reduces costs per gateway client to where they are competitive with direct-connect emulators.
Problems with older SNA SNA Server's Solution
Gateways
SNA gateways represent a Multiple SNA Servers can be configured for hot
single point of failure. backup and load balancing, eliminating most
concerns, unlike a 3745 FEP.
SNA gateways are SNA Server has proven extremely reliable in many
unreliable. different configurations and loads.
SNA gateways are a SNA Server can run on RISC and SMP systems,
performance bottleneck. delivering more CPU power than the host while
offloading host communications processing tasks.
SNA gateways are difficult SNA Server is a new breed of gateway that
to setup and administer. provides a quick installation (~4 minutes) and an
easy to use GUI.
SNA gateways add The cost per gateway client is typically less
unnecessary extra cost. than $50. Gateway client emulators are often
less expensive than direct-emulators.
The SNA gateway approach provided by SNA Server has numerous benefits in addition to those listed above. The following table lists five benefits and the capabilities each provides.
Benefit Capabilities
SNA Server integrates Different LAN protocols can be used on the
heterogeneous desktops, desktops and LAN segments.
LANs and hosts AS/400 and mainframe connectivity is supported
through one gateway.
Can double up as a
file/print/database/mail/system management
server.
Works in tandem with bridges and routers.
SNA Server improves host Offloads communications processing from host (CPU
performance savings of up to 30%).
Saves host memory by reducing the number of PU or
controller definitions.
Can replace slower 37xx FEPs, 3174 and 3172
controllers.
Allows host to run native, optimized SNA
protocols only.
SNA Server eliminates the Stabilizes desktops, reduces memory requirements.
need for dual protocol Improves single-tasking desktop OS performance
stacks (especially Windows 3.x and Macintosh).
Reduces support costs and desktop protocol
acquisition costs.
Allows use of one protocol on the LAN.
SNA Server facilitates No need to define a PU or controller for each new
easier administration of client on the host.
host and PC communications Reduces administrative costs by eliminating
client configuration.
Users can efficiently share host resources
through LU pooling.
LAN level administration makes change control
more flexible.
SNA Server adds an extra Administering secure access to the host is much
layer of security easier.
Allows flexible allocation of host access
resources to LAN users and groups.
Provides an alternative to RACF or TopSecret host
security packages.
Can eliminate the double logon problem (once to
the LAN, once to the host).
For all the following reasons, SNA Server provides several advantages for the desktop user, LAN administrator, and host administrator, compared to PCs connected directly to host computers. These benefits apply equally for AS/400 and mainframe connections.
SNA Server reduces complexity, increases stability, and saves memory by allowing you to use only one protocol. In contrast, when connecting directly, you will need the DLC protocol to connect to the host, plus your favorite LAN protocol, such as TCP/IP or IPX/SPX, to connect to the file/database/mail server. In many cases, the DLC protocol simply will not work or coexist with certain types of adapters and/or other protocols. The DLC protocol is a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program and thus requires a real mode NDIS or ODI driver. In addition, IBM's DLC protocol (LAN Support program) only works with certain adapters and protocol stacks. Connecting PCs through SNA Server allows you to get rid of these TSRs and DOS device drivers. Connecting through SNA Server also allows computers running Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to use the fully protected mode NDIS or ODI drivers and protocol stacks (unusable if the PC is directly connected to the host). Getting rid of real mode TSRs and drivers not only reduces costs, but can improve the stability of the desktop-operation of Windows is much smoother with decreased interaction between real and protected modes.
SNA Server provides easier administration. When connecting direct, each desktop must be configured individually with the host's network address, LU name, and so on. Whenever there's a change on the host side, such as the host's network address, all desktops must be reconfigured. With SNA Server, there's nothing to configure at the client; all host changes can be tracked centrally by the LAN administrator.
SNA Server provides integrated security for all users. The LAN administrator can control access to the host by using the combined security features of Windows NT Server and SNA Server. In contrast, direct connection allows each desktop user to access the host by simply knowing the applicable host parameters. A gateway adds another level of flexible security.
Performance and troubleshooting tools are available. When all host-bound traffic is concentrated through SNA Server, the LAN administrator can use the performance monitoring, event logging, and tracing/sniffing capabilities of the server platform. An individual desktop problem is easier to work around by simply assigning a new LU, and tracing and debugging can be done at the server without interrupting the work of desktop users.
SNA Server dramatically reduces (re)definition work on the host. You can support hundreds of users by defining a single PU or controller, instead of having to define one for each user. Especially on mainframe systems, VTAM™ gens can perhaps be limited to only once a month, to minimize downtime. Less definition work also means fewer definition errors, each of which can be costly.
SNA Server also reduces host memory requirements. All these hundreds of definitions are typically stored in resident memory on the host system, consuming excessive amounts. Memory savings can result in hardware savings and in improved host performance. Some of the largest IBM customers, such as Ford Motor Company, were forced to start using gateways, because they ran out of physical address space for definitions on VTAM.
SNA Server reserves host CPU cycles for what the hosts are intended for-running applications. If you have direct connections to the host, each of these connections must be managed individually by the host's control software, consuming many CPU cycles. Some studies have shown that you can free up as much as 30% of the host's CPU simply by switching from direct connections to a gateway approach. In fact, IBM invented the front-end-processor (FEP) because the host was being brought to its knees just maintaining the connections. In a sense the FEP is a kind of gateway itself.
SNA Server saves network bandwidth. Instead of the host having to poll all desktops individually to maintain direct connections (even when there's no activity), the host has to maintain only one connection when using a gateway. This can dramatically reduce network noise and allow better network performance as well as reduce session time-out problems.
SNA Server overcomes the typical objections to using gateways (unreliability caused by single point of failure and poor performance caused by the slow gateway platform) by providing excellent stability, hot backup, and load balancing. In addition, because it is integrated with Windows NT Server, SNA Server can provide the scalability of parallel processing and more raw CPU power than any other SNA gateway.
SNA Server version 2.11 is the eighth generation of the Microsoft SNA gateway. Microsoft began developing an OS/2-based SNA gateway in 1988, along with assistance from Digital Communications Associates (DCA) and Data Connection Limited (DCL). Out of this effort came DCA/Microsoft Communications Server, with version 1.0 shipping in 1990 and the latest version (1.3) shipping in mid-1993. DCA/Microsoft Communications Server required customers to run LAN Manager (and LAN Manager's named pipes protocol), making it incompatible with Novell NetWare® environments. In 1992, Microsoft began porting the Communications Server product to Microsoft Windows NT and working to address the limitations of Communications Server. After extensive beta testing to ensure compatibility and extensibility with current products, Microsoft shipped SNA Server version 2.0 in November 1993.
Version 2.0 (Communications Server is considered version 1.x) of Microsoft SNA Server eliminated the incompatibility with Novell NetWare, through a network independence layer that sits on top of a network's transport protocol. SNA Server 2.0 also went beyond Communications Server by providing:
Version 2.1 of Microsoft SNA Server (released in October, 1994) went far beyond version 2.0 in several ways that included capacity, performance, portability, client/server protocol support, TN3270 server support, RAS over LU 6.2, bundled 3270 applet for MS-DOS, bundled support for additional adapters, support for channel attachment and Twinax types. Version 2.0 and version 2.11 also provided backward support for existing Communications Server clients. These features were new in version 2.0
Version 2.11 adds the following new and improved features to SNA Server 2.0. Version 2.11 is known as the "PowerPC™ release".
SNA Server has numerous features and provides comprehensive benefits to MIS, LAN administrators, PC users and third-party developers. The following table presents a quick overview of SNA Server's major benefits and their associated features. Features of SNA Server that are new with release 2.11 are underlined in the following tables.
Benefits Features
Complete IBM SNA Designed as a key part of Microsoft's BackOffice
connectivity and support product family
for SNA API Development Offers full implementation of WOSA SNA APIs for
Windows and Windows NT
Includes 3270 and 5250 applets for clients
running Windows and Windows NT (for evaluation
and support purposes); advanced features are
available in ISV emulators
Supports popular 3270 and 5250 emulators for
Windows NT, Windows 3.x, MS-DOS, OS/2 and
Macintosh operating systems from leading ISVs
(see Companion Product Catalog)
Supports APPC, CPI-C, CSV, and LUA APIs for
advanced SNA applications in each client
environment
Includes full SDK in every package
AFTP utility provides FTP-like file transfer via
APPC between Windows systems and mainframes
Better ease of use for Familiar Windows GUI for ease of use
setup, administration, Centralized monitoring and control of all SNA
performance, and servers, users, connections, and sessions on the
diagnostics network
SNA Server Modem Monitor lets you monitor the
status of an SDLC connection
Installation via CD-ROM or over the network for
fast, easy setup
Capability of remote administration across
bridges and routers, and also via RAS and NetView
Dynamic tracing support and built-in automatic
self-diagnostics for APIs, SNA protocols, and
connections
Built-in support for third party adapters
Dynamic setup and configuration; no reboot
required
Integrated configuration and monitoring tool
Many auto-configurable options reduce errors
During setup SNA Server 2.11 will create default
local and remote LUs
Entire administration guide in on-line help
including host configuration suggestions
Extensive, context-sensitive on-line help
throughout
LU pools for 3270, LU 0, and LU 6.2 LUs to
enhance user management
Complete on-line documentation.
More comprehensive documentation is included with
2.11
Planning Guide helps implement SNA Server in
exiting networks
Demo host facility eliminates need of host
connection for evaluation and demonstration of
SNA Server
Tight integration with Support for 2,000 clients for high capacity
Windows NT Server for Tight integration with Windows NT tools including
excellent performance, Control Panel applets, Performance Monitor, Event
portability, security, Viewer, and User Manager for greater efficiency
flexibility and management Management tools that operate across multiple
servers for enterprise-wide installations
Dynamic memory allocation to reduce memory
requirements
Designed to meet C2-level security to safeguard
corporate data
Integrated security with Windows NT Server
Extensive use of async I/O internally for maximal
responsiveness
Domain-based, multi-server functionality
Automatic load balancing with all emulators
Hot backup between multiple servers and between
connections within one server, for session fault
tolerance for all 3270 and 5250 emulators
SMP scalability for high performance in large
installations
Broad server platform support including Intel®,
MIPS, and Alpha AXP, and for 2.11 the PowerPC
Flexible host connectivity LU pooling allows flexible host access, enabling
for broad compatibility an authorized user to use any SNA Server
with existing transparently
installations Any combination of LU, PU, and data link
protocols can run concurrently
Downstream SNA nodes are supported as secondary
PUs (DSPU)
Via the SNADIS interface, a wide variety of SNA
communications adapters are supported
ODBC/DRDA drivers for connecting to DB2 for MVS,
SQL/DS for VM and DB2/400 for OS/400 are included
in SNA Server 2.11
Support for IBM's Client Access/400 product
allows SNA Server's client component to connect
to the AS/400 via SNA Server
Open SNA adapter support Support for:
via SNADIS for excellent All token ring, Ethernet, and FDDI adapters
third-party support supported by Windows NT
Andrew Twinax adapter
Drivers for IBM and Andrew Twinaxial adapters
included with SNA Server 2.11
Atlantis SHIVA adapters
Attachmate DFT and SDLC adapter
Barr Systems SDLC and Channel adapters
Bus-Tech Channel adapter
Drivers for Barr Systems and Bus-Tech channel
adapters included with SNA Server 2.11
Cirel X.25 adapters
Attachmate ISCA and IRMA adapters
Dr. Materna Channel adapter
Eicon Technology EiconCard
IBM SDLC, MPA/A, Twinax, and ARTIC X.25 adapters,
and all DFT adapters
MicroGate SDLC adapters
OpenConnect Systems Channel adapter
Passport SDLC adapter
Support for TN3270 server
SNA Server includes TN3270 service so a client
with a TN3270 emulator can connect through SNA
Server to the mainframe
Advanced SNA Server Support for:
functionality Up to 10,000 LU host sessions per server
Up to 2,000 clients per server
Up to 250 simultaneous connections (PUs) per
server in any combination of host, peer-to-peer,
and downstream connections
Up to 50 SNA servers in a Windows NT domain
configured for load balancing and hot backup
Full range of data-link protocols:
802.2: token ring, Ethernet, or FDDI DLC
connections
SDLC: Leased or switched telephone line
connections
X.25/QLLC: Public or private
packet-switched X.25 connections
DFT: Coax or twisted-pair connections via
IBM 3x74 cluster controller
Twinax: Twinaxial connections to an
AS/400
Channel: Bus and tag or ESCON®
connections directly to mainframe channel
Advanced client-server Offloads communications processing from clients
architecture allowing efficient use of client memory and
server processing power
Supports NetWare, Banyan VINES, TCP/IP, LAN
Manager, LAN Server, and AppleTalk networks
Can mix IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, Banyan VINES, AppleTalk,
named pipe, and DSPU clients with host protocols
in any way
Support for SPXII
Provides excellent session security and fault
tolerance
Supports client PCs across LAN and WAN bridges,
routers, and RAS
RAS over SNA LU 6.2 for creating virtual LAN
connections between Windows NT systems
Distributes users evenly through automatic load
balancing across multiple host connections and
servers for optimal throughput
Comprehensive support for APPC: For developing applications that
distributed SNA communicate peer-to-peer using the LU 6.2
applications protocol
CPI-C: For developing applications that
communicate peer-to-peer using the LU 6.2
protocol
CSV: For developing applications that use
tracing of API calls and communication with
NetView
LUA: For developing applications (using RUI and
SLI APIs) that need direct access to LU 0, 1, 2
and 3 data streams
EHLLAPI: For developing applications that
interface with existing 3270 or 5250 applications
(EHLLAPI offered by ISVs)
EHNAPPC API: For developing Windows-based
applications that integrate data on the AS/400
Comprehensive IBM NetView API support allows bi-directional communication
support for host operator with NetView for enhancing control
control Automatic data-link alerts notify NetView
operator of communications problems
Response Time Monitor (RTM) and user-defined
alerts can be used with ISV 3270 emulators
Extensions of NetView send administrator-defined
Windows NT event-log messages to NetView without
programming
NVRunCmd supports execution of any Windows NT
command from the NetView console
SNA Server is being used in several different ways to connect PCs and host computers at an estimated 5,000+ different sites world wide.
Using RAS over SNA, a workstation in a remote office on an SNA backbone can access any resource across the SNA link, as long as necessary permissions are granted for the resources. Using RAS over SNA is most suitable for remote administration because of the typically slow SNA links. In these ways, each remote site in the enterprise can transparently share files, printing, email, and databases.
Microsoft SNA Server is the best way to connect any desktop PC or workstation in a Novell environment to data or applications on an IBM mainframe or AS/400. In fact, SNA Server offers administrators and users numerous advantages over using NetWare for SAA. SNA Server's protocol-independent, client-server architecture allows existing Novell network protocols, cards, and drivers to be used with either IPX/SPX, SPXII or TCP/IP (for example, LAN Workplace)-SNA Server provides native support for both protocols (you don't need LAN Manager). SNA Server delivers a unique, wide ranging set of benefits for the enterprise that already has a Novell NetWare LAN installed. For example:
SNA Server is designed for optimal performance in demanding PC/host networks. In independent benchmark tests by the Tolly Group (September 1994), SNA Server 2.1 demonstrated host-to-PC file transfer speeds in excess of 300% faster than Novell's NetWare for SAA 1.3b (see chart below). As background sessions were added, SNA Server showed only a slight increase in file transfer times, whereas NetWare's file transfer times increased significantly.
To generate these results, an IND$FILE transfer was used to download a 1 MB file from a VM host to a 3270 client. Each SNA gateway was loaded with up to 35 active 3270 sessions running a looping macro that generated several times the traffic of a normal user. The transfer times were verified by a Network General Sniffer. The host was an ES/9000 connected to a token ring via an IBM 3745 FEP. Both gateways were run on identical Dell® 466/ME (486/66 MHz) servers with 32 MB of RAM. SNA Server ran on Windows NT Server version 3.5, and NetWare for SAA ran on Novell NetWare 4.02. The 3270 file-transfer machine was a Compaq 486/50 with 16 MB of RAM running Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Attachmate's EXTRA! for Windows, version 4.0. All background clients ran Attachmate 3270 client software. A complete report on these benchmarks is available from The Tolly Group. Comparison of NetWare for SAA 2.0 with SNA Server 2.11 will be forthcoming.
Not only does SNA Server outperform NetWare for SAA, it also delivers more value in numerous ways as this Reviewer's Guide proves. One clear advantage of SNA Server 2.11 over NetWare for SAA 2.0 is in pricing. The five scenarios below represent SNA gateway needs of a broad range of organizational sizes (branch office, small, medium departments, and enterprises).
SNA Server delivers more value than NetWare for SAA because each SNA Server client license allows each user to have virtually an unlimited number of sessions (up to server maximum of 10,000). However, NetWare for SAA licensing is based on the number of sessions. This is significant because a mainframe user typically needs two sessions and an AS/400 user typically needs three sessions. SNA Server's flexible licensing allows you to buy the number of client access licenses you need regardless of the number of sessions required. Whereas with NetWare for SAA you must buy capacity in set groups of 16, 64, 128, 254, 508, or 1016 sessions. The following scenarios are not based on volume discounts.
In this typical branch office scenario, the customer needs to support 20 users with two mainframe sessions each, or three AS/400 sessions each. The typical configuration for this scenario includes one SNA gateway. SNA Server requires 20 client access licenses and one server license. NetWare for SAA requires three 16-session licenses or a 64-session license (to provide each of the 20 mainframe users with two sessions, or each of the 20 AS/400 users with three sessions).
For detailed comparison of SNA Server 2.11 with Novell NetWare for SAA 2.0, see appendix B.
In this typical small department scenario, the customer needs to support 50 users with two mainframe sessions each, or three AS/400 sessions each. The typical configuration for this scenario includes one SNA gateway. SNA Server requires 50 client access licenses and one server license. NetWare for SAA requires a 128-session license (to provide each mainframe user with two sessions) or a 128-session license and two 16-session licenses (to provide each AS/400 user with three sessions).
In this typical medium department scenario, the customer needs to support 100 users with two mainframe sessions each, or three AS/400 sessions each. The typical configuration for this scenario includes: two SNA gateways configured for hot backup and load balancing. SNA Server requires two server licenses and 100 client access licenses. NetWare for SAA requires a 254-session license (to provide two sessions for each mainframe user), or a 254-session license and one 64-session license (to provide three sessions for each AS/400 user).
In this large department scenario, the customer needs to support 250 users with two mainframe sessions each, or three AS/400 sessions each. The typical configuration for this scenario includes: two SNA gateways configured for hot backup and load balancing. SNA Server requires two server licenses and 250 client access licenses. NetWare for SAA requires a 508-session license (to provide two sessions for each mainframe user), or a 508-session license and a 254-session license (to provide three sessions for each AS/400 user).
In this typical enterprise scenario, the customer needs to support 1,000 users with two mainframe sessions each. The typical configuration for this scenario includes: two SNA gateways configured for hot backup and load balancing. SNA Server requires two server licenses and 1,000 client access licenses. NetWare for SAA requires two 1,016-session licenses (to provide two sessions each).
SNA Server connects IBM's Systems Network Architecture and LANs and does so in ways that greatly simplify the tasks of the SNA/LAN administrator. This section will give you a detailed understanding of the features and benefits that make SNA Server the best SNA gateway available today.
SNA Server's tools are designed to make SNA Server extremely easy to install, configure, manage, and use. These benefits may significantly reduce training and support costs. SNA Server uses the latest in graphical user interface design and usability testing to make the administrator's task as easy as possible.
A series of simple dialog boxes allows you to configure SNA link services (SDLC, 802.2, and so on) for installed adapters, select one or more client/server protocols (Named Pipes, IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, Banyan VINES, AppleTalk, and/or RAS), specify the server role (primary, backup, member), and cleanly remove SNA Server.
The Admin display contains three windows (Servers and Connections, LU Pools, and Users and Groups) that are similar to the File Manager in structure and functionality, making the administration of SNA Server intuitive. Beyond standard Windows functionality, Admin allows you to resize individual columns within a window or filter the listings in the display to fit your needs. Drag and drop allows you to quickly set up LU pools and assign users to them. Icon-based visual feedback allows an administrator to readily identify servers, connections, LU pools, and users, as well as the type of connection (SDLC, 802.2, and so on) and the type of LU pool (3270, LUA, downstream). SNA Server Admin dynamically displays all information contained in the three windows. This means that whenever the status of any object changes, the administrator can view the change immediately.
Easy-to-understand dialog boxes help you map parameters from the VTAM Gen or AS/400 configuration to settings within SNA Server. Regardless of whether the administrator has a LAN background or has experience working with the host, SNA Server is designed to make it easy to manage the PC-to-host connectivity. Automatic configuring of several host parameters also saves time and reduces configuration errors.
SNA Server Trace is one of several SNA Server diagnostic tools. It allows you to quickly collect information about the sequence of events leading up to a difficulty, and the exact state of the system when the difficulty occurs. It allows you to track the activities of APIs including calls made to API, communication links, and activity within SNA Server. Information collected with SNA Server Trace can be essential for a product technician. SNA Server Trace stores a history of the activity you select in trace files. SNA Server Trace also allows you to trace activities on Windows NT, Windows 3.1, MS-DOS and OS/2-based clients.
These include User Manager, Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, and Control Panel applets. Integration with Windows NT Server is tight, so that the tools appear as seamless extensions of SNA Server.
SNA Server's tight integration with the Windows NT Server allows administrators to manage all of the SNA servers from a single location. This allows MIS organizations to utilize SNA servers as part of their distributed client-server systems while maintaining centralized security and control.
SNA Server provides centralized comprehensive monitoring and administration of routine operations and problem diagnosis through the SNA Server Admin program and tools, Windows NT graphical tools, and host-based NetView. The Admin program runs on any Windows NT platform and provides the tools the LAN administrator needs to manage day-to-day SNA/LAN interaction. NetView capability provides communications between SNA servers and host operators. Windows NT graphical tools are tightly integrated with SNA Server and provide a broad range of capabilities for controlling, diagnosing difficulties, and monitoring.
Link services can easily be installed, configured, or removed with SNA Server Setup, which also displays the mapping between Windows NT device driver names and SNA connections. Individual drivers can also be started and stopped in the Windows NT Control Panel through the Devices applet.
Admin displays the status of SNA servers and connections (inactive, pending, active, stopping); allows you to create, delete, start, and stop them with the click of a button; and provides activation flexibility for connections. A connection can be activated manually, at server startup, or on demand when a client accesses it. On-demand activation is particularly useful for a dial-up SDLC connection that functions as a backup.
Admin allows you to quickly create a range of LUs for a connection, and group them into pools to provide user access (without the administrative overhead of assigning each LU individually). When you highlight a connection, Admin displays the associated LU information: the name, status, and user activity for each LU. Admin also allows you to reset LUs (to restore functionality after a problem), view and modify LU properties, and move an LU from one pool to another.
Admin displays users and groups as well as the sessions for users who have been granted SNA access. Admin also allows you to assign LUs or LU pools to users and view or modify a user's properties (including permissions). You can filter the display to show active users only. Integrated security designed to meet the C2 level is provided through Windows NT and managed with its graphical User Manager.
Admin allows you to open, save, back up, and restore multiple configuration files. In a multi-server environment, the primary server holds the master copy of the configuration file; this copy is replicated to backup servers, if they are available. If the primary server goes down, backup server(s) provide the configuration information to clients and other servers. In addition, because every SNA server in a domain "knows" about the others, the servers can balance their load automatically.
In addition to the graphical tools provided by Setup and Admin, SNA Server provides a command-line utility, SNACFG. You can use the command-line interface to easily modify an off-line configuration file without starting the graphical interface, or to store configuration commands in a command file, so that they can be carried out easily in the future. You can also use the command-line interface to print out a text version of your configuration.
For extensive troubleshooting capability, SNA Server provides the SNA Trace tool, support for Response Time Monitor (a feature of some 3270 emulators), NetView utilities (NVAlert, NVRunCmd), and integration with Windows NT tools (Event Viewer, Performance Monitor).
SNA Server's integration with Windows NT Performance Monitor allows you to graphically monitor SNA objects (link services, PUs, LUs), and NetView Response Time Monitoring (RTM) data from workstations, to tune performance or help diagnose difficulties in real time.
For flexible administration of distributed SNA servers, SNA Server Admin can be used across routers and bridges, and remotely over a RAS (Remote Access Service) link. One domain can be administered at a time; the Select Domain command can be used to connect to remote domains. In addition, an operator at a host console can use NVRunCmd to execute Windows NT commands (through NetView) on a Windows NT Server, with character-based output being displayed on the host console.
SNA Server has the advantage of being able to be set up in a centralized configuration or a distributed configuration depending on customer needs. It functions equally well in either configuration.
SNA servers can be located in branch offices on server systems that are also used for printing, databases, email, and fax. This configuration reduces traffic on the WAN and increases responsiveness to user needs through local management of connections, LUs, and security. A distributed configuration would be a good choice for low-bandwidth WAN links (for example, X.25 or low-speed leased line backbones) using multi-protocol routers, or when only an SNA backbone is in place. SNA Server's graphical tools and remote administration capabilities over RAS or NetView decrease the necessity of having trained SNA personnel on site.
Alternatively, SNA servers can be located at the data center to maximize reliability and security. This configuration makes it easy to arrange load balancing and hot backup, makes it easier for MIS personnel to manage the servers, and reduces the need for SNA expertise at remote sites. Centralized configurations are good when you have high-bandwidth WAN links (for example, high-speed leased line or frame-relay backbones). Centralization allows you to use a single, routable protocol (for example, TCP/IP or IPX) on all WAN links in the enterprise. You can route TCP/IP or IPX from clients over the WAN to SNA servers at the central site; in turn, the SNA servers can be connected to the FEP or AS/400 via token ring, or directly attached to the mainframe channel.
Many MIS managers are used to having security programs on the mainframe (such as RACF and Top Secret) to guard access to the host. Traditionally they have been reluctant to move applications to LANs because of the lack of robust security. SNA Server address their need for rigorous security.
SNA Server guards against unauthorized access to corporate data by providing security designed to meet the US government C2 level, via controlled logon to a Windows NT Server domain. The logon must succeed before access is given to any services provided by SNA Server.
In addition, SNA Server provides the flexibility to allow an administrator to control access from the LAN, the host, or both. In addition, remote access over RAS is equally secure because it employs the same user account database. By using the user accounts database in a Windows NT Server domain, SNA Server allows you to create user and group accounts only once for use by both Windows NT and SNA Server. A simple dialog box in SNA Server Admin allows you to specify which users and groups defined in the domain will be granted access to SNA sessions.
The administrative permissions that you can set in SNA Server Admin are read only, read/write, full control, and no access. These permissions control access to SNA Server tools as well as access to the configuration file.
Full audit tracking is provided through integration with the Windows event log. (The ability to track all activity that occurs on a server is a requirement for designs that meet C2-level security.) The auditing capabilities compare to auditing capabilities common on hosts, helping make MIS managers comfortable with moving to SNA Server and Windows NT Server.
A product designed to meet C2-level security need not be inconvenient. SNA Server provides a single network logon for greater user productivity. Users only need to log on to an SNA server once to access all SNA servers. This also allows the network administrator to manage each user account centrally. Access to network servers, printers, applications and other services are defined for each user by the administrator from this single control point. Once logged on, users have seamless access to all the network resources that have been assigned to them. This single logon process makes it faster and easier for users to get the information they need when they need it.
High reliability is another benefit that comes from the tight integration of Windows NT Server and SNA Server. Within a Windows NT Server domain, SNA servers are able to recognize each other transparently and are able to dynamically back each other up or route traffic to the least-loaded server to increase throughput. These SNA Server features are known as hot backup (dynamic session fault-tolerance) and load balancing. With them, SNA Server provides high reliability to mission-critical data and applications. These two benefits are also a consequence of SNA Server's advanced LU pooling feature, which allows administrators to group multiple LUs on a single server or across several servers.
Hot backup helps ensure minimal downtime for host access by rerouting sessions over alternate paths when a communications failure occurs. SNA Server implements hot backup through multiple connections within a single server, or through multiple servers within a domain. SNA Server's unique LU pooling feature facilitates hot backup. An administrator groups LUs (from one or more servers) into a pool. If a data link on a server fails, SNA Server can dynamically reroute lost sessions through other pooled LUs (using other data links). Similarly, if an entire server in a multi-server domain fails, SNA Server can dynamically reroute sessions to pooled LUs on other servers.
Automatic load balancing across multiple servers automatically routes new LU sessions to the least-busy SNA server to deliver maximum availability of corporate data and minimum response time. SNA Server's ability to dynamically route traffic across multiple servers minimizes response time between the desktop and the host, making users more productive.
SNA Server's tight integration with Windows NT Server provides numerous facilities that protect both data and the system from errant applications or external issues such as hardware or power failure. There are recovery procedures that protect data even if it is unsaved. Windows NT Server provides several tools that enhance system reliability and aid in recovering from problems including: UPS, tape backup, registration database, disk duplexing, disk mirroring, and disk striping with parity.
SNA Server supports all the popular desktop machines, is LAN protocol independent, has a device interface that allows you to choose from a wide variety of link types and adapters, and has open 3270/5250 emulator interfaces for ISVs.
SNA Server allows customers to maximize returns on their desktop investments by supporting client or downstream systems running MS-DOS, Windows, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2, Macintosh, and UNIX operating systems.
SNA Server can meet a broad range of enterprise computing requirements, and is especially suited to providing host access over heterogeneous networking environments. SNA Server provides native support for most popular client-server protocols including named pipes, TCP/IP, IPX/SPX , SPXII, Banyan VINES IP, AppleTalk, and RAS.
SNA Server allows for a wide variety of data links from the server to the host. The SNA Device Interface Specification (SNADIS) allows third parties to easily create SNA Server drivers for their adapters. Data links currently supported by SNA Server include 802.2/LLC (Ethernet, token ring, and FDDI), SDLC, X.25/QLLC, DFT, Twinax, and Channel attachment.
The specifications for creating both desktop emulators and back-end link services are broadly available. This ensures that as new technologies become popular, they will very quickly become available to SNA Server customers.
In SNA Server, the DMOD module provides network-independent communication between the various components in the SNA Server system. Components use the same interfaces for both local and remote access. Through the DMOD, SNA Server provides an extensible interface that can easily grow to support more client-server transports.
A significant benefit of SNA Server is its ability to support client-server communications over a wide variety of communications transport protocols. Each transport provider presents a consistent message exchange interface to the DMOD. Each handles session establishment, user authentication, and multicast message support in the unique manner of its transport. Equally important, transport providers are responsible for "advertising" SNA Server in a native fashion on each of their respective networks. This is done with mailslots on LAN Manager networks, Service Advertising Protocol (SAP) and Bindery queries on NetWare, and Name Binding Protocol (NBP) on AppleTalk networks.
The following diagram shows how SNA Server uses named pipes to support sessions using RAS and NetBEUI. As shown, Named Pipes is integrated with Windows NT security, so the SNALM (SNA LAN Manager) transport provider does not need to perform any additional authentication. Because RAS is supported as just another transport, all SNA Server functions, emulation, application-to-application communications, and administration can be performed over the RAS connection. SNANW supports client-server sessions via IPX/SPX, and must perform user authentication through the Windows NT Local Security Authority module. As shown, the architecture also supports Banyan, AppleTalk and native TCP/IP.
1. SNALM is a component that allows SNA Server to communication
through Named Pipes.
2. SNAIPX is a component that allows SNA Server to communicate
through IPX/SPX.
3. SNAADSP is a component that allows SNA Server to communicate
through AppleTalk.
4. SNATCPIP is a component that allows SNA Server to communicate
through TCP/IP.
5. SNABV is a component that allows SNA Server to communicate
through Banyan VINES IP.
New drivers included with SNA Server 2.11 allow SNA Servers to be connected to AS/400s using Twinaxial cabling, the native way to connect to an AS/400. These drivers provide a cost-effective option to connect PC LANs to the AS/400s for the estimated 70 percent of the 300,000 AS/400s installed worldwide that do not yet have LAN adapters. A Token ring adapter for the AS/400 can cost up to $3,200, whereas a $350 Twinaxial adapter can be installed on the SNA Server computer that provides up to 512 host sessions for the LAN clients attached to the SNA Server. These drivers are developed for Microsoft by Andrew Corporation.
The Andrew Twinax link service supports the Andrew 3xTwin Adapter, and is available in the 2.11 release for the Intel® platform. The IBM Twinax link service supports the IBM 5250 Enhanced Adapter, or compatible, and is available in the 2.11 release for the Intel platform. (There are register-compatible cards from independent hardware vendors, such as DCI.)
For a full list of and contact information for third-party vendors providing adapters, see the SNA Server Companion Product Catalog, ISVCATAL.DOC, in the \COLLATRL\GENERAL directory on the SNA Server CD. Updates to this catalog are distributed on the Microsoft TechNet CD and posted on the MSSNA CompuServe® forum.
SNA Server 2.11 includes drivers for Barr Systems and Bus-Tech channel adapters. These allow SNA Server to be directly connected to an IBM mainframe channel. Direct channel attachment can provide a significant improvement in performance compared to other ways of attaching SNA Servers to a host. An SNA Server running on a multiprocessor Pentium or RISC system with two LAN and two channel adapters installed can challenge the overall performance and capacity of some of the fastest IBM controllers and front-end processors.
The Barr channel link service supports the Barr S/370 Channel adapter, available in the 2.11 release for the Intel, MIPS®, and Alpha APX® platforms.
The Bus-Tech channel link service supports the BTI Channel adapter, available in the 2.11 release for the Intel platform.
SNA Server 2.11 ships with two new host access tools to speed the integration of host data with desktop and server-based applications. The first tool is a new backend driver for ODBC, called DRDA, which allows for integration of host SQL data in Windows applications. The second tool is an APPC-based file transfer tool modeled on the popular UNIX file transfer protocol (FTP).
SNA Server 2.11 includes Open Database Connectivity/Distributed Relational Database Architecture (ODBC/DRDA) drivers for Windows operating system-based clients and Windows NT-based clients. These drivers enable standard desktop applications that support database connectivity via ODBC, such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access, to access IBM host databases without an expensive host-based database gateway. These drivers support connectivity to the following IBM host databases:
With more than half a million licenses worldwide, DB2 makes up roughly 70 percent of relational databases in use today. As more organizations push decision-making throughout all ranks of the corporate hierarchy, access to these databases from Windows applications becomes a requirement for enterprise connectivity. The ODBC/DRDA drivers leverage Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) technology on the client platform, along with IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA) specification on the host, to provide a direct link between ODBC-enabled Windows applications and IBM relational data sources, namely DB2 databases.
This approach enables desktop users to pull data, record-by-record, directly from the host database, and view, manipulate, and update the data, all from within their familiar Windows applications. Using these drivers, any ODBC-enabled software Windows applications and custom programs built using popular application development tools such as Microsoft Visual Basic can tap into DB2 data quickly, easily, and cost-efficiently. The ODBC/DRDA feature can also be used to bring down host-based data into SQL Server for Windows NT.
These drivers are developed for Microsoft by StarWare, Inc.,. A single-user ODBC/DRDA driver license is included with SNA Server 2.11; additional licenses are available from StarWare, Inc.
SNA Server version 2.11 includes a set of utilities that enable high-speed file transfer between Windows NT-based systems and IBM hosts including AS/400. APPC File Transfer Protocol (AFTP) is an IBM-developed protocol that duplicates for the SNA environment the function of the popular FTP utility in the TCP/IP environment. IBM now is offering the host component of AFTP at a nominal cost for most of the host operating systems. AFTP allows you to perform multi-megabyte file transfers between the host and the Windows NT-based system quickly using native SNA protocols, eliminating the need to install the expensive and CPU-intensive TCP/IP stack for the host in order to perform FTP file transfers
The AFTP program is installed automatically during setup of an SNA Server version 2.11 client or server on a computer running Windows NT version 3.5x. SNA Server AFTP will work on a Windows NT client or server as a command-line utility, which can be used to create batch jobs. AFTP provides generic filename mapping support for consistency between different operating systems' file systems.
The AFTP feature is based on IBM source code that Microsoft licensed as part of the APPC Application Suite from IBM.
Every copy of SNA Server ships with a full Software Development Kit (SDK). Source files for building client-server solutions are provided, including header and library files to link to SNA Server-supported APIs. Electronic copies of the SDK manuals are provided as well.
SNA Server supports the WOSA compliant standard APIs for the Windows platforms and the OS/2-based standards for the OS/2 platform. Additionally, SNA Server 2.11 supports IBM's standard API for the AS/400 environment: ENHAPPC. On the Windows NT and Windows 95 platform, 16-bit solutions can interface with the SNA Server 32-bit client modules, which include an automatic thunking layer.
All SNA Server APIs are fully compatible with the WOSA (Windows Open Service Architecture) SNA API standard. Each SNA vendor provides client software in the form of a DLL driver to translate WOSA SNA API calls into the native function calls of the respective services. This allows a Windows-based application to communicate with another vendor's SNA product.
SNA Server 2.11 adds support for the EHNAPPC application programming interface. This is the Windows-based APPC API supported by IBM's PC Support and Client Access/400 products. IBM has presented EHNAPPC API to its ISV community as the way to write Windows-based applications that integrate with the AS/400. There are estimated to be more than 60 applications that use this API as a way to connect to AS/400 data and applications. For customers, the main benefit is that now these many ISV applications will work unchanged with SNA Server 2.11.
A new set of APIs included with SNA Server 2.11 maps the 16-bit SNA API to native 32-bit SNA APIs. This allows users to run all the 16-bit Windows-based applications that work with SNA Server in the 32-bit Windows NT and Windows 95 environments. The main benefit of this feature is that it brings Windows NT-based clients to parity with Windows-based clients for running SNA applications.
SNA Server's ability to act as a PU concentrator allows multiple downstream physical units (DSPUs) to be merged into a single upstream connection to the mainframe. SNA Server acts as mini-SSCP, maintaining a full PU 2.0 protocol stack, which it uses to pass information from downstream LUs along upstream connections to the mainframe. As a PU concentrator, SNA Server leverages both mainframe and PC resources. On the mainframe side, operations can be simplified because there are fewer distinct PUs to configure and manage, and more clients (users) can be connected to the mainframe without having to upgrade. For example, three PUs, each using two LUs, could instead appear to the mainframe as only one PU with six LUs on it. Other benefits of PU concentration include providing a convenient demarcation point between responsibilities of local personnel and IS personnel; allowing an SNA server to accommodate a wide variety of SNA devices and software; and performing link-level conversion (for example, from 802.2 protocol downstream to SDLC upstream). PU concentration is appropriate only to dependent LUs.
Downstream connections and LUs allow an SNA Server to support clients (such as IBM Communications Manager/2 systems) that do not use the SNA Server client-server interface. Multiple DSPUs can connect simultaneously to a single SNA server. This function is also known as PU concentration.
To the downstream system, there appears to be a direct connection to the host. SNA server accomplishes this by passing detailed LU information back and forth between downstream systems and host. SNA Server does require all the usual connection information for the host and downstream connections. Communication via a downstream connection and downstream LU in SNA Server is always controlled by the host.
Although use of the DSPU connection for clients does not provide all the benefits of the regular SNA Server client-server connection, there are still significant benefits to employing SNA Server for DSPU clients:
SNA Server is supported by the leading vendors of 3270 and 5250 emulators. Andrew, Attachmate, Eicon Technology, IBM, NetSoft, and Wall Data have all publicly announced their support for SNA Server. These vendors represent over 90% of the market for 3270 and 5250 emulators. This means that you can use your existing emulator investment and training when using SNA Server.
Over 40 vendors of products that require SNA connectivity are testing their products with SNA Server. These vendors include DEC, IBM, Oracle, Memorex Telex, Legent, and Barr Systems. Many of these vendors are also building value-added products for SNA Server. For a complete list of products compatible with SNA Server, see the Companion Product Catalog.
SNA Server supports a wide variety of SNA communications adapters via the SNADIS interface. SNADIS is an open interface for IHV (Independent Hardware Vendor) adapters and enables the adapter vendors to develop data link support software to integrate their hardware adapters with SNA Server. In addition, Microsoft works closely with these vendors to assure that their adapters are completely compatible with SNA Server and Windows NT. This allows customers to use the adapters they already have or to select from several third-party adapters. SNA Server provides support for the following types of adapters:
Drivers are currently available for adapters by Atlantis, Barr Systems, Bus-Tech, Cirel, Eicon Technology, IBM and MicroGate. For a full list, see the Companion Product Catalog.
SNA Server provides open interfaces: both the open 3270 EIS interface for 3270 emulators and the open APPC interface for 5250 emulators. With these interfaces, independent software vendors can develop 3270 or 5250 emulators that work reliably with Microsoft SNA Server. The 3270 Emulator Interface Specification and the SNA Server APPC Programmer's Guide provide:
3270 and 5250 emulation is supported on all SNA Server clients to maximize flexibility of your existing client platforms (Windows, MS-DOS, and so on). Full function 3270 and 5250 emulators are provided by the leading 3270 emulator vendors (see SNA Server Companion Product Catalog for a complete listing).
SNA Server includes support for 3270 and 5250 emulators developed by independent software vendors. In addition, simple 3270 and 5250 applets are bundled with SNA Server, for the following reasons:
The SNA Server applets have a very simple feature set and will not be enhanced, because a wide range of full-feature emulators is available from third parties. The applets are not intended for full production use, and are only licensed for use by one user per SNA server.
The 3270 applet for Windows, Windows NT, and MS-DOS include the following feature set:
The 5250 applet for Windows and Windows NT includes the following feature set:
SNA Server provides support for connecting any client that runs TN3270 emulation to an IBM host computer. This extends SNA Server support for networks of heterogeneous clients. The TN3270 server software was developed by Open Connect Systems, and is a good example of the extensibility of SNA Server architecture.
The TN3270 Service, which runs on the same computer as SNA Server, allows any client running a TN3270 emulator to connect to an IBM mainframe through SNA Server. The allows the enterprise to integrate UNIX desktops with IBM mainframes via SNA Server. It also supports the static assignment of IP addresses to LUs. The ability to assign specific host LUs to specific users is an important feature of an SNA gateway and of any TCP/IP-to-SNA service. The 10,000 session capacity makes SNA Server the highest capacity TN3270 Server on the market. The service works simultaneously with other types of client (IPX, native TCP/IP, etc.). The TN3270 server was developed for Microsoft by Open Connect Systems.
TN3270 is a technique for sending 3270 data streams over a pure TCP/IP Telnet session. SNA Server provides the translation from TCP/IP to SNA offloading the conversion from the host. This eliminates the need for TCP/IP on the mainframe and works with TN3270 clients on all client platforms, including UNIX
SNA Server provides support for all SNA APIs, LU protocols, PU protocols, and data link protocols. SNA Server's SNA API support provides very flexible development options. SNA Server APIs, supported by 20 leading SNA vendors, have gained broad industry support from established emulator, adapter, and gateway vendors. The SNA APIs support both synchronous and asynchronous calls. Handling the client-server I/O using asynchronous calls improves performance by improving pipelining of I/O operations. Asynchronous calls also return control to the application immediately so that it can perform other tasks while the requested I/O operation proceeds independently. This is particularly important in the non-preemptive environment of Windows 3.x.
The APIs included with SNA Server are as follows:
SNA Server provides transparent PC-to-host connectivity in a wide range of customer environments. In addition, SNA Server allows you to mix any LU, PU, and data-link protocols concurrently in the same server.
SNA Server supports LU 0, LU 1, LU 2, LU 3, and LU 6.2.
SNA Server supports PU 2.0, PU 2.1, APPN LEN Node, and DSPU (downstream PU). Note that Low-Entry Networking (LEN) support is what allows SNA Server to participate in an APPN network. (SNA Server does not have to support APPN Network Node or APPN End Node to be able to gain full connectivity into an APPN network.)
SNA Server supports 802.2/LLC, SDLC, X.25/QLLC, DFT, Twinax, and Channel attachment. For a complete list of compatible third-party data-link products from ISVs/IHVs, see the Companion Product Catalog.
SNA Server provides native support for a wide range of client-server protocols: IPX/SPX, SPXII, TCP/IP, RAS, Named Pipes, AppleTalk, and Banyan Vines IP. In addition, SNA Server's flexible client support allows you to mix NetWare clients, Microsoft clients, TCP/IP clients, Banyan clients, Macintosh clients, TN3270 clients, and DSPU clients in any way on the same server.
No matter which desktop system a user has, it is easy to connect to SNA Server. All of the following clients are supported by SNA Server.
SNA Server provides the highest capacity of any SNA gateway on a PC platform at every level (LUs, PUs, clients, and sessions). It also allows servers to be added to meet the high demands of large enterprises linking thousands of PCs. SNA Server supports:
A variety of diagnostic tools can be used with SNA Server that allow you to collect information about the sequence of events leading up to a difficulty and the exact state of the system when the difficulty occurred.
At a glance or with the click of a button, Admin provides you most of the information you need to understand routine difficulties. SNA Server dynamically provides current information on:
In addition, with two mouse clicks you can filter the Admin display. For example, you can view only active connections or only inactive connections.
SNA Trace is a graphical diagnostic tool that allows LAN administrators to dynamically collect information on the activity between or within components of the SNA Server. With SNA Server there is no need to stop the server in order to obtained detailed tracing of SNA data flows, messages, API activity, or internal flows. This information can help LAN administrators improve performance and solve configuration problems. For example, it allows administrators to get the equivalent of a data scope trace of activity on a link that fails to start.
With SNA Server Admin, you can control the server to which events are logged, set the level of detail to be recorded, and specify which system will receive all popup error messages. You can use information from Windows NT event logs as you test a configuration or diagnose problems. For example, Event Viewer can help you find out about device drivers that did not initialize, reasons for host connection failures, or details of negative responses and sense codes. Event logs are viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.
In addition, SNA Server provides the capability for remote diagnosis. Microsoft support personnel can remotely log on to your server and use such diagnostic tools as the Event Viewer (to remotely read the SNA Server events in the log file) or the SNA Trace tool to view trace files This allows them to see exactly what happened when a difficulty occurred. SNA Server's remote diagnostic capability means that you receive faster help for difficult problems without the need to have someone on site.
To help debug Win32®-based application failures, SNA Server handles exceptions through Dr. Watson running on Windows NT. Dr. Watson provides trace or call stack information on every thread in a process. When debugging multithreaded programs, having a complete disassembly of every thread is much more helpful than just seeing the immediate cause of an exception. This is because the part that failed may be another thread residing in a critical section of the code. To aid the debug process, all SNA Server Win32 components include symbolic information to reveal the routines that caused an exception. Both these capabilities make it easier to quickly diagnose and fix problems in SNA Server.
Response Time Monitor (RTM) is an IBM NetView function that measures the length of time it takes a host to respond during a 3270 session. The SNA Server Admin tool lets you specify the times at which RTM should send data, and also lets you define the triggers that will cause RTM to register that the host has responded. Note that in order for your 3270 users to use RTM, their emulators must support it. The 3270 Applet that comes with SNA Server 2.11 supports collection of RTM data.
Workstation RTM data can be sent to the Windows NT Server Performance Monitor for viewing, logging, generating alerts, etc. The Performance Monitor supports collection of responses falling below the first time threshold, those falling between the first and second time thresholds, those falling between the second and third, third and fourth, and those falling above the fourth time threshold. Administrators can view any workstations' response time for any client emulator that supports local RTM.
NetView is a network management system that runs on an IBM host. It receives alerts and helps a NetView administrator manage operations, diagnose problems, and improve system performance. Additional NetView services provided by SNA Server include NVAlert and NVRunCmd.
Allows alerts generated by the Windows NT system or by Windows NT-based applications to be forwarded to a host system. This means that not only SNA Server events, but also system events such as a disk becoming full, or an application failing to find a file, can cause an alert to be sent to the host. Examples of information that can be forwarded to a host include data on connection failures, session statistics from 3270 emulators, and information from LUA applications.
Allows Windows NT commands that are typed at a host-system NetView console to be carried out on any Windows NT Server running SNA Server, with results being sent back to the host. The NVRunCmd service runs as a background process on the SNA server, waiting for a command to be sent from a NetView console. If, as in the preceding example, the NetView operator receives an alert that an application did not find a file, the NetView operator could execute a command on the Windows NT Server system to copy the file from one directory to another (so the application would find it).
SNA Server offers 32-bit implementation, multithreaded architecture, and tuned scalability on SMP systems, extensive use of asynchronous I/O, maximum SNA RU sizes and LAN protocol packet sizes, and dynamic management.
Features Benefits
Preemptive multitasking Provides the responsiveness required to support
multiple applications and multiple users on a single
server.
Multithreading Facilitates the design and development of responsive
applications.
Symmetric Provides scalable processing power, effectively
multiprocessing (SMP) without limits, meeting the needs of large
enterprises while providing small organizations with
room to grow. SMP scalability also delivers
superior price/performance, since performance can be
increased without adding new servers.
Portability Offers portability across Intel, MIPS R4x00, and
Alpha AXP, and PowerPC-RISC-based systems, to
provide a choice of hardware architectures. SNA
Server supports the platforms Windows NT supports.
SNA Server can now run on the PowerPC processor from
IBM, Motorola and others. Combined with current
support for Intel, MIPS, Alpha and PowerPC-based
systems, SNA Server supports the widest variety and
the most scalable set of hardware platforms of all
the SNA gateways on the market.
Advanced fault Provides the data integrity required for important
tolerance business applications.
Virtual memory Ensures that the system will always run without
running out of memory under peak loads. This also
allows SNA Server to run with less memory than would
otherwise be required.
Distributed Enables client-server applications to be written
interprocess easily and independently of the underlying network.
communications
Security designed to Provides full discretionary access so that business
meet the C2 level data can be accessed by the right people in the
right way.
Support for multiple Provides extra network bandwidth that can be added
network interface cards to support additional users.
on one segment
Multiple applications Allows a Windows NT Server running SNA Server to
simultaneously support other Windows applications
such as database software. SNA Server does not have
to run on a dedicated machine.
SNA Server is tightly integrated with Windows NT Server in ways that provide an easy, flexible, efficient, reliable, scalable and secure platform for MIS and LAN administrators to manage the host/PC interconnection. Windows NT Server provides the administrator with consistent and easy-to-use graphical tools to perform all administrative tasks on SNA Server and the Windows NT Server. The primary tools offered are the Control Panel applets, User Manager, Performance Monitor, and Event Viewer.
The Control Panel on the Windows NT Program Manager contains many useful tools for controlling different components of SNA Server.
The Services applet controls Windows NT Networking services individually. Services can be started, stopped, paused, and continued. For example, you can stop the NVRunCmd service if you don't want a NetView operator to run commands on the SNA server.
The Network applet is the tool you use to install and configure your network cards, and to install and configure network protocol stacks. This is also the tool you would use to join a workgroup or a domain. The networking architecture within Windows NT Server lets you support multiple simultaneous network cards and multiple simultaneous protocols in a single machine. You can have one card and multiple protocol stacks, or one protocol stack and multiple cards.
With the Devices applet, you can stop, start, and set the startup value for system drivers, adapter drivers and network protocols. This applet also reports the status of devices.
The Server applet allows you to monitor who is connected to your machine and what shared resources are in use. This tool is also used for setup, directory replication, and administrative alerts.
This utility allows you to record and view significant events generated by the Windows NT Server system or Windows NT-based applications such as SNA Server. Event Viewer can notify administrators of critical events with pop-up messages, or add event information to log files. The information allows you to better understand the sequence and type of events that led up to a particular state or situation.
Event Viewer is very flexible. Through SNA Server Admin, you can set the type (severity) of events to be recorded for SNA Server. Through the Event Viewer, you can set the log size, and choose between storage and overwrite options for when the log is full. In addition, Event Viewer supports filtering, by event types, date and time of events, source, category, user, computer, or event ID. Event logs can be also be saved as text or comma-delimited text for later analysis (on a spreadsheet, for example). As with many of the administrative tools, the Event Viewer can be used to view events on remote Windows NT Servers.
Performance Monitor is a graphical tool which can be used to measure the performance of any SNA server accessible over the network. It allows you to monitor several aspects of your server's performance in real time in the form of charting, triggers (causing alerts to be sent or programs to be started), tables of values, and logs. Performance Monitor is very useful for system tuning and diagnosis. The parameters that can be monitored for SNA servers include throughput and transmission volume (in bytes, or in some instances, frames), and can be measured for connections, LUs, or adapters. Client response times can be monitored if the client emulator supports NetView RTM.
All user and group accounts are managed with the User Manager. The accounts established through User Manager are also used by SNA Server, so that you need only create an account once for use by Windows NT Server or SNA Server. A simple dialog box in SNA Server Admin allows you to specify which users and groups defined in the domain will be SNA Server users and groups.
Windows NT supports managing accounts by logical groups of servers, called domains. Domains are logical groupings of multiple Windows NT Servers-based computers that can be managed and used as a single unit. Using domains, administrators can create one account for each user. That account is stored in the Windows NT Server user account database and include user information, group memberships and security policy information. Users then log on to the domain not individual servers with the domain. Requiring only a single account in the entire domain is an effective way to manage an enterprise that includes hundreds of servers and thousands of users. Once logged on users can access all the resources they have rights to access including files, directories, servers and printers.
In addition, multiple domains can be created within an organization to handle tens of thousands of users. Trust relationships are maintained between these domains, allowing users in one domain to access resources in another domain and allowing administrators to manage all domains from a master domain.
Windows NT supports managing accounts by logical groups of servers, called domains. While the primary server holds the user account database, users can log on to other servers in the domain that have a copy of that database. Requiring only a single account in the entire domain is an effective way to manage an enterprise that includes hundreds of servers and thousands of users.
SNA Server implements a feature called LU pooling to maximize access to the resources available via 3270, LUA, or downstream LUs. A user, LUA application, or downstream system using the pool can get LU access as long as one of the pooled LUs is available. Pooling of LUs is handled differently for APPC LUs but provides the same capabilities. LU pooling can provide a variety of benefits.
Remote Access Service (RAS) enables users to participate fully as network clients from remote locations. RAS servers can be set up on the SNA Server machine or on any Windows NT Server machine allowing SNA clients access to SNA gateway resources from remote workstations. RAS can provide connectivity to SNA Server using asynchronous, X.25, or ISDN connections. This provides a remote connection to an SNA network or LAN by the use of a modem, X.25 card, or ISDN adapter as a network card.
With RAS, a number of functions can be performed transparently on remote workstations, including:
Because RAS is supported as just another transport, all SNA Server functions, application-to-application communications, administration, and emulation can be performed over a RAS connection. In addition RAS provides secure network access for remote clients by supporting Windows NT logon and domain security, support for security hosts, data encryption, and callback.
Windows NT Server 3.51 adds support for RAS software compression between Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT. With this support, you won't have to turn on modem compression to benefit from a faster throughput. Tests show that software compression results in better throughput than modem compression. Software compression also lowers the interrupt rate and diminishes the risk of overruns.
SNA Server 2.11 adds a new feature, called SNA Remote Access Service (RAS over SNA), which allows administrators to create virtual LAN connections between Windows NT systems across an existing SNA network. This is achieved by integrating SNA Server's LU 6.2 transport with the RAS architecture. Instead of using asynchronous dial-up, X.25 or ISDN, RAS uses SNA remote transports, such as synchronous DLC and synchronous X.25.
SNA Remote Access Service allows the use of familiar RAS tools to initiate remote network connections across the SNA network, plus provides support for all other RAS benefits including data compression, administration and security. Customers with large SNA WAN backbones now can access remote LANs and servers without setting up redundant LAN-to-LAN networks or having to install dial-up modems in each remote branch office. This is a benefit to network administrators who need to manage remote branch offices connected to the corporation's mainframe or AS/400 through existing low-speed synchronous data-link control (SDLC) lines. SNA Remote Access Service supports IPX, TCP/IP (PPP) and NetBEUI from Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation machines.
SNA Remote Access Service provides a way to connect to and manage an SNA server using the SNA network as the physical connection. Remote Access Service also provides for enhanced BackOffice functionality, including full support for all of System Management Server's LAN-to-LAN capabilities, including remote client control, over an SNA-only WAN. For more information on BackOffice integration using SNA Remote Access Service, see Appendix A.
Virtual LAN with RAS over SNA
This new monitor, which is similar to the monitor in Remote Access Service, can be used to monitor the status of an SDLC connection. The SNA Server 2.11 Setup program will create an icon for this utility in the Microsoft SNA Server program group. From the SNA Monitor Setting menu, you can specify options such as sound, update interval, and which link service to monitor.
SNA Server can be installed from the distribution CD, from a network share of the CD, or from floppy disks. This makes it easy to add users (clients) to SNA Server. It also allows any unsophisticated user to install SNA Server on a PC without administrative assistance.
All SNA Server documentation is available on-line, making it easier to find the information you need. This includes the Administration and Reference guides, printed versions of which are also available. SNA Server also provides comprehensive, on-line, context-sensitive help so you can quickly understand your options in particular situations. In addition, on-line documentation includes all SDK (Software Development Kit) files for all SNA Server APIs (3270 EIS, APPC, LUA, CPI-C, SNADIS) in Windows Help, Microsoft Word, and PostScript® format. The SDK also includes sample programs, header files, and library files.
New software included with SNA Server 2.11 allows resellers, trainers, consultants and customers to evaluate and demonstrate nearly all SNA Server features and capabilities without a live host connection or any special hardware. Previously, resellers had to purchase expensive access time from host service providers to train their personnel on a given SNA gateway, or had to purchase a separate hardware-based host simulator at significant cost. The demo host facility included with SNA Server can act both as a mainframe host and an AS/400 host. It exercises the core functionality of SNA Server, including 3270 and 5250 sessions with multiple host connections in a fashion identical to a live host connection.
By popular request, a new document, called the SNA Server Planning Guide is provided at no charge with SNA Server 2.11. The Planning Guide contains information to help resellers and users implement SNA Server in existing networks such as NetWare, Banyan and TCP/IP environments. Among the topics covered are server sizing recommendations for CPU types, memory for various usage patterns, pre-installation guidelines, enterprise roll out information, and maintenance and troubleshooting tips collected from current users of SNA Server.
SNA Server 2.11 adds the option of license SNA Server for concurrent use, which the customer can choose at the time of installation. With this option, customers are required to purchase only as many client licenses as there are simultaneous users accessing a given SNA Server. This is a benefit for single-server installations when only infrequent access to the host resources are required. Customers can continue to license SNA Server on a per-client and per-server basis. This allows any client to access any SNA Server network. This is the most affordable licensing option when deploying multiple SNA Servers for extra capacity, load balancing and hot backup, because each extra server costs approximately $409. For more information see Licensing in Appendix B: Competitive Comparisons.
SNA Server 2.11 installed on Windows NT Server 3.51 includes two new administrative tools that help reduce the costs associated with managing licenses and tracking compliance:
After the initial setup process, an administrator can use the Licensing option in Control Panel to increase or decrease the number of concurrent connections for that server. The administrator can also change the licensing mode on that local computer from Per Server to Per Seat (a one-time only option.)
Licensing information can be tracked by local server, domain or enterprise. Administrators can designate a server to which all licensing information will be replicated, called the Master Server. They can also set how frequently replication will occur from a minimum of every 6 hours to every 72 hours.
Microsoft SNA Server 2.11 is an integral part of Microsoft BackOffice. Microsoft BackOffice is an integrated information system that makes it easier for companies to improve decision making and streamline business processes-so they can deliver goods and services faster at reduced costs. Microsoft BackOffice is part of overall Microsoft Architecture for Distributed Computing.
Microsoft BackOffice includes the following products:
Product Role in BackOffice
Microsoft Windows NT Server The operating system that forms the
3.5, 3.5x network foundation for running a new
generation of business applications
Microsoft SNA Server 2.11 The networking system that provides
connectivity between PCs and IBM hosts
to form enterprise networks.
Microsoft SQL Server™ version The database management system (DBMS)
4.21 and powerful relational DBMS platform
for client-server computing
Microsoft Systems Management The comprehensive solution for managing
Server 1.0 networked PCs.
Microsoft Mail Server 3.2 The complete electronic messaging
solution. Microsoft Mail Server will
provide a direct upgrade path to
Microsoft Exchange Server, the messaging
server scheduled to ship in 1995.
Whether companies are developing new client-server business applications or downsizing existing applications, Microsoft BackOffice can be used as the hub of an information network in place of minicomputer or mainframe systems, to build solutions on less expensive and equally reliable microprocessor hardware. Microsoft BackOffice information networking can also be used to add custom functionality to existing minicomputer and mainframe systems and to evolve these to pure client-server or distributed applications as business needs dictate. In addition, Microsoft BackOffice provides small companies a way to build business applications that previously could not be considered because of expense and complexity. For more information see the Microsoft BackOffice; Integrated Family of Server Software datasheet (Part Number: 098-59298).
Here are a few of the ways SNA Server integrates with other BackOffice products to deliver enterprise wide connectivity solutions.
The following tables allow you to compare the broad range of features available in SNA Server with Novell NetWare for SAA 2.0 and IBM Communications Manager/2 1.11.
SNA Server offers more power and functionality than NetWare for SAA and Communications Manager/2 at a much lower cost. SNA Server is based on the scalable, robust, high performance Windows NT Server operating system, whereas NetWare for SAA is based on NetWare and OS/2 Communications Manager/2 on OS/2.
MicrosoftSNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
Server Capacity
Max # host 10,000 2,000 for 1,270
sessions per mainframe
server 1,500 for AS/400
Max # users per 2,000 2,000 (at 1 128
server session per user)
Max # PUs per 250 32 5
server
Max # concurrent 250 10 5
physical
connections
Max # of servers 50 2 1
grouped for LU
pooling, load
balancing, hot
backup
Server Design
Supported server Intel, Alpha AXP, Intel Intel
platforms MIPS, PowerPC
Scalability on Yes No No
SMP systems
Server set of Win32 set of NetWare set of 16-bit
implementation applications Loadable Modules OS/2 applications
Preemptive Yes No No
multitasking
Internal server Yes No No
messaging
design--Async I/O
Multithreading Yes No No
Virtual memory Yes No No
Minimum Platform
Minimum Hardware 386DX 386 DX 386 DX
16MB RAM 16MB RAM 8MB RAM
Minimum Software Windows NT Server NetWare 3.12 OS/2 1.3
version 3.5
SNA Server adheres to IBM standards for host, PU, and LU support. SNA Server is designed to be a robust, multi-purpose SNA gateway.
Microsoft SNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
SNA Protocol
Support
LU Types 0,1,2,3,6.2 0,1,2,3,6.2 0,1,2,3,6.2
Host Types IBM Mainframe IBM Mainframe IBM Mainframe
IBM AS/400 IBM AS/400 IBM AS/400
APPN support APPN LEN node APPN LEN node APPN NN, EN nodes
Data Link Support
802.2/LLC Yes Yes Yes
SDLC Yes Yes Yes
X.25/QLLC Yes Yes Yes
DFT Yes No Yes
Twinax Yes No Yes
Channel Yes Yes, but not No
supported by
Novell directly
Link as DSPU 802.2/LLC, SDLC, 802.2/LLC, X.25 802.2/LLC, SDLC,
connection X.25 X.25
Demo Host 3270 and 5250 3270 only None
Facility for supported
training,
evaluation, and
demonstration
One of the major advantages of implementing an SNA gateway is the ability to utilize multiple gateways together to dynamically balance the communications load and to provide for fault tolerant automatic hot backup for downed links. SNA Server provides the broadest range of hot backup and load balancing capabilities that work with all existing clients and host link types.
Microsoft SNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
Fault Tolerance
Hot backup Mainframe and Mainframe only No
support AS/400 Requires a second
Works in dedicated server
conjunction with
load balancing
Load balancing Yes Yes No
among servers All shipping Requires NetWare
ISVs' products for SAA 2.0
supported client emulator
upgrades
Load balancing of All LU types 3270 only No
all session types supported
SNA Server adheres to published, open standards appropriate for each client and networking platform. SNA Server is architected to provide for NOS-independence and protocol independence on most client platforms. The client networking support in SNA Server is fully documented in the SDK that ships with each SNA Server CD-ROM.
Microsoft SNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
LAN Protocol
Support
IPX/SPX Yes Yes Yes
Native TCP/IP Yes Yes No
Requires emulator
upgrade to use
native transport
NetBEUI/NetBIOS Yes No Yes
802.2 DSPU Yes Yes Yes
Banyan VINES IP Yes No No
AppleTalk Yes Yes No
Remote client Yes Yes No
dial-in
SNA Server offers the most easy to use, configure and manage SNA Server, when compared to NetWare for SAA and Communications Manager/2.
Microsoft SNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
NetView Support
NetView Alert Forwards any Forwards only Automatically
Support Windows NT event pre-defined set forwards all CM/2
to NetView as an of alerts to and LAN Manager
alert NetView data link events,
Forwards link Forwards link associated with
alerts and RTM alerts and RTM H/W and S/W to
data to NetView data to NetView NetView as an
Displays RTM data alert
in Performance forwards client
Monitor alerts if APPC
installed at the
clients
NetView RunCmd Any Windows NT Only pre-defined Supports NetView
Support command line set of commands NVRunCmd
statement can be supported
executed remotely
from a host
NetView console
as a NVRunCmd
Administration
Tools
Setup Graphical Text based Text-based
Admin Graphical, Graphical for Graphical
integrated 3270 only,
configuration and separate tool for
management monitoring
Trace Tools Dynamic Text-based Graphical
Graphical
Local/Remote Local and remote Remote only from Local only
Admin from any Windows Windows
NT machine
Internal error Yes No No
diagnostics
Dynamic Yes. Host No No
configuration Connections, LUs,
(without Groups, Pools,
restarting Users
gateway)
Compatibility SNA Server 2.0, Requires Yes
with previous 2.1 2.0-aware client
versions Any DSPU or programs for
TN3270 client LU6.2 and to
DCA/MS Select. benefit from load
balancing.
Integration with
OS
User Database and Uses Windows NT Bindery emulation 3270 emulation
Security Domain user required. relies on host
database and NDS only provides security
user/group for single logon 5250 emulation
security profiles in same tree and uses UPM
SNA gateway long name support capability of LAN
integrated with Administrator can Server
Windows NT Server limit access to
control NetWare servers
architecture for and define # of
scheduling and sessions per user
security
Monitor gateway Integrated with Separate utility None
events Windows NT Event
Viewer
Monitor gateway Integrated with Separate utility None
performance Windows NT
Performance
Monitor
SNA Server adheres to published, open standards appropriate for each client platform. The APIs that SNA Server supports are fully documented in the SDK that ships with each SNA Server CD-ROM. There is broad industry support for SNA Server by software vendors. The following table compares the client side SNA API support in SNA Server to NetWare for SAA and OS/2 Communications Manager/2
Microsoft SNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
SNA Client Support
LU1, LU2, LU3 MS-DOS MS-DOS MS-DOS
(3270 display and Windows Windows Windows
printer) Windows NT, Windows NT OS/2
Windows 95 OS/2
OS/2 Macintosh
Macintosh UNIX (LU2 only)
UNIX (LU2 only)
LU 6.2/APPC/CPI-C MS-DOS MS-DOS Windows
Windows Windows OS/2
Windows NT, NetWare
Windows 95
OS/2
LUA RUI and SLI MS-DOS MS-DOS Windows
(LU0) Windows Windows OS/2
Windows NT, NetWare
Windows 95
OS/2
TN3270 10,000 session 2,000 session None
max. max.
MS-DOS MS-DOS
Windows Windows
Windows NT, Windows NT
Windows 95 OS/2
OS/2 Macintosh
Macintosh
UNIX
ODBC/DRDA Windows None None
Windows 95,
Windows NT
EHNAPPC Win16 and Win32 Via NetSoft None
CA/400 compliant Router
AFTP Support Windows NT None OS/2
SDK included with Yes No No
product
There is broad industry support for SNA Server by hardware vendors. The following table compares the SNA protocols and host link support in SNA Server to NetWare for SAA and OS/2 Communications Manager/2.
Microsoft SNA Novell NetWare IBM
Server 2.11 for SAA 2.0 Communications
Manager/2 1.11
Host Adapter
Support
Twinax Andrew 3X Twin None IBM 5250
IBM 5250 Emulation
Emulation Adapter Adapter.
802.2/LLC 174 NDIS ODI compatible IBM Token Ring
certified Token (recommend adapters.
Ring, Ethernet, version 4.1) and Some NDIS
and FDDI adapters Novell Labs Ethernet
tested adapters.
IBM ISDN
Interface
Coprocessor/2
Model 2
Channel Bus-Tech Channel Not available No
Adapter directly from, or
Barr Systems supported by
Channel Adapter Novell
Open, Published Yes No No
Host Adapter Link Open SNADIS I/F
APIs
DFT IBM 3278/9 None IBM 3278/9
Emulation Adapter Emulation Adapter
IBM 3278/9 IBM 3278/9
Enhanced Enhanced
Emulation Adapter Emulation Adapter
IBM 3270 IBM 3270
Connection Mod A Connection Mod A
IBM 3270 IBM 3270
Connection Mod B Connection Mod B
Irma Adapter
Attachmate 3270
Coax
SDLC MicroGate MG96 IBM Multiprotocol IBM Multiprotocol
MicroGate MG144 Adapter Adapter/A
MicroGate Digital Microdyne IBM SDLC Adapter
Services Adapter Synchronous EXOS
MicroGate Unified Adapter
Serial Adapter Microdyne
IBM MPCA Adapter Synchronous/V.35
IBM SDLC Adapter EXOS Adapter
Passport Microdyne NetWare
Communications for SAA
SDLC Adapter Synchronous
IBM Multiprotocol Adapter for PC
Adapter/A Microdyne NetWare
Barr Systems T-1 for SAA
SYNC Synchronous
ISCA Adapter Adapter for PS/2
Attachmate SDLC
Adapter
Attachmate
Advanced Function
SDLC
Eicon Technology
WAN Services for
Windows
NT/EiconCard
Atlantis Shiva
for Windows NT
SpartaCom/Quadron
qX25 for Windows
NT with X.25 Link
Services
Cirel Systemes
FPX Adapter
X.25/QLLC MicroGate MG96 Novell requires IBM X.25
MicroGate MG144 an X.25 WAN Interface
MicroGate Digital adapter that is Co-Processor/2
Services Adapter compatible with
MicroGate Unified the new call
Serial Adapter support layer
Passport (CSL) NLM
Communications provided in
SDLC Adapter NetWare for SAA
IBM Multiprotocol 2.0.
Adapter/A
Barr Systems T-1
SYNC
ISCA Adapter
Attachmate
Advanced Function
SDLC
Eicon Technology
WAN Services for
Windows
NT/EiconCard
Atlantis Shiva
for Windows NT
SpartaCom/Quadron
qX25 for Windows
NT with X.25 Link
Services
Cirel Systemes
FPX Adapter
Microsoft Select makes it easy for organizations of all sizes to acquire, administer, and upgrade Microsoft products, by offering several licensing options plus attractive pricing for new software acquisitions and product upgrades. Microsoft Select can reduce the real costs of software ownership: the costs associated with purchase and upgrade fees, administration, and distribution. It also simplifies software acquisition and provides complete access to Microsoft's broad product line-more than 250 applications, systems, and server products in 23 languages.
Microsoft Select offers attractive volume-based pricing with reduced software administration and distribution costs. Standardized policies facilitate a faster and easier license agreement process, and software maintenance helps predictably budget for product upgrades. International distribution and support are available from Microsoft authorized Large Account Resellers and through the Microsoft Reseller and Solution Provider channel for the Microsoft Open License Pak. For more detailed information on Microsoft Select licensing use the Microsoft Sales Fax Services Catalog (800-727-3351) and choose document number 098-54743.
Microsoft Select includes the following key licensing options:
Microsoft Corporation is committed to providing the level of service and support that companies need to successfully implement mission-critical business systems using Microsoft BackOffice products. Microsoft provides complete 24x7 product support on Microsoft Products, while Microsoft Solution Providers and Authorized Support Centers (ASCs) offer additional on-site, multivendor systems integration within their areas of expertise.
The table below defines Microsoft's three packaged service offerings enterprise deployment for SNA Server. Customers needing the assistance of a dedicated technical account manager and Premier Support Team will prefer Premier or Premier Global service offerings. Both Premier and Premier Global provide proactive account services such as an annual customer support plan; monthly status reports detailing service requests, escalation procedures and overall support issues for the previous month, and a Supportability Review Report with detailed analysis of your computing infrastructure and specific recommendations by Microsoft. The Premier Global account, new in 1995, also offers large multinational corporations the advantage of unlimited enterprise support worldwide under one contract. Priority Comprehensive is appropriate for small to large corporations with internal expertise to handle the bulk of their support needs. All three programs offer 24x7 mission-critical product support through an 800 number. For more details see Microsoft Mission-Critical Support Services; An Overview for Managers, or Microsoft in Business Computing.
PLAN Price/Program Components Features
Premier $225,000 Base Price Mission Critical, Server
Global 10 contacts located anywhere in the Down Support
world, unlimited support incidents Remote Diagnostics
Additional contacts: $10,000/year Problem replication labs
Designated Premier Global Support Defined response times for
Team varying severity levels
Single contract for global services Standard escalation path
Globally coordinated proactive for all technical issues
account services/ support planning Quick Fix Engineering
and review Policy evaluates and
Unlimited access to support services addresses product problems
for named contacts between regular product
24x7, 800 toll free access where release cycles (Hotfixes
available worldwide and Service Packs to
TechNet subscription and full access customers)
to on-line support Product resource kit
Access to Microsoft Knowledgebase via available for [product
Tech Net, MSDN, Microsoft OnLine, name] via TechNet,
CompuServe, Internet, America Internet, CompuServe and
On-line, Prodigy and GEnie GEnie
Regional Support Centers provide 24x7 Documented Buglist and
mission critical support worldwide Fixlists Proactive
notification of new
technical articles of
interest as uniquely
defined by the customer.
Premier $25,000 year flat fee includes 150 Same as Premier Global
support incidents/year
Additional 10 pack of incidents,
$1,500
Designated Premier Support Team
Proactive account services/support
planning and review
24x7, 800 toll free access
TechNet subscription and full access
to on-line support
Access to Microsoft Knowledgebase via
Tech Net, MSDN, Microsoft OnLine,
CompuServe, Internet, America
On-line, Prodigy and GEnie
Priority $3,995/year including 35 Same as Premier Global
Comprehensiv incidents/year
e $1,500/10-pack of incidents
$150/incident
Priority access to support queues
24x7 access
800 toll-free access
(annual contract only) Access to
Microsoft Knowledgebase via MSDN,
Microsoft OnLine, CompuServe,
Internet, America On-line, Prodigy
and GEnie On-line
Using the Microsoft Solution Platform of products as building blocks, Solution Providers offer a range of value-added services, including integration, consulting, custom and turn-key application development, technical support and training. All Solution Providers have Microsoft Certified Professionals on staff. To varying degrees, Solution Providers can also provide multivendor support, systems integration, long-term on-site support, customer software development, staff a corporations help desk, or implement an ongoing training plan. Many Solution Providers also have vertical solutions that they sell and service.
SNA Server is supported by all the leading vendors of 3270 and 5250 emulators and communications adapters. See the Companion Product Catalog for a full list of emulators and third-party products for SNA Server for a complete list of hardware and software vendors, their current and planned products for SNA Server, the environments each of their products supports, as well as their phone numbers and addresses.
Microsoft's ASCs are members of the Solution Provider program who are specially trained and certified on Microsoft products and are selected for their ability to provide a broad range of mission-critical support options. Customers can choose to work with the ASC as a single point-of-contact or they can combine ASC services, Microsoft services, other Microsoft partners and/or in-house staffing. ASCs are provided with high-level backup support from Microsoft, along with complete product information, extensive training and diagnostic tools and service offerings. Microsoft teams with the following ASCs: AT&T Global Information Solutions, Corporate Software, Digital Equipment Corporation, Hewlett Packard, HFSI, Inacom Corp., Softmart Inc., Spectrum Integrated Services, Unisys Corporation, and Vanstar.
Microsoft's technical training program leads to the Certified Professional designation. Microsoft offers instructor-led and self-study courses on Microsoft products and technologies, available through Microsoft's training partners. Microsoft courses are developed in conjunction with Microsoft product developers and support engineers. These courses offer timely, in-depth, and accurate training that's based on real-world experience. They use hands-on labs to provide the key knowledge and skills necessary to build, implement, and support effective solutions with Microsoft products. The courses help individuals efficiently and effectively prepare for Microsoft Certified Professional exams. Certification testing provides an objective and consistent method for measuring the competence and ensuring the qualifications of technical professionals.
Microsoft Solution Provider Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATECs) conduct classes designed by Microsoft. The classes train technical professionals to integrate heterogeneous system architectures using advanced networking technologies, migrate to client-server computing, and develop applications for the Microsoft platform. Microsoft also authorizes training centers to deliver training for individual end users of Microsoft products, and academic institutions to offer Microsoft-developed training to students enrolled at that institution.
Microsoft offers a number of information services for computer professionals who need to stay current and have access to reference materials on Microsoft's products and technologies.
Title Author Publication Date
LAN Gateways and Microsoft's Jim Hoopes Midrange 3/95
SNA Server Computing
Microsoft SNA Server in the Paul Morse IBM Internet 1/95
Enterprise Journal
SNA Servers for NT delivers Shawn F. PC WEEK 12/5/94
punch Kafaipour
Microsoft Bolsters SNA Server Brent LAN TIMES 11/7/94
Speed, Capacity Dorshkind
Medical Outfit Adopts SNA Saroja CommunicationsWeek 10/31/94
Server Girishankar
SNA Server 2.1 Challenges Michael Otey NEWS 3X/400 10/94
NetWare for SAA
Users pleased with clean Christine Network World 5/94
connectivity of SNA Server Burns
Microsoft's PC-to-Host Microsoft 3rd
Connectivity Strategy Directions Qtr.
1994
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0695 Part No. 098-60524
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