Meantime any IBM Corp-Apple Computer Inc alliance implies that in future more and more Macintoshes and their successors are likely to turn up linked to IBM mainframes, and to that end, Apple has announced SNA.ps – a family of micro-to-IBM mainframe link products for the Macintosh – stand alone or on an AppleTalk. The family comprises SNA.ps Gateway, SNA.ps 3270 and developers toolkits and replaces MacDFT Distributed Function Terminal and MacAPPC. The Gateway is a NuBus board that combines 3270 emulation with APPC, and supports Apple’s Token Ring, Coax-Twinax and SNA/SDLC boards. SNA.ps 3270 features IBM 3270 terminal emulation and concurrent peer-to-peer access using Advanced Program-to-Program Communications, as well as support for the first level of Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking. It also supports direct co-axial SNA connection, supporting all IBM screen formats and attributes, uses the IBM file transfer protocol, and uses Macintosh copy and paste to incorporate mainframe data into local applications. On the way for next year is SNA.ps 3287, which will enable Apple LaserWriters to emulate IBM’s 3287 printer family and come as a free upgrade to either product. The Gateway comes in versions for eight, 32 and 64 sessions at UKP1,105 to UKP3,100. The client program is UKP85 per Mac, and SNA.ps 3270, which includes the client software is UKP240; MacDFT users can upgrade to it free of charge.
