Hewlett-Packard Co has announced the next generation of its Systems Network Architecture intercommunications system, targeted at users running HP-UX in IBM Corp mainframe environments. Enhancements to what is called SNAplus2 are said to include: the ability to accommodate a virtually unlimited number of simultaneous users and sessions; Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking end-node functionality; concurrent support for a wider range of local network and wide area network protocols; new graphical user interface configuration tools and enhanced application programming interfaces, providing communications between applications distributed between HP 9000 servers and an IBM host or peer system. Pricing for the HP-UX SNAplus2 portfolio is to start at $3,550 for Tier 1 systems, but the five members of the SNAPlus 2 family are also available stand-alone. The HP-UX Link, which communicates between the HP 9000 and the IBM mainframe or peer system, such as the AS/400, costs $500; the SNAPlus2 3270/3179G, which provides communication between the HP 9000 and the IBM mainframe or peer system using SNA 3270, 3278 and 3179G/3192G emulation is priced at $850; the SNAplus2 APPN End Node carries a price tag of $600; the SNAplus2 application programming interface set costs $300 and SNAplus2 Remote Job Entry, intended to provide batch data transfer between the HP 9000 and the IBM mainframe host in an SNA environment, is to cost $1,300. Hewlett-Packard also announced plans to integrate Cisco Systems Inc’s CIP, the Channel Interface Processor (CI No 2,887), into its SNA portfolio: the processor, based on Cisco’s 7000 family, is designed to connect mainframes to Ethernet, FDDI and Asynchronous Transfer Mode internetworks, without the need for front-end controller equipment. There is no word what price Hewlett will be putting on Cisco’s Channel Interface Processor.
