Promises, promises again as IBM Position highlights how little of OSI is in place…
Users are clamouring, and IBM has elaborated on its two year-old position on Open Systems Interconnection (CI No 1,026) and says that this week’s announcements provide future direction for customers planning their OSI network requirements. The areas addressed are OSI protocols included in SAA Common Communications Support; OSI in IBM’s AIX Unix; SAA OSI support for wide area networks and local area networks; support for OSI Common Management Information Services and OSI Common Management Information Protocols; OSI X500 Directory standard support; OSI support for worldwide profiles; OSI interoperation and conformance testing; OfficeVision/VM and OfficeVision/MVS support of OSI Message Hand ling System; TCP/IP to OSI transition direction and support; OSI-SNA integration; and Manufact uring Automation Protocol Version 3.0 support.
…Commits to FDDI – in two years
IBM says that over the next two years, it intends to offer Fibre Distributed Data Interface local-area network products that conform to current and emerging ISO 9314 standards developed by the ANSI X3T9.5 committee. It also plans to offer FDDI workstation, host attachment and interconnections between FDDI, Token Ring, and Ethernet local area networks; to provide network management for FDDI; and offer an FDDI backbone local area network extension incorporating single-mode optical fibre and laser technologies – for transmission over significantly longer distances than with multi-mode optical fibre and light-emitting diode technologies.
IBM bows to prevalence of Ethernet
IBM has announced enhanced local area network products, said to give customers more flexibility in controlling their computer networks. IBM Local Area Network Support Program Version 1.2 enables MS-DOS workstations on Ethernet local area networks to communicate with each other and with OS/2 workstations on a Token-Ring network. The Distributed Console Access Facility Version 1.0 enables one workstation to be controlled by another workstation and helps operators to administer departmental networks remotely. Token-Ring Network 16/4 Trace and Performance Program and Adapters provide a real-time view of the traffic on a Token-Ring Network and send data at either 4M-bits or 16M-bits per second. This enables customers to trace application use, to collect data, and to perform capacity planning. Token-Ring Network Bridge Program Version 2.2 connects two Token-Ring networks either locally or remotely over communications lines. It offers dial-up support for customers using public switched telephone lines for remote links. The Personal Computer Network Enhanced Extender and Personal Computer Network expand the distance between baseband networks from 800 to 2,600 feet, and increase the potential size of the network from 80 to 800 workstations. The bridge enhancements enable baseband personal computer networks to communicate with Token-Ring networks. IBM also introduced the 7855 V.32 modem, which sends data at up to 19,200 bits per second, claimed to be up to eight times the transmission speed of most personal computer modems. The LAN Support Program Version 1.2 costs $66 for one copy and $44 for each additional copy. It will be available on July 27, 1990. Prices for the Distributed Console Access Facility are $135 for one copy, and $95 for additional copies. It will be available on November 30, 1990 in the US. The 16/4 Trace and Performance Program costs $1,500 and is available on June 29, 1990. The Adaptor and Adaptor/A each cost $1,220 and are available from June 29, 1990. The Token-Ring Network Bridge Program Version 2.2 costs $1,750 and upgrades from Versions 2.0 and 2.1 cost $335. It will be available on September 28, 1990. The 7855 V.32 Modem costs $1,350 from month-end.
TCP/IP for VM 2 brings string of Unix facilities to the VM world
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TCP/IP Version 2 for VM enables VM users to participate in a multivendor network using the TCP/IP protocol set. The addition of Simple Network Management Protocol support enables
TCP/IP for VM Version 2 to communicate with IBM’s NetView network manager. This means it can act as a focal point for network management of TCP/IP networks and SNA NetView-managed networks. The addition of Resource Access Control Facility support for the Network File System server and Kerberos authentication enhance security. Other enhancements include improvements to the socket library, the addition of Network Computing System libraries, and an application development toolkit based on OSF/Motif. Applications include the ability to send mail, transfer files, log onto a remote host and act as a file server to network nodes. The network protocols supported are the Token-Ring, Ethernet, IEEE 802.3, DDN X25, PDN X25 and PC Network. Attachments to the host include the 3172 Interconnect Controller and the 8232 LAN Channel Station, the 37XX line of communications processors for X25 and SNA backbone transport, and Hyperchannel support. Prices for TCP/IP Version 2 for VM range from $15,200 to $35,840, and monthly charges range from $317 to $747, depending on the size of the processor. The Network File System feature is priced separately, ranging between $3,040 to $7,165, and monthly charges between $63 to $149. TCP/IP Version 2 for VM will be out on December 28 in the US.
Open Systems breach SNA stronghold with VTAM 3 OSI Remote Programming Interface
Binding Open Systems Interconnection a little tighter into the previously closed IBM networking world, a new VTAM Version 3 OSI Remote Programming Interface Feature provides the same programming interface as OSI/Communications Subsystem. It enables an SNA system to run OSI applications without installing OSI/Communications Subsystem on that system. It also accesses another system running OSI/Communications Subsystem to enable multivendor OSI communications. The interface is an optional feature of VTAM Version 3 for MVS/ESA, VTAM Version 3 for MVS/XA, and VTAM Version 3 for VM/SP. VTAM Version 3 for MVS/ESA and MVS/XA is available in the US at the end of this month, and VM/SP is available from September 28, 1990. For MVS/ESA, prices range between $17,000 and $40,000; for MVS/XA, between $11,000 and $31,000. It will be available on June 29, 1990 for both systems. For VM/SP, the price starts at $1,855 and rises to $10,000; that’s available on September 28,1990.
