From: MLONG@isucard.card.iastate.edu
Subject: Re: NETBIOS from/to VM possible? PVM/PC?
Organization: CARD
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 00:52:07 GMT

In article <9207282035.AA0069@gilbert.ycc.yale.edu>                             
Howard@GILBERT.YCC.YALE.EDU (Howard Gilbert) writes:                            
                                                                                
>>Has anyone seen any IBM NETBIOS implementations from VM or MVS?               
>>Or know what "PVM/PC" is?                                                     
>>Or what the "PSCA device driver" for PVM is?                                  
>>Does this product(?) offer NETBIOS PC to Mainframe communications?            
>                                                                               
>PVM/PC is an obscure PRPQ developed by IBM at Yorktown                         
>Research.  It provides communication between CMS users and PC programs         
>through the PVM program product.  While it may at first look like              
>"NETBIOS on the mainframe" there is a stronger argument that it is "IUCV       
>on the PC."  It does run on NETBIOS (the client PC communicates NETBIOS        
>to the 8232 which then talks to PVM as a simulated CTCA).  However, this       
>requires a dedicated 8232 processor (ie one of the two AT boxes that           
>make up an 8232 CU) since the PVM/PC code does not coexist with other          
>(usually TCP/IP) uses of the same unit.  However, one AT can run PVM/PC        
>while the other supports TCP/IP, both within the same 8232 rack.               
>                                                                               
>The PCCA (sic) was the prototype of the 8232 control unit which in turn        
>was the predecessor of the 3172 control unit.  This device driver allows       
>two VM mainframes to communicate PVM to PVM using a LAN.  It also allows       
>a CMS user to communicate with a PC using the PVM/PC API.                      
>                                                                               
>While the function works, this is strategically a dry hole.  In current        
>usage one would either use TCP/IP or APPC (CPIC) for communications.           
>At this late date I would have expected PVM/PC to have been withdrawn.         
>                                                                               
                                                                                
This is very good info.                                                         
Just a note to let you know that PVM/PC is supported in the VM Workstation Data 
Save Facility, which was announced sometime last year.  It can be used with     
both the DOS and OS/2 client software, and would probably be the prefered       
method for DOS workstations.  Otherwise one must load up the 3270 Emulator      
API's before starting the DOS VM WDSF client software.                          
VM WDSF works over NETBIOS, 3270 API's, and TCP/IP for various OS/2, DOS, Apple 
 MAC, and Unix clients. It is for centralized automated control of workstation  
backup to the host.                                                             
                                                                                
>Several IBM research projects at Yorktown and Raleigh have explored            
>multi-transport arrangements.  Although the primary thrust might be            
>sockets-over-SNA and SNA-over-sockets, NETBIOS is ususally grandfathered       
>in to such designs.  No product has been produced.  The simple fact is         
>that there are relatively few PC based clients or servers which were           
>written which depend on the NETBIOS program interface.  Generally LAN          
>Manager/LAN Server is the only important NETBIOS user, and its SMB             
>control blocks could be (and are) just as easily transmitted over              
>sockets, APPC, DECNET, Appletalk, or OSI.                                      
>                                                                               
Mike Long                                                                       
Iowa State University