Date: 23 JUL 92 14:30:06 GMT
Newsgroups: vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.multinet
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X-RFC822-From: kim@skade.mainz.dk
From: kim@skade.mainz.dk
Subject: AS/400 can talk to Multinet - a success story
Organization: erik mainz a/s, Copenhagen, Denmark
X-Envelope-To: info-multinet@tgv.com
X-Vms-To: in%"info-multinet@tgv.com"

I have just participated in a project, that I thought I would tell you about. If 
you have no interest in IBM's AS/400, then just hit the delete button and go on 
to the next mail message.

The problem at hand was that a VAX/VMS system had been installed in a pure 
AS/400 shop. The AS/400 users needed access to the VAX, and print and files 
needed to to be transfered back to AS/400 land.

There are available on the market products that enable VMS and AS/400 to talk to 
each either on one or the other's terms, but in the interest of 'openness' I 
recommended that we investigate TCP/IP as the common factor.

On the VAX/VMS side, that was easy, as you will know since you are reding this 
list ;-).

On the IBM side, we found two TCP/IP alternatives, IBM's and OCS fra Open 
Connect Systems. IBMs was quickly dumped, because they did not have a VT 
emulator in their product (e.i. it was only dumb TTY emulation).

The OCS product set consists of a box (an OCS server) that connects to the 
Ethernet on one side and to Token Ring on the other side. On the Ethernet side 
it acts as an IP node, on the Token ring side it acts as an APPN node. This 
functionality is also available as code to run sn either an RS/6000 or a Sun, 
but we went with the box in this case.

In addidtion to this, some software is needed on the AS/400, in this case a 
Telnet client and an FTP Server.

On the day of the installation, I arrived with my Multinet kit and the OCS-guys 
with their box and software.

By the time I had Multinet up and running on the VAX, I could PING the OCS box. 
And after watching a lot of AS/400 screens flick by we where also able to FTP 
from the VAX and Telnet from the AS/400.

Most of the work went in to getting the correct translation tables installed to 
convert from DEC Multinational Characterset to Danish Multinational EBCDIC and 
vice versa. This for all components, Telnet, FTP and print and in both 
directions.

After all that was done, it worked like a dream. 

Telnet to the VAX works fine, if you get used to running 'emulated full duplex' 
on a block mode terminal. 

FTP between systems works, with a fine mapping between the 'unix-style' file 
system assumed by FTP and the 'library/file/member' structure on the AS/400.

Print from the VAX to the AS/400 printers is done by FTP-ing the print file to a 
special file on the AS/400, that turns out to be the spooler. Support is 
available for both 'pure' ASCII as well as Fortran Carriage Control.

All in all everyone was very pleased about the result, and it certainly isn't 
the last time I will recommed a solution like this one.

If you have any questions, please post them to me. I am NOT an AS700 expert (not 
even a user), but I will try to answer your questions or pass them on to someone 
who can.

Regards

Kim Wohlert

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Kim Wohlert             |Internet:    kim@mainz.dk
erik mainz a/s          |Phone:       +45 38 34 77 88
Dortheavej 7            |Fax:         +45 31 19 16 25
DK-2400 Copenhagen      |
Denmark                 |Home phone:  +45 42 24 63 23
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Newsgroups: vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.multinet