anderer@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (David G Anderer) (02/08/89)
Here's a convoluted problem: We've got several classrooms of IBM PCs (and ATs and PS/2s) each running on their own Novell SFT 2.1 LAN. The machines are connected via Thin Ethernet and use Excelan cards (205Ts, 215Ts for MCA.) This is a 'supported' setup from Novell and works nicely. Some of these LANs are also connected out to our ProNet-80 campus backbone. This backbone connects to the computing center where most of the central mainframes are located. We bought the Excelan cards because they would allow the PCs to maintain simultaneous sessions to the Novell servers (XNS) and to the mainframes (Excelan telnet, tcp/ip). Again, this all works nicely. However, one mainframe we need to connect to is an IBM 3090. It seems that machine only knows how to talk to 3270 terminals over a telnet (WISCNET) connection. The version of telnet Excelan ships can only pretend to be a VT-52, -100, or -220. Thus the problem. I can see a couple of solutions here: 1. Have the 3090 (running VM) understand how to handle a VT-100 via telnet. I'm told there is a package called SIM3270 that does this, but I'm also told people here are uncomfortable with the way it's implemented. 2. Obtain a version of telnet that runs on the Excelan card and does 3270 emulation. 3. Obtain source for a PD version of telnet that does 3270 emulation (but doesn't support the Excelan card) and add Excelan support. Excelan does sell a socket library for their card which might make this easier. #1 seems unlikely from here. I'd like to find something for #2 or #3. Are there answers out there for these, or other solutions I haven't thought of? Dave Anderer Academic Computing and Instructional Technology University of Delaware anderer@vax1.acs.udel.edu -- Dave Anderer Academic Computing and Instructional Technology University of Delaware
jesper@freja.diku.dk (Jesper L. Lauritsen) (02/09/89)
anderer@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (David G Anderer) writes: >We bought the Excelan cards because they would allow the PCs to maintain >simultaneous sessions to the Novell servers (XNS) and to the mainframes >(Excelan telnet, tcp/ip). Again, this all works nicely. >However, one mainframe we need to connect to is an IBM 3090. It seems >that machine only knows how to talk to 3270 terminals over a telnet >(WISCNET) connection. The version of telnet Excelan ships can only >pretend to be a VT-52, -100, or -220. Thus the problem. > 2. Obtain a version of telnet that runs on the Excelan card and > does 3270 emulation. Excelan has a new telnet in beta test. It is called HostAccess/3270 and can do 3270 emulation. I talked to the European regional manager som months ago. They were then looking for new beta testers. HostAccess/3270 can not do VT-100 (etc.), but you can shift between the usual HostAccess and HostAccess/3270. I have not my self used any of Excelans products (at least not yet). --Jesper ----------- Jesper L. Lauritsen, Center for Applied Datalogy, Univ. of Copenhagen jesper@freja.diku.dk or ibtjll@vm.ibt.dk or ibtjll@dkibt.bitnet
jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (02/09/89)
In article <2797@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>, anderer@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (David G Anderer) writes: > Here's a convoluted problem: > > We've got several classrooms of IBM PCs (and ATs and PS/2s) each running > on their own Novell SFT 2.1 LAN. The machines are connected via Thin > Ethernet and use Excelan cards (205Ts, 215Ts for MCA.) This is a > 'supported' setup from Novell and works nicely. > ... > However, one mainframe we need to connect to is an IBM 3090. > ... > 2. Obtain a version of telnet that runs on the Excelan card and > does 3270 emulation. We sell the only TN3270 for DOS that can run on the EXOS205. We offer co-existence with Netware on a number of cards, but the EXOS205 is not presently one of them. > 3. Obtain source for a PD version of telnet that does 3270 emulation > (but doesn't support the Excelan card) and add Excelan support. You could port Greg Minshall's Unix "tn3270", available from U.C. Berkeley on tape, or via FTP from ucbarpa.berkeley.edu. You'll need a sockets library, a curses library, and the program probably will require large model. The code is pretty portable (we used it), but it isn't structured for DOS, or a bit-mapped display. -- James B. VanBokkelen We're moving. After 2/26, the new number FTP Software Inc. will be (617) 246-0900.