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
shadow@uafhp.uucp (Shadow) (02/09/89)
In article <2796@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>, anderer@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (David G Anderer) writes: > Here's a convoluted problem: > > > 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. > At the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, we have a big blue machine too. I have to log into it for 370 assembler class. I prefer the UNIX environment, but an HP doesn't DO that! We have both SIM3278 and tn3270 (UNIX) and I have tried both. I must admit, I prefer SIM3278! It supports multiple big blue sessions and has on-line help and works very well (as well as your terminal emulation software...). tn3270 seems kind of primitive. It would be very nice if it had the features of telnet, but if it does, I can't seem to find them. I hope this is of help to you... Shadow
berger@clio.las.uiuc.edu (02/10/89)
In our lab at the Univ. of Il. Dept. of Statistics, we have a bunch of 3270-AT's, so we only have a handful of PC's with the problem. We have a special account that runs tn3270 on one of our Suns, and the networked PC's use a Sun as a protocol translator. Source code for tn3270 is available, but it looks like it would take a fair amount of effort to make it run in your configuration (though a PC-resident version has been done).