Q. IBM's September 1993 announcement about the RS-449 Communications Adapter implies that with frame-relay support, the AS/400 can connect directly to remote bridges or to the bridging function of the IBM 6611 Network Processor. I want to use a frame-relay public network to connect remote AS/400s and PCs to a central 6611 and allow for SNA and LAN NetView traffic between central and peripheral sites. Can this be done?
A. Yes. According to IBM, the AS/400 can connect directly to a 6611 or RouteXpander/2 using source-route bridging for token-ring or transparent bridging for Ethernet. The wide area network (WAN) connection between the AS/400 and the 6611 can be a frame-relay network or a point-to-point T1 line at speeds of up to 1.5Mbps. If it's point-to-point T1, the frame-relay protocol is being used on the communications line, but no frame-relay network is actually involved. Direct-connect testing between an AS/400 and a 6611 or RouteXpander/2 has been done for bridging both SNA/APPN and TCP/IP. I am assuming you would set up an APPN network, with the remote AS/400s as network nodes serving the PCs on the Ethernet LANs. I'm also assuming the LAN NetView traffic is SNA/APPN.
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
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