IPX networking with the reliability of a mainframe

Finally a good alternative to NetWare for SAA

Support for IPX clients on a dedicated communications platform that is reliable!

Are you looking for a good alternative to those NetWare for SAA servers that you have? Well look no further. The LINCS IPX SNA Server may be what you are looking for.

• Supports from 16 to 4048 host sessions
• Reliable, high MTBF communications platform (not a PC)
• Channel attachment directly to the host via ESCON or Bus & Tag, or choose from Frame Relay, SDLC, X.25, Token Ring or Ethernet
• Multiple (16) host support
• NetView compatible
• Cost effective
• Easy migration and coexistence with TN3270 and LPD clients
• Easy to install and configure
• Scaleable platforms
• High performance

Easy to Install

LINCS software is installed in the factory on ready to go hardware platforms built to your order, so there is no need to waste your valuable time building servers from scratch. LINCS configuration uses English-text menus. All you need to do is identify which interfaces will be host connections and which will be client connections. Next, configure a panel for setting up LU pools if desired, review a couple more panels to match IPX and SPX options to the rest of your network, and you are good to go.

Expanding the user license and upgrading software is a breeze too.

Configuration and Management

You can configure and manage LINCS from a device connected directly to the platform, or from a remote location using TELNET, an ASCII device, or from a NetView console. LINCS is fully NetView and NetView DM compatible. LINCS also provides SNMP MIB2 support.

LINCS allows clients to receive specific LUs or pooled LUs. Up to 16 different hosts and up to 32 different LU pools can be configured to provide LUs to the clients. Normally you can drop an 1174 running the LINCS IPX SNA Server onto the network to replace multiple NWSAA servers without having to reconfigure any of the clients.

Designed to Replace Multiple PC Gateways

LINCS platforms such as the 1174 are equipped to support lots of clients, up to 4048 on a single platform. LAN cards (Ethernet and Token Ring) may be added, up to 9 per 1174-25S to provide flexible networking solutions. And LINCS may provide host access to one client network or several. By disabling the IPX routing, LINCS will keep each network interface isolated from every other one, providing the ability to look like a separate SNA host server for each of the networks. Or configure LINCS to function as an IPX/SPX router/communications server to interconnect several client networks.

Network Transition Platform

Planning to migrate from a NetWare IPX environment to a TCP/IP environment? LINCS can help you there too, by supporting up to 4048 TN3270 client sessions. It is possible to mix TN3270 and IPX clients on the same platform (over the same PUs) in combination up to 4048 sessions per platform. Users can be configured to request the same LU whether configured as an IPX client or a TN3270 client, making migration painless.

What About Some of Those Other Features

LINCS supports the mapping of LUs to downstream SNA (PU) platforms, as well as true SNA gateway operations. LINCS supports IPX client printer sessions at the workstation, both LU 1 and LU 3 type data streams. LINCS also supports sending print jobs directly to LAN printers using either LPR/LPD protocol or through a socket connection. LINCS even supports APPN/APPC downstream clients and can function as a Dependent LU Requester (DLUR) to gateway 3270 traffic through an APPN network.

LINCS and the IPX SNA Server can be installed on most existing 1174s to add IPX support to existing coax display installations.

Feature Specifications

• Up to 4048 IPX clients/sessions per LINCS platform
• 16 different hosts capable
• Capable of serving up to 9 different LANs
• Host interfaces supported:
  • ESCON
  • Bus and Tag Channel, high speed transfer and data streaming
  • Token Ring
  • Ethernet
  • SDLC (up to T1/E1)
  • Frame Relay (up to T1/E1)
  • X.25 (up to T1/E1)
• Client interfaces supported:
  • 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
  • Token Ring
• NetView compatible
• Support for Dedicated, Pooled, Public, and Any LU configurations
• Remote configuration management through eManager