5. An X-Windows based 3270 emulation solution that consolidates multiple mainframe Control Unit Terminals (CUT) or Distributed Function Terminals into one multi-windowed UNIX solution.

This solution is very unique and has profound implications for 3270 access to mainframe systems. An X-Direct hardware and software combination allows for coaxial connection to up to seven mainframes simultaneously. This means that a System Administrator can monitor up to seven physical systems or seven LPAR's (Licensed Partitions) from multiple 3270 windows on a single UNIX workstation. This is a very powerful capability, but it is only a portion of the story.

Through this implementation, Mainframe System Console sessions can be brought into the realm of UNIX GUI functionality. All of the capabilities of the X-Direct emulators can be employed to accomplish sophisticated solutions relative to the monitoring of mainframe messages and status. Through the combination of the GoScript high-level scripting language and the EHLLAPI functions, the UNIX system can simultaneously scan the output of all the system consoles and respond in a pre-defined programmatic manner to system messages that may occur. Further, LU1 or LU3 print streams may be directed to a printer attached to the UNIX system, or any lpr/lpd printer in a TCP/IP network. With this new level of functionality, the combinations for improving productivity in the mainframe systems administration area are just beginning to be explored. Figure 8 illustrates an overview of multi-mainframe system console consolidation.