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- Newsgroups: comp.protocols.ibm
- Path: sparky!uunet!usc!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!destroyer!news.iastate.edu!isucard.card.iastate.edu!MLONG
- From: MLONG@isucard.card.iastate.edu
- Subject: Re: NETBIOS from/to VM possible? PVM/PC?
- Message-ID: <168321095B.MLONG@isucard.card.iastate.edu>
- Sender: news@news.iastate.edu (USENET News System)
- Organization: CARD
- References: <9207281934.AA0036@gilbert.ycc.yale.edu> <9207282035.AA0069@gilbert.ycc.yale.edu>
- Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 00:52:07 GMT
- Lines: 51
-
- In article <9207282035.AA0069@gilbert.ycc.yale.edu>
- Howard@GILBERT.YCC.YALE.EDU (Howard Gilbert) writes:
-
- >>Has anyone seen any IBM NETBIOS implementations from VM or MVS?
- >>Or know what "PVM/PC" is?
- >>Or what the "PSCA device driver" for PVM is?
- >>Does this product(?) offer NETBIOS PC to Mainframe communications?
- >
- >PVM/PC is an obscure PRPQ developed by IBM at Yorktown
- >Research. It provides communication between CMS users and PC programs
- >through the PVM program product. While it may at first look like
- >"NETBIOS on the mainframe" there is a stronger argument that it is "IUCV
- >on the PC." It does run on NETBIOS (the client PC communicates NETBIOS
- >to the 8232 which then talks to PVM as a simulated CTCA). However, this
- >requires a dedicated 8232 processor (ie one of the two AT boxes that
- >make up an 8232 CU) since the PVM/PC code does not coexist with other
- >(usually TCP/IP) uses of the same unit. However, one AT can run PVM/PC
- >while the other supports TCP/IP, both within the same 8232 rack.
- >
- >The PCCA (sic) was the prototype of the 8232 control unit which in turn
- >was the predecessor of the 3172 control unit. This device driver allows
- >two VM mainframes to communicate PVM to PVM using a LAN. It also allows
- >a CMS user to communicate with a PC using the PVM/PC API.
- >
- >While the function works, this is strategically a dry hole. In current
- >usage one would either use TCP/IP or APPC (CPIC) for communications.
- >At this late date I would have expected PVM/PC to have been withdrawn.
- >
-
- This is very good info.
- Just a note to let you know that PVM/PC is supported in the VM Workstation Data
- Save Facility, which was announced sometime last year. It can be used with
- both the DOS and OS/2 client software, and would probably be the prefered
- method for DOS workstations. Otherwise one must load up the 3270 Emulator
- API's before starting the DOS VM WDSF client software.
- VM WDSF works over NETBIOS, 3270 API's, and TCP/IP for various OS/2, DOS, Apple
- MAC, and Unix clients. It is for centralized automated control of workstation
- backup to the host.
-
- >Several IBM research projects at Yorktown and Raleigh have explored
- >multi-transport arrangements. Although the primary thrust might be
- >sockets-over-SNA and SNA-over-sockets, NETBIOS is ususally grandfathered
- >in to such designs. No product has been produced. The simple fact is
- >that there are relatively few PC based clients or servers which were
- >written which depend on the NETBIOS program interface. Generally LAN
- >Manager/LAN Server is the only important NETBIOS user, and its SMB
- >control blocks could be (and are) just as easily transmitted over
- >sockets, APPC, DECNET, Appletalk, or OSI.
- >
- Mike Long
- Iowa State University
-