ABSTRACT

The idea of what a network looks like in an IBM-dominated computing environment is in need of a serious update. The all-SNA star network, consisting in the main of 3270 and remote job entry (RJE) terminals multi-dropped off synchronous data link control (SDLC) links to a central S/370 host, is now a relic. New IBM networks consist of microcomputer LANs& both Token Ring and Ethernet& that are appendages of a central, multiprotocol backbone. Systems Network Architecture is just one of the many disparate networking protocols flowing across the backbone. Thanks to the ever-increasing popularity of microcomputers and UNDIX workstations in what are still primarily IBM shops, host- and PC-based applications are now routinely front-ended, complemented, or in some instances totally usurped by LAN-oriented, workstation centric, client/ server applications.