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# 1. Introducing the BEA eLink SNA System

## Features

BEA eLink for Mainframe SNA software provides a bidirectional link enabling BEA TUXEDO and IBM mainframe applications to interact as either a client or server, using a Customer Information Control System/Extended System Architecture (CICS/ESA) Distributed Program Link (DPL), Information Management System (IMS) implicit LU6.2, or any IBM-supported Application Program-to-Program Communication (APPC) or CICS/ESA interface.

BEA eLink SNA version 3.2 offers significant enhancements to prior versions. In summary, these include:

- The eLink SNA gateway has been enhanced to support the eLink Data Integration Option (DIO), enabling access to extended data mapping facilities. Refer to "Data Mapping Tool."

- The gateway software is capable of operating with IMS at sync-level 2 for both implicit and explicit call models. Refer to "APPC/IMS Programming Considerations."

- The gateway now generally supports use of the Compaq SNA Stack, previously supported through Controlled Availability release.

- The gateway now generally supports use of the Microsoft SNA Server Stack.

  ## Functions

  BEA eLink for Mainframe SNA software performs the following functions:

  - It supports the Application-Transaction Monitor Interface (ATMI) request/response model. Applications running in local TUXEDO System /T domains can request services in a remote domain. The remote domain is a MVS/CICS region. Applications in the remote domain can request services in a local TUXEDO System domain.

  - It also supports the ATMI conversational model. Applications can establish a conversation between clients and servers in a TUXEDO System /T domain and an MVS/CICS region defined as a remote domain. Either side can initiate the conversation.

  - It performs administration and configuration of a BEA eLink for Mainframe SNA gateway through the DMADM server and DMCONFIG server for an SNA Domains instantiation.

  - It supports the following typed buffers: FML, FML32, VIEW, VIEW32, X_COMMON, STRING, C_ARRAY, and X_OCTET. All buffer types except C_ARRAY and X_OCTET are converted automatically to and from EBCDIC between TUXEDO and CICS; C_ARRAY and X_OCTET are not converted.

  - It maintains connectivity to multiple System Network Architecture (SNA) networks from the local TUXEDO System /T domain.

  - It performs conversion between ASCII and EBCDIC encoding.

  ## Supported TUXEDO/WLE Platforms

  Table 1-1 lists UNIX-based platforms, Windows NT platforms, and corresponding SNA protocol Stacks supported by BEA eLink for Mainframe SNA 3.2 with BEA TUXEDO or BEA WebLogic Enterprise.

  > Table 1-1 Supported TUXEDO Platforms

  Operating System Version | Stack Version | TUXEDO Version | WebLogic Enterprise Version
  --- | --- | --- | ---
  AIX 4.3 | IBM Comm Server 5.0 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  HP-UX 10.20 | SNAplus2 6.0 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  HP-UX 11.00 | SNAplus2 6.0 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  Windows NT 4.0 | IBM Comm Server 5.0 and 6.0 for Windows NT | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  Windows NT 4.0 | Microsoft SNA Server 4.0, SP3 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  Solaris 2.6 | DCL SNAP-IX 6.0 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  Solaris 2.6 | SUN Link 9.1 1 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  Solaris 2.6 | Brixton 4.11 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2
  Solaris 7 | DCL SNAP-IX 6.0 | 6.5 | None
  Compaq Tru 64 4.0d | Compaq SNA 3.2 | 6.5 | 4.0, 4.2

  1. Sync-level 2 not supported.

  ## Supported Host Platforms

  Table 1-2 lists the IBM host platforms supported by BEA eLink for Mainframe SNA 3.2.

  > Table 1-2 Supported Host Platforms

  Vendor | Classification | Product | Version | Comments
  --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
  IBM | MF/OS | OS390 | 1.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 | Y2K Certified
  IBM | MF/OS | VM | 2.3 | Y2K Certified
  IBM | MF/OS | VSE/ESA | 2.3 | Y2K Certified
  IBM | MF/OLTP | CICS/ESA | 4.1 | for MVS
  IBM | MF/OLTP | CICS Transaction Server for OS/390 | 1.2 | for MVS
  IBM | MF/OLTP | CICS | 2.3 | for VSE
  IBM | MF/OLTP | IMS/ESA Transaction Manager | 5.1 6.1 | for MVS
  IBM | MF/TCOM | ACF/VTAM | 3.4+ | for MVS
  IBM | MF/TCOM | ACF/NCP | 4.3+ | for MVS
  IBM | MF/TCOM | ACF/VTAM |  | for VSE
  IBM | MF/TCOM | ACF/NCP |  | for VSE
  IBM | MF/OS | OS390 | 1.2 | Y2K Certified

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  Last update: October 1, 1999.