Chapter 11 - Native VINES Options
This chapter describes options that are not part of base VINES software. On most servers, you can install the VINES options you need at any time. If you purchase options when you order your server part of the installation may be done for you.
If a service is not provided with your server when it arrives at your site, you can add it later by installing optional software at the server console. You may also have to add hardware to the server. Instructions for these tasks appear in the Option Guide shipped with the option.
Options are enabled by an Option Code, a 14-digit number plus a 3-digit enabler that you enter at the console. The next section describes option keys.
For most of the options described in this chapter, you receive an Option Code that enables you to use the option on one server. Each Option Code has a label that identifies the option that can be installed with that code. It is very important that you keep track of your option codes.
See the VINES Server Installation Guide for installation instructions.
Some options are not supported on all types of Banyan servers. Contact your Banyan sales representative for details.
This section describes the options that can be purchased.
DOS
3270/SNA services allow a workstation on the network to communicate with IBM (or compatible) host computers or with any other hosts that use SNA (Systems Network Architecture). This option supports the synchronous IBM SNA/SDLC protocol and Token-Ring.
The system emulates a remote 3174, 3274, 3276 controller connected through an SNA/SDLC link or Token-Ring LAN to an IBM 37x5 controller, with the workstations emulating 3278 or 3279 terminals. Users can exit from terminal emulation, while maintaining sessions with the host, to use file transfer or similar programs. You can impose workstation-level, server-level, and link-level restrictions to confine access to an LU (logical unit).
For complete instructions on the installation, management, and use of these services, see the VINES 3270/SNA Option Guide and the VINES Advanced 3270/SNA Option Guide.
VINES includes software tools and documentation for applications developers who want to create programs to run on a Banyan network. Typical developers include consultants, software application companies, in-house development staffs, and resellers of Banyan products. The developer obtains the tools software and documentation and writes programs to meet the needs of users or customers.
Developers can create applications that distribute processing to the appropriate computers anywhere in a Banyan network. Third-party applications can be services, clients, or stand-alone utility programs that use VINES features. They can run on a server or on a workstation. Third-party applications can take full advantage of the VINES naming system, distributed applications architecture, communications capabilities, security features, and administrative interface.
An extensive set of C, UNIX, DOS, Windows, and OS/2 tools allows the developer to create fully integrated applications that can be managed with standard VINES programs. An example of a server-based application is a gateway between VINES Network Mail and another electronic mail system.
If your site has any such programs, you may have a role in managing them and providing information to users. You can manage these services through the VINES management menus. The developer must provide you with the information about how these programs work, including detailed documentation for administrators and users.
For information on VINES software tools options, see the VINES Applications Toolkit documentation.
The VINES Assistant option is a collection of utilities that help you manage, fine tune, and troubleshoot a Banyan network. The option performs the following tasks:
Gathers critical network performance information Audits network configurations Modifies network configurations globally Automates network maintenance tasks Monitors network availability
The option is available from Banyan's Advanced Network Services group. Contact your sales representative for more information.
Asynchronous Terminal Emulation
DOS
Asynchronous terminal emulation (ATE) service lets Banyan client workstations perform the following tasks:
Act as terminals connected to a host computer or to any device that supports asynchronous terminals. (The X.25 option must be installed on the server for server-to-host communications through an X.25 PDN.) The ATE option allows a server connection to a host that uses a character-oriented asynchronous protocol. The system supports file transfer protocols and provides full modem support for asynchronous autodial networks. File transfer using the Kermit protocol is an option that can be used with this service.
Access the development environment on a native VINES server. With the ATE option and the VINES Applications Toolkit, you can develop programs at a workstation or at a server console. Access a server console and convert your workstation into a remote server console. When you use the remote console feature, your workstation becomes the server console. Any commands that you enter at your workstation are also displayed on the server console. You do not have to purchase the ATE option to create a remote console.
For information, refer to the Banyan Asynchronous Terminal Emulation Guide. The remote console feature is also described in Banyan Server Operations Guide.
Intelligent Messaging is a full-function electronic mail facility, available to all users of the network. The option lets users send and receive mail on a Banyan network. You can have one mail service on each each server.
The mail service provides two functions: mailboxes for individual users and a routing service to user mailboxes on other servers. Users can access their mailbox from any workstation on the network. The routing service also provides storage and forwarding for messages on their way to remote sites.
Intelligent Messaging is integrated with Beyond Mail, StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA), the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Mail Gateway, and the third-party mail gateways. The SMTP option is described later in this chapter.
For complete instructions on installing, managing, and using the Mail option, see the Intelligent Messaging Administrator's Guide.
ISDN BRI Server-to-Server Communications
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a high-speed integrated digital communications service. The current CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee) standards for ISDN define two channel types for the interface between the customer and the network:
B channel D channel
The B channel is a user channel. The D channel carries signaling information. VINES supports only the B channel.
The ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) contains two B channels and one D channel. To use the VINES ISDN BRI Server-to-Server option, each server needs one Datavoice® BRI card from SCII Telecom. A server can have a maximum of three cards (or six B channels).
The number and kinds of ISDN services depend on your service provider. In the United States, the service provider is one of the telephone companies. The service provider supplies you with information needed to configure ISDN (for example, an ISDN network address).
Managing Communications describes how to configure the Datavoice card and ISDN lines.
The VINES Option for Macintosh lets you connect Macintosh computers and other devices (for example, PAP-compatible PostScript printers) that have built-in support for AppleTalk protocols to a Banyan network.
Chapter 2, Chapter 4, Chapter 9, and Chapter 10 describe the major features of this option.
The only VINES option supported on Macintosh computers is VINES Mail for Macintosh. Macintosh client workstation users cannot store files on a native VINES server.
See Managing AppleTalk on a VINES Network and the VINES User's Guide for Macintosh for more information.
VINES Mail for Macintosh lets Macintosh users create, read, send, and manage mail on a Banyan network. The user interface of the option is consistent with the Macintosh user interface. Users can send and receive mail from DOS, Windows, and OS/2 users running VINES Network Mail or third-party mail products.
The VINES Mail for Macintosh option requires the VINES Option for Macintosh and the VINES Network Mail option.
For complete instructions on installing, managing, and using Mail for Macintosh, see the VINES Network Mail Option Guide and VINES Mail for Macintosh User's Guide.
Multilingual VINES lets users of many nationalities log in to the same network to perform to daily tasks in their own languages. Each language version supports the character set and time and date formats that are customary in the countries in which the language is spoken.
Chapter 7 describes the directory structure of drive Z (VINES Files) when Multilingual VINES is installed.
Network and Systems Management
The VINES Network and Systems Management (VNSM) option, which you run with the MNET command, provides statistics about server performance, network traffic, server configuration, and about hardware, such as LAN or serial communications cards. It is an informational tool for knowledgeable network designers or advanced administrators responsible for monitoring network performance and solving problems.
This option provides the following capabilities:
Lets your server communicate with a DOS, Windows, or OS/2 workstation from which the MNET command is entered. The server can then be monitored from any DOS, Windows, or OS/2 workstation in the network or from the server console of any server on which the option is installed. Lets you monitor from the server console all the servers that have the option installed.
You can run VNSM software even if your server does not have the option installed. However, without the option you can only gather statistics and configuration information about your server from its server console. The option lets you collect information about other servers and monitor them from a workstation. The VNSM option is useful in any network, but is especially recommended for large, multi-server networks.
For instructions on how to use the program, see Monitoring and Optimizing Servers.
DOS
The PC Dial-in option allows a workstation to connect to a native VINES server using a block-oriented asynchronous protocol. VINES PC Dial-in is supported for DOS client workstations, but is not supported for Windows 95 clients.
Note: You cannot use PC Dial-in to connect to a StreetTalk for Windows NT server. Instead, use the Windows NT Remote Access Service (RAS).
If you install this option, you use StreetTalk Explorer or the MGROUP or the MUSER program to specify that users can log in on a serial line. You can also create a User Dial-in Access List on the server. This has the following implications for network security:
The User Dial-in Access List overrides the dial-in capability assigned to users through StreetTalk Explorer, MUSER, or MGROUP. So, if you use these Banyan management tools but do not include the users on that server's User Dial-in Access List, the users cannot log in. If you include users on a server's User Dial-in Access List, but do not specify through MUSER or MGROUP that the users can dial in to that server, the users cannot log in.
Remember that users who can access your server have access to your entire network.
Setting up a User Dial-in Access List is not a requirement. Do so only if your security needs warrant it.
For information, refer to the PC Dial-in Option Guide.
Windows
The PCPRINT option establishes a connection between a Banyan print service and a printer connected to a DOS, Windows, OS/2 workstation. The option runs on that workstation and lets users on other remote workstations send print jobs to it. Chapter 10 describes the PCPRINT program.
Managing VINES Services describes how to configure the option. The Command Reference describes the PCPRINT command.
The VINES Server-to-Server over SNA option (SS/SNA) lets you connect Banyan networks over a local or wide area SNA network. SS/SNA makes all services (for example, file, print, and Mail) on a local Banyan network available on a remote Banyan network located across an SNA network. The option runs on a native VINES server and requires a dedicated gateway workstation. No additional software is installed on the SNA host systems.
For more information, see the VINES SS/SNA Guide.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Agent
The VINES SNMP Agent option lets a native VINES server run an SNMP service. The SNMP service responds to requests from an SNMP manager and collects statistics and configuration information about a Banyan network. The manager usually runs on a UNIX workstation. The service communicates with the manager over a TCP/IP network. The SNMP option requires the installation of the VINES TCP/IP Routing Option.
If you purchase SNMP, you need to install TCP/IP before you install SNMP.
See the VINES SNMP Agent Guide for more information about this option.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Mail Gateway
The SMTP option provides a set of rules and procedures for transferring electronic mail, most commonly in computer networks that support TCP/IP protocols. Typically, SMTP is used to transfer mail to networks in other organizations.
The SMTP option requires the TCP/IP routing option. If you purchase SMTP, you should install TCP/IP before you install SMTP.
For more information on this option, see the SMTP Gateway Option Guide.
The Banyan T1 Server-to-Server option software and Promptus® T1 card provide long-distance, high-speed, reliable transmission of data between servers.
In order to send and receive T1 transmissions, each server must have a Promptus T1 card installed and T1 settings configured. A single server can have up to five cards, thereby allowing that server to communicate with up to five other card-equipped servers. With the T1 option, a card-equipped server communicates directly with another card-equipped server. All T1 transmissions are point-to-point.
The Promptus T1 card is designed to be directly connected to a public telephone network and can be used for either full or fractional T1 service.
Note: Although the ICAplus card also provides T1 services (fractional T1), it cannot be used to connect to a server with the T1 Promptus card.
For more information on this option, see the Banyan T1 Server-to-Server Guide.
The TCP/IP option lets a native VINES servers participate in networks of computers that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to communicate. The option includes TCP/IP Routing and TCP/IP Server-to-Server communications.
The Banyan TCP/IP Routing option lets servers route traffic between hosts (for example, minicomputers) that do not use VINES protocols to communicate. Servers with the Banyan TCP/IP Server-to-Server option can exchange VINES packets through host gateways that perform Internet Protocol (IP) routing. The VINES packets contain data that originates from VINES services, such as mail and StreetTalk.
See the Banyan TCP/IP Guide for more information.
The Token-Ring Bridge option lets your native VINES server emulate an IBM computer that runs the IBM Token-Ring Network Bridge program. The option allows VINES or non-VINES systems on different Token-Ring LANs to communicate through the server.
A Token-Ring LAN is a group of systems (nodes) that are directly connected in a ring topology by a common physical medium. These nodes use medium access protocols that conform to the IEEE 802.5 standard to communicate.
To communicate through a server emulating a Token-Ring bridge, non-VINES nodes on the Token-Ring LANs must use source-level routing. When source-level routing is enabled, 18 bytes of special routing information is included with the data that is sent. VINES workstations use VINES protocols to communicate through the server.
For information on the Token-Ring Bridge option, see the VINES Token-Ring Bridge Option Guide.
The WAN Server-to-Server option allows you to connect two native VINES servers together. Servers can be connected in one of the following two ways:
Asynchronous dial-up lines or direct connect lines Synchronous direct-connect lines or dial-up lines
The asynchronous option uses a block-oriented asynchronous protocol. The synchronous option uses the HDLC (High-Level Data Link Control) protocol.
For more information, refer to Managing Communications.
The X.25 option allows server-to-server or server-to-host connections using an X.25 network. This option supports the X.25 protocol as defined in the CCITT X.25 Recommendation. X.25 uses HDLC and requires a synchronous modem at the server.
For information, refer to the VINES X.25 Guide.
DOS
The X.29 option lets a native VINES server communicate with a host directly connected to host by an X.25 line or through a Public Data Network (PDN). These connections require the X.25 server-to-server option and the Asynchronous Terminal Emulation option.
The X.29 option also lets a DOS workstation dial-in to a native VINES server through a PDN or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) service. This requires the X.25 server-to-server option.
For more information, see the VINES X.29 Dial-in Guide.
Example A VINES Server Running Multiple Options
Figure 11-1 shows a native VINES server with two ICA cards. The server is running the following options:
3270/SNA Asynchronous Terminal Emulation (ATE) Intelligent Messaging Macintosh option (AppleTalk and AFP service) Mail for Macintosh PC Dial-in Server-to-Server over SNA TCP/IP Routing TCP/IP Server-to-Server Token-Ring Bridge WAN Server-to-Server X.25 Server-to-Server X.29 Dial-in
Remote native VINES servers are running the following options:
T1 Server-to-Server option ISDN BRI Server-to-Server
For more information on the topics discussed in this chapter, see the following books in the VINES documentation set:
Banyan T1 Server-to-Server Guide
Managing AppleTalk on a VINES Network
Monitoring and Optimizing Servers
Banyan Server Operations Guide
VINES Advanced 3270/SNA Option Guide
Banyan Asynchronous Terminal Emulation Guide
VINES Server Installation Guide
VINES Mail for Macintosh User's Guide
VINES Network Mail Option Guide
VINES PC Dial-in Option Guide
VINES SNMP Agent Guide
VINES SMTP Option Guide
VINES SS/SNA Guide
VINES Token-Ring Bridge Option Guide
VINES User's Guide for Macintosh
VINES X.29 Dial-in Guide
VINES Applications Toolkit documentation
