---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash 7.1 SunLink CG3270 SunFLASH Vol 37 #9 January 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- o Sun's primary 3270 emulation product with industry-leading color, graphics, and ease-of-use o Runs under OpenWindows Version 3 o Fully localizeable (single byte) o Supports the TN3270 protocol (with color and graphics) o Includes an API for integration with SunOS applications o Licensed based on number of concurrent users o Supports APL2 character set o AS/400 Connectivity (Limited) Introduction SunConnect, a Sun Microsystems Incorporated Business, announced SunLink CG3270. This product is now SMCC's mainstream 3270 emulation product. It is an effective tool in penetrating large commercial IBM accounts with a large installed base of mainframe/3270 applications. This product provides robust color graphic IBM terminal emulation using any SunLink IBM protocol gateway (BSC3270, SNA3270, or Channel Gateway) as well as TN3270 for direct TCP/IP to mainframe, and can support limited AS/400 terminal emulation. While the previous version ran under OpenWindows Version 2 using Lite Toolkit, 7.1 CG3270 runs under OpenWindows V3 using the OPENLOOKed TNT NeWS interface. CG3270 is an excellent showcase for OpenWindows, allowing for dynamic resizing of text and graphics windows, postscript-compatible output, and entirely window and menu-based operation. FEATURES AND BENEFITS --------------------- Features Benefits ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fully localizeable Meets user requirements where US-English is not native language Supports TN3270 Communicates to IBM mainframes using TCP/IP (instead of SNA) Application Programming Interface Provides OEMs and Developers a method of integrating Sun applications with CG3270 Concurrent usage licensing Offers maximum cost-effectiveness APL2 Character Set Meets Insurance Industry requirements AS/400 Connectivity Eases integration with industry's most popular midrange system SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS --------------------- - SunLink CG3270 is an add-on terminal emulation product that must be used with one of the SunLink 3270 communication gateway products (unless communicating to IBM's TCP/IP product via an 8232 or 3172). - Hardware Requirements: -- SunLink CG3270 7.1 runs on all SPARCsystem and Sun-4 product families -- SunLink CG3270 is designed for color systems, but also supports grayscale and monochrome systems - Software Requirements: -- A SunLink 6.1, 7.0, or 7.1 3270 gateway product (SunLink SNA 3270, SunLink BSC 3270, or SunLink Local 3270) must be installed to provide communication gateway with IBM host (unless TN3270 is used). -- OpenWindows Version 3 must be installed on workstation from which users operate SunLink CG3270 emulator -- SunNet License Platform (included with CG3270 right-to-use/media/documentation orders) -- Sun Operating System, SunOS, 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 FEATURE DESCRIPTIONS -------------------- Utility Windows: SunLink CG3270 provides four pop-up utility windows in which users can perform tasks or change program parameters during execution: the color mapper, file transfer, output control, and keyboard mapper windows. SunLink CG3270 pop-up windows have an assigned position relative to the SunLink CG3270 main menu, but can be moved and layered like other menu-driven windows. Closing a pop-up window causes it to vanish rather than close into an icon; however, the last data entered is retained. The color mapper window lets users dynamically personalize the eight logical colors outputted by the IBM mainframe in the extended datastream. Color selections are displayed on buttons on the color mapper window. To select a foreground or background color, users click on the desired color button. By moving graphical slider bars, users can modify the red, green, and blue components of the color, altering the shade. The file transfer window provides a menu-driven, user-friendly interface for 3270 PC-compatible file transfer. Using structured fields, files are transferred between workstation and host over 3270 datastreams. The IBM host requires a custom application program available from IBM for use with VM/CMS, CICS, or MVS/TSO. These programs are called the 3270-PC File Transfer Programs. The output control window is used to write various SunLink CG3270 parameter files to a specified directory, and to capture character or graphics output into a named file. This file contains a PostScript language description of the graphics screen. It can be printed on a PostScript printer using the SunLink CG3270 print facility, which adds header and trailer information wrapped around the screen description. Header and trailer wrappers are included in the SunLink CG3270 setup directory. The key mapper window contains an image of a user-selectable Sun keyboard for easy mapping of Sun keys to 3270 key values, 3270 functions, and SunLink CG3270 menu items. Using pull-down menus, users can select their desired keyboard type. The mapper is an independent program similar to a utility window, but features its own icon. Mapping Sun keys to frequently used SunLink CG3270 menu items such as Zoom gives users a quick and easy method for executing selected functions. Either the mouse or the keyboard can be used for key mapping. The keyboard mapper also serves as a keyboard cribsheet, displaying the current key-mapped values on the graphical Sun keyboard for quick reference. Localization SunLink CG3270 provides two customization capabilities for non-US/English users. First, translation tables are provided from IBM's EBCDIC language-specific codes to the OpenWindows ISO Latin-1 font. The user simply has to specify what language they are using, and SunLink CG3270 will use the specified translation table. Secondly, all messages generated by SunLink CG3270 are in text message files suitable for translation. Both the translation tables and message files support single-byte translation only. See the end of this document for a list of supported EBCDIC/ISO Latin-1 translations. Programming Interface SunLink CG3270 supports an application programming used to integrate SunOS applications with an active CG3270 window. The API permits a developer to write an application that can take control of the CG3270 window at any time, send 3270 screens to the host (or receive 3270 screens from the host), and/or perform specialized processing on the Sun workstation. One example of this is an application that uses the CG3270 API to "monitor" a user's CG3270 session. When a specific screen containing an insurance claim ID is displayed, the custom CG3270 application could initiate a SunOS program displaying a scanned-in image of the original claim form. AS/400 Connectivity AS/400's have the ability to communicate with 3270 cluster controllers. Because SunLink SNA 3270 emulates a 3270 cluster controller, CG3270 can be used with SNA 3270 to communicate with an AS/400. The AS/400 is entirely responsible for keyboard translation and 5250-to-3270 display attribute conversion. File transfer is not supported, nor is printer emulation. Users interested in this functionality should understand the limitations described in the AS/400 C&SM User's Guide, Chapter 6, DHCF Considerations. U.S. PRICING AND ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS -------------------------------------- The End-User and Reseller price lists will contain the following entries (please see the actual price list for specific product notes): Discount Description Order Numbers List Price Category Service Price ========================================================================== 7.1 SunLink CG3270 C32-7.1-4.1-4-21 $750 A $20 CD, 1 RTU 7.1 SunLink CG3270 C32-X-X-X-0 $600 A $20 Single RTU-only 7.1 SunLink CG3270 Doc C32-7.1-X-X-9 $150 A N/A Note: Per-incident software upgrade prices will be announced separately prior to FCS. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.