HP NonStop FTAM over IP (case Study)
Posted by faizel isaacs on February 3rd, 2009 filed in HP NonStop Application Support1. Introduction
Interoperability of FTAM over IP and also why a native FTAM install is so complex if you
want to use it over TCPIP/LAN.
1.1 Scope of work.
Research interoperability of the OSI stack between a HP NonStop (TANDEM) operating system and a
SIEMENS RELIANT UNIX version 5.45 systems. Compliance to ISO 8571, as well as RFC 1006
detailing Gateway specification for LAN and WAN Networks - x25 over the OSI Stack.
1.2 Research
There is a product on the market that incorporates FTAM over IP as a layerd product,
the software is called OpenFT, and it does all the FTAM negotiation for you between
the receiver and responder, as well as translates Commnames (FTAM address / DTE Address
- Digital Equipment Address), DNS lookups and translations, distinguishes between FTAM
profiles and FT profiles so it is quite flexible.
Cisco also recently came out with a router (XOT) that’s capable out doing the switch between X.25 and IP.
Also attached is a detailed RFC of what
needs to be in place and what needs to happen on your network for a native FTAM install over IP to be implemented successfully.
Most Unix platforms makes use of this product (ncopy).
The most common networks support by OpenFT are TCP?IP, NEA, ISO, SNA,
X.21/X.25, ISDN, GSM mobile telephony or MODACOM. X.25 or TCPIP transport medium.
1.3 Recommendation / Findings
The HP Nonstop Integrity or even S-Series (Tandem) is ISO compliant, but there’s a vast difference
in the set-up of the FTAM Initiator profile, TANDEM (HP Nonstop) runs on NonStop TCP/IP or PARALLELE TCPIP,
while the UNIX environment makes use of the local LAN or WAN network.
According to ISO standards for interoperability for two remote host to communicate the profiles
must at least be compliant on the lower lever since the OSI stack comprises of seven layers.
Also the Tandem Guardian file system got a limitation of eight character file names
while the UNIX environment is set to 256. The Software that run’s on the
TANDEM (HP Nonstop) only caters for FTAM document type 1 and FTAM document type 3 files, while it needs to
act as the initiator (in my case study) of the FTAM transfer, the local HP Nonstop application would have to be modified to cater
for NBS-9 FTAM.
Maximum throughput / clock speed is 35 mb per hour over x.25 while speeds of
up to 290 mb per hour can be easily achieved across TCP/IP.
The business application software that runs on top of the HP Nonstop should be modified to move off the Guardian file system
and onto the OSS environment on the HP Nonstop server.
By acquiring the OpenFT software these goals can be achieved easily,
or by connecting the HP Nonstop SWAN concentrator to the Cisco XOT router into the X.25 cloud no application porting
is required as the Cisco XOT router interface would handle this switch for you seamlessly.
OpenFT comes with a GUI interface for building customize file transfer
applications (API), encryption and automated job scheduling, so OpenFT give you the flexibility to port your legacy polling applications.
Whilst the Cisco XOT router would provide the business seamless integration without any application
porting needed on the HP Nonstop environment.
1.4 RFC