We have been looking at an IBM VTS setup for quite a while. Well, now the network people (open systems group) is interested.
Apparently, with the B18, we can also share it with Win/2000, Win/XP and the like. Just need another card for the scsi connection. Now, is this the same kind of connection that a FCP connection would use? i.e. by adding FCP channels on our z/890, can I share the FCP connection with whatever open systems connection is used? I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too... What I would like to do.... On the 390 side, I need regular (non-FCP) connections to the VTS. This would be escon or ficon. On the IFL side, the Linux software products seem to want a FCP connection (another set of cards...more cost). Now the Open Systems side want to connect in (they pay for the upgrade). Can I share that upgrade with the IFL side? Or, in order to have all three connections (if possible), would I have to have a mainframe channel card, a FCP card and a Open Systems connections thingie card in the VTS? One other option proposed (in which I'm not fond of at this time), is to have Linux, Oracle and DB2 backup agents running on the IFL side, that backup over the network to a "NETBACKUP" server that then writes to the VTS. I'm not fond of sending 3 TB of data over the lan, even with GB OSA adapters. It seems like there is more than one pass of the data over the lan, perhaps many passes. My gut at this time, says going directly via FCP would be much faster. Anyway, there is a new series of VTS systems. T3xxxx or something. We might now be looking at newer hardware. Tom Duerbusch THD Consulting