This chapter contains overview information for the 7318 Serial Communications Network Server. This chapter also includes specific information to set up and attach terminals, printers, and modems to a 7318 Model P10, guidelines for cabling your network, and specific information on installing and configuring the 7318 Model P10.
Refer to the 7318 Model S20 Guide and Reference for information specific to the 7318 Model S20.
The IBM 7318 Serial Communications Network Server is a multiprotocol communications server that connects serial and parallel ports to an Ethernet. There are two models of the 7318, the Model P10 and S20. Both models have the same physical connectivity and appearance; however, the model S20 supports standard TCP/IP protocols in addition to the complete functionality of the Model P10.
The 7318 Model P10 and S20 provide for attachment of 16 serial asynchronous devices and two parallel printers to one or more systems utilizing standard Ethernet wiring and an Ethernet interface. The 7318 Model P10 is unique when compared to other Ethernet "terminal servers" in that the attached devices appear to the systems as native devices attached through a multiport adapter.
This capability gives the user all the flexibility of Ethernet terminal servers with all the advantages of a multiport adapter. For instance, terminal users can connect directly to one or more systems on the network without being dependent on one system. Systems can also share devices attached to the 7318 Model P10. These connectivity advantages are provided while at the same time providing the same configurability and control as a native serial and parallel port.
The 7318 Models P10 and S20 connect to the system over Ethernet wiring. For systems that have integrated Ethernet, the 7318 has an advantage over multiport boards in that it consumes no adapter card slots. Model P10 ports are attached to systems using network cabling. The network is made transparent because the devices appear to be locally attached tty or LP devices.
The 7318 Model S20 ports can be configured to operate the same as a Model P10 port or can be used to take full advantage of a network environment. The Model S20 supports standard Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking protocols, telnet and rlogin, which can be used to communicate to any similarly capable systems on the network. The Model S20 also supports 3270 terminal emulation for communication with applications like CICS/6000 or for communication with large systems. The 7318 Model S20 can also provide remote dial-in users with network access, using Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP), compressed SLIP (CSLIP), or Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) serial line networking protocols. Dial-in users are able to run TCP/IP applications similar to other users locally attached to the network.
Both the Model P10 and the Model S20 have network security support. The Model P10 port or the Model S20 port configured as a P10 port can only communicate to systems configured for that 7318 port. Users have the same network access as a user attached to the native serial port on a system. The Model S20 can be configured for local or remote password security or Kerberos V.5 password authentication. Kerberos V.5 uses the Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption algorithm to prevent passwords from being sent across the network. The Model S20 also has the capability to encrypt all the data associated with an rlogin application.
The Model S20 has the capability to take full advantage of the Network Terminal Accelerator features. The combination of the 7318 Model S20 and Network Terminal Accelerator eliminates the networking overhead of TCP/IP, the telnetd daemon, and the rlogind daemon. This combination enables the system to support more users or more applications than before.
Refer to the 7318 Model S20 Guide and Reference for more information on the 7318 Model S20.