Re: Remote office connection

["Carl Galgano" <cgalgano@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lorne:
First of all, if the new branch office is to support 200 users, and all the
rest have approximately 30 users, then you should look closely at the speed
of your frame relay port speed and CIR rates.  Clearly the branch with 200
users will have requirements for more bandwidth.  Also be sure to review the
port speed of the host side to be sure the aggrregate of all the remotes
will be sufficient.

As far as your options, you could use multile remote controllers.  You don't
say if you are running your green screen applications on dumb terminals or
PCs.  If you are using PCs, you could use an ethernet card in the Perle and
not have the need for multiple controllers.  Also, are you using SNA or
TCP/IP.  Another senario if you are using PCs is to set up an ethernet
network at the remote branch and then use a router to connect that branch to
the AS400 via TCP/IP.

As far as using an AS400 at the branch.  Again, that depends on what you
wish to do.  If the entire application resides on the host and there are no
other applications that can be served and distributed on a local AS400 in
the branch, then I find no value in having an AS400 to act solely as a
remote controller.  DDM is probably not the way to go, DDM is a great tool,
but not for this.  If you did install a remote AS400, then DSPT (passthru)
would be a much better alternative.

One comment on installing an AS400 in the new branch, it could serve the
dual purpose of mirroring the primary host.  This could serve as a hot
backup to provide high availability.  I do have one client that has a
situation similar to yours.  They however run 2 AS400s and mirror the
databaase remotely over the 2 AS400s (between 2 different countries), thus
users in each office are working on a local machine, so their response time
is great,  and share a single logical database that is mirrored over 2
physical AS400s.

HTH.
Carl

Carl Galgano
EDI Consulting Services, Inc.
http://www.cgalgano.home.mindspring.com
mailto://cgalgano@ediconsulting.com
(770) 422-2995

-----Original Message-----
From: Lorne Sturgeoff <lgs@aiccorp.com>
To: Midrange List (E-mail) <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Date: Thursday, July 02, 1998 4:03 PM
Subject: Remote office connection


|Hi, everyone.  I'm hoping to get some input from this knowledgeable group.
|
|Consider the following scenerio.  You have a single AS/400 in a main office
with approx. 200 local workstations and several branch offices with no more
than 30 users per branch.  Branch offices are located across the country.
(In Canada, but I think the situation would be similar in the US.)  All
users are all running the same green-screen application and must share all
files.  At present, all branch offices connect via Perle remote controllers
over a frame relay network.
|
|Now, suppose you are considering opening a new remote office (1000's of
miles away) with another 200 users that must also share the same data and
applications. What would be the preferred  method (ie., effective and
relatively inexpensive) of getting them online?  A bunch more remote
controllers in the new office?  Another AS/400 in the remote office using
DDM?  Something entirely different?
|
|I'd be most grateful for any feedback from the list.
|
|Lorne Sturgeoff.
|
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