System information

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1999
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Chapter 2. Planning Considerations
In this chapter, we discusss the planning considerations for implementing
Network Stations in the AS/400 environment. Implementing Network Stations
can vary from very simple transitions from non-programmable terminals
(NPTs) to network stations with emulation only, to very complex installations
where combinations of NPTs and PCs are migrated to a full function browser
and collaborative environment. Some of the topics we discuss must be
considered for both implementations. Our approach is to ask some basic
questions that you need to answer to fully document your implementation
plan.
2.1 Where You Are Currently
This first question is important: Where are we now? Whether you are the
technical project planner for a multi-national corporation, or the part-time I/T
support specialist on contract to a small business, you need to ask the
following questions:
Current Host Applications (5250, 3270)
What are my current host application?
Define the access requirements that you are currently providing to your
end-users. This helps you plan the desktops on the Network Stations and the
systems to which they will be connected.
Service Levels for these Applications
Do service level agreements exist in your organization?
While you may not have formal arrangements with the end-user departments
you are supporting, but there are implied agreements. For example, the users
expect that the system is always up by 8:00am and available until 7:00pm.
When an end-user powers on a terminal, the sign-on display appears almost
instantly. Existing PC users also have expectations. For example, it takes 20
seconds to boot up Lotus 123 or AmiPro, and file saving is almost
instantaneous.
These end-user expectations must be reset when you embark on your project
to implement Network Stations to replace NPTs and existing PCs. The
following are areas of systems management that must be reviewed as part of
your implementation planning:
• Availability
• Performance