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From: b39y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: PC/Mainframe connections...
Message-ID: <1991Feb12.112139.2682@vax5.cit.cornell.edu>
Date: 12 Feb 91 15:21:39 GMT
Distribution: comp
Lines: 24

Hi -

I'm an applications programmer at Cornell University who has been, up until
now, relatively happy programming administrative software on PCs and a Novell
network for my office.  However, it has come to my attention that much of the
data which my programs manipulate is also stored on our university mainframe
systems.  (Usually an IBM VMS system running ADABAS and/or NATURAL.)

Naturally, my users are reluctant to retype all of this information into two
systems, and are interested in consolidating the functions that I perform on
PCs for them with those that our mainframe programmers do.  What I'm wondering
is where to look for ways to integrate PCs and mainframes (across TCP/IP?) -
that is, to use the mainframe as a data storage device, so that the external
community can get to the data they need, but to program the data entry and
reports directly from the PC without the need to up/download files.  I think
what I'm interested in is distributed data programming or 'the client/server
model,' but I'm not too sure.  Anyone out there want to give me a hand figuring
out just what I want?

Thanks.

Dave Rodger
Cornell University
B39Y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu