IBM Front-End Processor Replacement Solution

IBM's SNA was the mainframe's network protocol of choice for approximately 30 years. In recent years, mainframe-based IT professionals have adopted a strategy of building their new applications on TCP/IP across many different platforms. IBM, as part of its plan to accommodate this change in the marketplace, has added Linux as an operating system and strengthened its mainframe-based TCP/IP stack. With the shift to IP, IBM has discontinued sales of its 3745 and 3746 Communications Controllers, also known as front-end processors (FEPs), which were primarily designed to support SNA. IBM also has added high-speed LAN access to the mainframe to accommodate the requirements of the newer IP applications. Cisco and IBM offer a number of solutions for replacing many of the FEP functions.