(ESCON) Director

The IBM 9032 ESCON* Director provides channel connectivity using fiber optics and the Enterprise Systems* Connection Architecture for selected models of ES/3090J, the ES/3090 9000T, ES/9000* processors, and all models of the S/390 CMOS Servers. It provides for connection and switching among ESCON channels and ESCON control units. The ESCON Director provides up to 248 connection ports that may attach to either channels or control units. Optional enhanced availability features are also available. The ESCON Director supports attachment of the ESCON Converter Model 1, which allows attachment of control units with parallel interfaces.

Model Abstract 9032-002

Model 9032-002 offers 28 ports minimum, upgradable to 60 ports maximum. The ESCON Director provides channel connectivity using fiber optics and the Enterprise Systems Connection Architecture for selected models of the ES/3090J, the ES/3090 9000T, and the ES/9000 processors. It is a connection and switching mechanism among ES Connection channels and control units. Both channel to control unit and channel to channel connectivity are supported. It provides dynamic connectivity for up to 60 serial channels or control units. Channel and control unit attachment is via fiber optic links attached to fiber optic ports.

Technical Description

The ESCON Director is a dynamic router which accepts data streams through its fiber-optic ports, decodes destination port addresses contained in the data stream, makes internal routing connections, and passes the data streams to the addressed ports. A destination or source may be either a channel or a control unit. Up to 30 port pairs may be simultaneously connected and actively passing data.
The ESCON Director is available in sizes ranging from 28 ports to 60 ports in increments of 4 ports. If initially ordered with less than 60 ports, it can be field upgraded in increments of 4 ports, to a maximum of 60 ports.

The ESCON Director is designed to be floor standing. It requires a user-supplied PC to be used as the ESCD Console. The ESCD Console may be shared by up to eight clustered Directors. Refer to the Operator/Service Console section for detailed PC machine requirements. There is a platform on top of the ESCON Director for placement of the console. The console is required to:

• Install and service the ESCON Director
• Initialize the ESCON Director
• Make configuration changes locally
• Save configuration on a diskette
• Maintain a local audit trail on a diskette
• Store error information on a diskette

Although the initial state of the ESCON Director allows any port to communicate with any other port, communication among ports may be configured, within device limitations, to satisfy application requirements. This configuration capability can be accomplished using a menu-driven interface at the ESCD Console or if host configuration control is desired, by using the ES Connection Manager licensed program. If ES Connection Manager is to be used, there must be at least one ES channel connection between the host and the ESCON Director Model 002. Prestored configurations at the local console are also allowed, and can be transferred to and from the host. The configuration can be changed by:

1. Defining a dedicated connection. A dedicated connection connects two ports together continuously, to the exclusion of all other ports.
2. Blocking a port such that it cannot communicate with any other port. It can be unblocked as required.
3. Partitioning resources by prohibiting a port or groups of ports from communicating with other ports. This partitioning capability allows the ESCON Director to be logically configured into multiple independent partitions.

An ESCON Director may be chained to another ESCON Director or to a ESCON Director Model 1 provided that the connection ports in one or both are defined as dedicated connections. A maximum of two Directors can be chained.

Point-to-point distances of up to 3 km cable length are supported. Using properly positioned ESCON Directors, channel-to-control unit or channel-to-channel distances of up to 6 km can be achieved. A maximum of 9 km can be achieved using two chained ESCON Director Model 2s/ESCON Director Model 1s.

With the Extended Distance Features, point-to-point distances of up to 20-km cable length are supported. Using properly positioned, chained ESCON Directors/ESCON Director Model 1s, channel to control unit distances, for selected control units, of up to 43 km and channel-to- channel distances of up to 60 km can be achieved. The maximum achievable distances are control-unit dependent.
The ESCON Director maintains a local audit trail on a console diskette. This audit trail records the time, date, and password for certain changes made from the console.

The ESCON Director provides a password facility that protects against unauthorized use of selected functions. This password facility is controlled at the ESCON Director local operator/service console and is independent of other system security mechanisms. Three levels of passwords are implemented:

• Level 1 - This level allows a user to control the passwords of other users who have access to the ESCON Director.
• Level 2 - This level allows the service representative to perform maintenance procedures.
• Level 3 - This level allows the user to change connectivity attributes and to access certain utilities.

Optional Features:
4040 LED Ports 4 additional
4050 XDF Ports 4 additional
4048 Redundant Power Supply
4901 Console