As/400 Future Announcements; Product Previews - IBM AS/400e User Handbook Manual

AS/400 Future Announcements

This section outlines Product Previews and Statements of Direction. Product Previews
identify specific functions IBM has committed to incorporate into future AS/400 hardware or
software releases. Statements of Direction identify IBM's commitment to direct the AS/400
system toward a given design or technology. By communicating these future plans, IBM
intends to help our customers plan for better use of their AS/400 system.

Product Previews

Product previews provide insight into IBM plans and directions for future AS/400 hardware or
software releases. The information released represents IBM's current intent. It is subject to
change or withdrawal. They represent goals and objectives only.
OS/400 V4R4 will be enhanced to provide facsimile protocol support for ISDN
Communications Adapters (#2750 and #2751). These features will provide the AS/400
system with the latest high-speed technology available for the transmission and receipt of
facsimile data from a Group 3 capable fax machine, another AS/400 with equivalent
communications adapters, or PCs with appropriately programmed fax adapters.
As part of the OS/400 V4R5 announcements made in May 2000, IBM announced an intention
to provide an update of OS/400 that includes the following enhancements:
• Electronic Customer Support (ECS), PM/400e and Service Agent over the integrated
modem: IBM intends to support ECS running over a TCP/IP connection, including
electronic fix retrieval, problem reporting, and inventory of hardware and software
information. PM/400e and IBM Electronic Service Agent for AS/400 (formerly known as
Service Director) will be modified to take advantage of the TCP/IP connection. These
functions will use the V.90 integrated modem shipped with the 270, 250, and 8xx models.
Over time, additional processes will be enhanced to take advantage of the electronic
support in the pre-enabled AS/400 systems. Separate announcements will be made to
keep you abreast of the new process capabilities as they are made available.
External Integrated Netfinity Server: As announced in February 1999, IBM intends to
support direct AS/400 attachment of SMP IBM Netfinity servers using the AS/400 High
Speed Link (HSL) bus, retaining the systems management and disk consolidation
features of today's AS/400 Integrated Netfinity Server.
• HSL OptiConnect: IBM intends to leverage the significant bandwidth, flexibility, and
speed of High Speed Link (HSL) for system-to-system connectivity by offering HSL
OptiConnect. The replacement using the HSL bus will be faster, easier to implement, and
lower cost than SPD OptiConnect.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2000
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