Managing Cisco Channel Cards › Cisco Channel Cards

Cisco Channel Cards

The Cisco Mainframe Channel Connection (CMCC) is supported on the Channel Interface Processor (CIP) and the Channel Port Adapter (CPA). This guide refers to the CIP and CPA as Cisco channel cards.

The Cisco channel card includes the following functions:

• Interconnection controller and providing TCP/IP connectivity for the mainframe
• LAN based SNA connectivity to PUs
• TN3270 server, saving S/390 CPU cycles on the system by running on the channel card

To support the use of Cisco channel cards in your environment, you can do the following:

• List TN3270 Telnet connections by specifying IP address, LU name, and application name
• Monitor the performance and health of the channel card by providing indicators such as:
  • CPU, memory, and DMA utilization
  • Transfer rates on CLAW links
  • Error rates on channel interfaces
  • TN3270 server users and free LU counts

You can also use the following diagnostic functions:

• Obtain a history of important events on the LU.
• Obtain SNA data about the connection
• Obtain TN3270 server status information
• Monitor the behavior of the channel card and its components

Channel Card Status

The status of the channel card and its associated components can provide information to help you tune network, and resolve problems such as:

• The network appears to be running slowly.
• Users cannot establish a session.
• Part of the network is isolated.