Personal Communications

Personal Communications is a key component of both IBM Host Access Client Package and IBM Rational® Host Integration Solution. It helps enable secure access to mission-critical business systems for virtually every user.

Highlights

IBM Personal Communications, available on Microsoft® Windows® platforms, is a host communication and terminal emulation package that features 3270, 5250 and VT emulation, SNA application support, integration, and SNA and TCP/IP connectivity.

Personal Communications can bring the power of personal networking to the workstation and can exploit existing networking capabilities. This includes SNA applications and technologies, such as advanced program-to-program communication (APPC) and High-Performance Routing (HPR). It also provides TCP/IP support and an extensive application programming interface (API) set, offering Emulator High-Level Language Applications Programming Interface (EHLLAPI) through programming languages like C++ and VBScript, and Java™ technology.

Industry-leading emulation
Personal Communications continues to set the standard for terminal access to critical applications and data on different host systems, taking advantage of 3270, 5250, TN3270E, TN5250, VT52, VT100, VT220 and VT340 emulation and supporting an FTP client. The Personal Communications industry-standard APIs include 32-bit EHLLAPI APIs, as well as Windows HLLAPIs (WinHLLAPIs).

Improved development capabilities
Personal Communications supports Microsoft Visual Basic automation objects and VBScript. This capability enables flexibility while preserving your future investments.

Security when you need it most
With Personal Communications, you can be confident that you have access to a security-rich environment when you need it the most. Personal Communications supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and Transport Layer Security (TLS). When combined with support for load-balancing Service Location Protocol (SLP) — found in products such as IBM Communications Server — you can configure Personal Communications to connect to only SSL-enabled servers, helping to provide more network security.

Network integration
Personal Communications is designed to handle a wide variety of protocols — including Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), HPR, SNA and IP — to help you connect users to the data they need to access mainframe applications and data.

Connectivity
Personal Communications offers a fast, network-efficient connection to employees, customers, suppliers and trading partners. Replace outdated, disparate communication tools with one solution for access to critical business systems.

Industry-standard solutions
From EHLLAPI to TCP/IP to SNA, Personal Communications provides industry-standard solutions to help extend your investments into the future

Extensive language support
Personal Communications is multilingual. Available in 22 languages, it includes double-byte character set (DBCS) languages, supports the euro sign, and includes extensive keyboard and code-page support.

SNA over IP backbone
Through the use of Enterprise Extender in Personal Communications, you can maintain the integrity of SNA LU6.2, Common Programming Interface for Communications (CPI-C), APPC and LU0 applications over an IP network, enabling these applications to run unchanged even as the network changes. Everything is handled at the end points, and the routers forward the IP packets as if they were native IP applications.

Boost end user productivity
With end user features such as Scratch Pad, Hot spots, Find text, and intuitive copy/paste options, Personal Communications helps to augment the usability of the original green screen application, and aids in reducing data entry errors.

Below is the summary of software and hardware required for IBM Personal Communications. For more details, see Supported Platform Details.