The Teradata Mainframe Interface enables communication between a mainframe client and a server using a channel with either a parallel or serial I/O interface. In the case of the Extended Channel Solution (ECS), the Teradata Mainframe Interface uses a channel plus TCP/IP.
The ECS interface includes:
- The TCHN software on the TPA node, which manages channel devices and communicates with Vantage
- The APSV software on the ECS node, which encapsulates channel write blocks and sends them to the Teradata system via TCP/IP
The Teradata Channel Interface hardware and the driver may be located on a TPA node or on the Extended Channel Solution (ECS) node. The ECS node provides the following benefits:
- Reduces exposure to Teradata outages induced by adapter faults
- Enables improved mainframe connectivity to a greater number of nodes within the Teradata system
- Creates more options for users connecting Vantage to a mainframe
Current platforms can be connected with the PEFA—PCI Bus FICON Host Channel Adapter.