Systems Network Architecture (SNA) is IBM's proprietary networking architecture created in 1974. It is a complete protocol stack for interconnecting computers and their resources. SNA is still used intensively in banks and other financial transaction networks.
Within SNA there are two types of datastream to connect local terminals and printers; there is the 3270 datastream mainly used by mainframes (S/390 family) and the 5250 datastream mainly used by minicomputers/servers such as the S/36, S/38, and AS/400 (nowadays called the iSeries).
Starting from version 5.2 of OS/400, SNA for client-access is no longer supported.
External links
Cisco article on SNA (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/ibmsna.htm)
SNA is still used extensively in banks and other financial transaction networks, as well as in many government agencies.
For small networks, this may be true, but as the complexity of a large routed network grows, the SNA structure provides a cheaper path.
Within SNA there are two types of datastream to connect local terminals and printers; there is the 3270 datastream mainly used by mainframes (zSeries family) and the 5250 datastream mainly used by minicomputers/servers such as the S/36, S/38, and AS/400 (nowadays called the iSeries).
A key construct defined within the overall SNAnetwork model is the path control network, which is responsible for moving information between SNA nodes and facilitating internetwork communication between nodes on different networks.
SNA implements X.25 as the access protocol, and SNA nodes are considered adjacent to one another in the context of X.25 networks.
SNA commands are sent in command request units that control the network and contain information exchanged between end users.
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