OSI/FTAM Programming Reference Manual

Introduction to NonStop OSI/FTAM
HP NonStop OSI/FTAM Programming Reference Manual—528611-001
1-2
NonStop FTAM Services
encoded messages transferred across an OSI network between the initiator and
responder.
FTAM file handling is defined in terms of initiator and responder functions. The initiator
provides application programs with access to the FTAM protocol so that you can
request services to be performed by a responder across the network. The remote
responder acts as a file server and performs the requested services.
NonStop FTAM Services
NonStop FTAM provides most of the FTAM services specified in ISO 8571. The
NonStop FTAM implementation separates the initiator and responder functions into two
processes. The NonStop FTAM initiator process implements the initiator function, while
the NonStop FTAM responder process implements the responder function.
The initiator and responder processes provide the FTAM functions required for your
applications. These processes manage the FTAM communications among your
application and other FTAM applications on the local or remote computer systems on
an OSI network. Your application communicates with the initiator process through
system procedure calls, and with the NonStop operating system through Guardian
procedure calls.
NonStop FTAM can handle the following types of files, where the corresponding FTAM
document types are listed parenthetically:
•
Unstructured text files (FTAM-1)
•
Structured text files (FTAM-2)
•
Unstructured binary files (FTAM-3)
•
Directory files (NBS-9)
NonStop FTAM Application Examples
The following examples illustrate how NonStop FTAM services might be used to
develop an application:
•
An application that analyzes daily sales statistics uses FTAM procedures to access
one of the Sales division’s remote computers to retrieve summary reports at the
end of each day. FTAM provides the remote file-access link to the remote computer
in the Sales division.
•
An application distributes manufacturing schedules to different assembly areas
within a large manufacturing facility. The schedules are received as files on a
variety of computer systems at these assembly areas. FTAM provides the file
transfer capability across the OSI network to allow this distribution to take place
between the central NonStop computer (which distributes the manufacturing
schedules) and the other systems.
•
NonStop FTAM is used in a banking network to send information on the transfer of
funds from one bank (a NonStop system) to other banks that do not use NonStop