SNA Server Rejects BIND From AS/400 When Remote End = Host (148679)

SYMPTOMS

An SNA Server connection to an AS/400 (configured with Remote End = Host System) rejects any BIND sent to it from an AS/400 with a Sense Code of 0x8009.

An SNA Server Data Link Control (DLC) Message trace shows that the SNA Server responds to a BIND from the AS/400 with a BIND -RSP similar to the following:

   DLC    01020101->04161000 DLC DATA
   DLC                       DAF:01 OAF:01 ODAI:off Exp.
   DLC                       BIND   -RSP SC  FI SD BC EC DR1
   DLC
   DLC    ---- Header  at address 00CF5A08, 1 elements ----
   DLC    00050100 00002D00 01010000 01008A00     <......-.........>
   DLC
   DLC    ---- Element at address 011F3208, start 10, end 17 ----
   DLC    EF900080 09000031                       <.......1        >

The 0x8009 sense code can be seen in Bytes 3 and 4 of the Element data.

NOTE: Please refer to Chapter 9 of the IBM SNA Formats Guide (GA27-3136) for more information and a listing other IBM Sense Codes. In addition, Chapter 13 of the SNA Server Administration Guide discusses how to enable SNA Server traces.

CAUSE

SNA server is sometimes required to default to a secondary link station role when it communicates with an AS/400, instead of negotiating the link role. The only way to have an SNA Server assume a secondary link station role when communicating with an AS/400 currently, is to configure the connection as a Host connection instead of a Peer connection. Configuring the connection as a Host connection works, except in cases when the AS/400 is required to send a BIND to the SNA Server. In these cases, the SNA Server interprets the BIND as being for a dependent LU, and as no ACTLU command has been received from the AS/400, the SNA Server rejects the BIND with sense code 0x8009.

RESOLUTION

This problem has been corrected by having SNA Server handle Host connections as Peer connections with the exception that they will default to a secondary link station role instead of a negotiable link station role. However, this only applies if the connections have only independent LU 6.2 sessions configured. If the connections also have dependent sessions configured, they will be handled like normal Host connections.

To correct this problem, apply the fix mentioned below.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SNA Server versions 2.1, 2.11, and 2.11 Service Pack 1. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft SNA Server 2.11 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K